Milwaukee Ski Bowl
Encyclopedia
Milwaukee Ski Bowl was an alpine ski area that operated in Washington state between 1937 and 1951.
Executives of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
built a ski area at Hyak, Washington
in the fall of 1937, including a lodge and one lift. It was originally called the Snoqualmie Ski Bowl until it closed at the start of World War II. The area reopened in 1946 as the Milwaukee Ski Bowl so it was not to be confused with The Snoqualmie Summit ski area located 2 miles away. It was considered to be a major ski area at that time, comparable to but not as luxurious as Sun Valley
. Additional lifts were added over time and in 1939 the main run was lighted for night skiing.
The area proved to be popular when the Seattle Times newspaper began to sponsor a free ski school for high school students from Seattle and Tacoma. A round trip train ticket cost $1 in 1940 with lift tickets for 50¢. The 200-foot lodge could hold 1000 people and concessions were operated by the Ben Paris complex of Seattle. A Class-A ski jump was built in 1941 and was said to be the largest ski jump in North America. National championship events were held here, including the 1948 Olympic jumping team tryouts.
On December 2, 1949 the lodge burned down, but the area continued to operate out of train cars until 1951.
Executives of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until its merger into the Soo Line Railroad on January 1, 1986. The company went through several official names...
built a ski area at Hyak, Washington
Hyak, Washington
Hyak is an unincorporated community located on Snoqualmie Pass in Kittitas County, Washington.Hyak was established around 1915 at the eastern portal of the Snoqualmie Pass Milwaukee Road Railroad tunnel. Originally a train station, the community began to grow in the 1930s when the railroad built a...
in the fall of 1937, including a lodge and one lift. It was originally called the Snoqualmie Ski Bowl until it closed at the start of World War II. The area reopened in 1946 as the Milwaukee Ski Bowl so it was not to be confused with The Snoqualmie Summit ski area located 2 miles away. It was considered to be a major ski area at that time, comparable to but not as luxurious as Sun Valley
Sun Valley, Idaho
Sun Valley is a resort city in Blaine County in the central part of the U.S. state of Idaho, adjacent to the city of Ketchum, lying within the greater Wood River valley. Tourists from around the world enjoy its skiing, hiking, ice skating, trail riding, tennis, and cycling. The population was 1,427...
. Additional lifts were added over time and in 1939 the main run was lighted for night skiing.
The area proved to be popular when the Seattle Times newspaper began to sponsor a free ski school for high school students from Seattle and Tacoma. A round trip train ticket cost $1 in 1940 with lift tickets for 50¢. The 200-foot lodge could hold 1000 people and concessions were operated by the Ben Paris complex of Seattle. A Class-A ski jump was built in 1941 and was said to be the largest ski jump in North America. National championship events were held here, including the 1948 Olympic jumping team tryouts.
On December 2, 1949 the lodge burned down, but the area continued to operate out of train cars until 1951.
See also
- Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific RailroadChicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific RailroadThe Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until its merger into the Soo Line Railroad on January 1, 1986. The company went through several official names...
- Snoqualmie PassSnoqualmie PassSnoqualmie Pass is a mountain pass that carries Interstate 90 through the Cascade Range in the U.S. State of Washington. The elevation of the pass summit is , and is on the county line between Kittitas County and King County...
- The Summit at SnoqualmieThe Summit at SnoqualmieThe Summit at Snoqualmie, located on Snoqualmie Pass, Washington, is a winter resort providing alpine skiing and snowboarding, Nordic skiing, and winter tubing owned by CNL Investment Properties, Inc. and managed by Boyne Resorts....