- Jumping Program in Kid Stuff Magazine December 6, 2017Please check out this great article on the Ford Sayre Ski Jumping program from our local Kid Stuff magazine: Continue reading →
- There’s History In These Here Hills September 30, 2017
by Dick Nelson [in 1975?]
Though most people don’t realize it, the Upper Valley is the birthplace of modern skiing in the United States.
Sure, the biggest areas in New England now are in central Vermont or north central New Hampshire. And the biggest areas of all are out in the Rockies. But it all started here.
To wit:
– The first ski tow of any kind in the United States was installed in Woodstock, Vermont, near the present site of the Mt. Tom and Suicide Six ski area, in January, 1934.
– The original ski “lift” in the country was built at Hanover’s Oak Hill in the fall of 1935. That J-bar, which is still in operation, was the first device constructed in the United States which “lifted” skiers with power from the rear instead of traction from the front as provided by rope tows.
– Although one of the first chair lifts in the country was built (and is still operating) at the Gunstock Ski Area in Gilford, N.H., parts of that lift were purchased by Ernie Dion for his Snowcrest Ski Area in Enfield and are still being used in the lift in what is now Whaleback.
Yep, there’s a lot of skiing history in the Upper Valley.
In Woodstock, the era of the rope tow is being left far behind these days. The name of the two areas has been updated this year to Woodstock’s Tom and Six and a spanking new chair lift installed at what was Suicide Six.
But a reminder of skiing’s past still remains in the form of his historic site marker presented in 1964 by Vermont Gov. Philip Hoff to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the tow’s installation.
The marker sits at the foot of Clinton Gilbert’s pasture on Rt. 12 in Woodstock, midway between the two areas. It reads:
“In January 1934, on this pasture hill of Clinton Gilbert’s farm, an endless rope tow powered by a Model T Ford engine hauled skiers uphill for the first time. This ingenious contraption launched a new era in winter sports.”
Banana Hauler?
The J-bar at Oak Hill is celebrating its 40th anniversary this month and its still getting people up the hill just like it did back during that first winter, when more than 40,000 skiers rode uphill on it. But to indicate how times have changed, the construction price of that original left was only $3,300 – or about enough to buy one chair on today’s lifts. In addition, the surroundings of the J-bar have altered over time.
- Alpine Summer Training Program September 15, 2017
Ford Sayre parent Edie Morgan wrote this great article for the Ski Racing blog on the Alpine Summer Dryland Program.
Continue reading → - Junior Alpine Racing Gallery May 7, 2017
Photos from the DEVO and Junior Alpine Racing programs for 2016-17. Thanks to the many contributors!
Continue reading → - Congratulations to Evan Nichols and Aiden Cudhea March 16, 2017
Congratulations to Ford Sayre’s Evan Nichols and Aiden Cudhea for their impressive results at the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association’s 2017 Junior National Championships at the Norge Ski Club in Fox River Grove, Illinois, two weeks ago!
Nichols, a 13-year-old at the Lyme School, and Cudhea, a sophomore at Thetford Academy, were selected to represent the East Division in a nationwide field of athletes. Nichols took first in U-16 individual Nordic combined, edging Concord’s Henry Johnstone by 30 seconds. Cudhea took fifth in U-16 special jumping. The East took third overall. The Valley News published this article in yesterday’s paper
Evan Nichols
- U16 Individual Nordic Combined Junior National Champion at just 13 years-old
- U16 Team Nordic Combined Junior National Champion
- U20 Team Special Jumping Bronze Medal
Aiden Cudhea
- 5th Place U16 Special Jumping Junior National Championships
- U20 Team Special Jumping Bronze Medal
Continue reading →