News
04/06/2010
Happy Birthday Alpine
LOOK WHO TURNED 50!
Alpine was a hub of activity for the last weekend of skiing and boarding on Friday and Saturday of the long weekend. Many members and guests enjoyed their last few runs and then relaxed on the deck with friends, burgers from the grill and live music. What a season!
Sunday was a very special day for everyone at Alpine, it was our Birthday! Alpine turned 50.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
It was on this day fifty years ago that Alpine became incorporated. Here is a short excerpt from a speech given by Hans Kent a few years ago about Alpine's early days...
"...We stared as a travelling ski club in 1957, and travelled to various resorts in Ontario, Quebec and the States. Due to our numbers, we received discounts at all our destinations. We quickly grew to 300 members, mainly due to the fact that we arranged valet service transportation from residence to resorts and back! We held fortnightly meetings with movies, talks, fashion shows, pre-season exercises and more. The club had to be restricted to 300 members due the logistics of arranging the transportation.
The 300 members were each allocated one of four telephone numbers, which had to be contacted Thursday or Friday evening by those wishing to ski the coming weekend. All the names were picked up by the co-ordinator who would then try to match passengers with drivers. The drivers were called and given their list of passengers, whom they were expected to call and confirm pick-up, which was between 6:30 – 7:30 a.m.
Inevitably problems arose, one in particular was that certain girls were in great demand by drivers and vice versa. In those days most cars would carry six people plus equipment. The challenge was to fit 150 people into perhaps 20 or less available vehicles. As an aside, only 1 person was ever missed in the 3 years of the travelling ski club.
It became evident to us that no one much liked the crowds and lines at the resorts. So, in the winter of 1958, we consulted the nearest burning bush for words of wisdom. And they were – “Go forth, find a hill and start a private ski club”.
And so it came to pass that in the spring of 1958 the membership massively endorsed the project. Shortly thereafter, armed with contour maps and a great deal of enthusiasm we commenced a search by travelling to different parts of Southern Ontario, looking for suitable terrain. Lo and behold, one day while visiting a cottage at Hidden Lake, some forgotten genius said, “Why don’t you go and see Max Campbell at the Arrowhead Ranch?” Well, it was love at first sight, not with Max, but with the property. After some difficult and extended negotiations, we closed the purchase of the first 50 acres in the spring of 1960. The area consisted of the land roughly from the Arrowhead Run to the Racing Hill. The top was about level with the current Arrowhead lift top terminal. Using mostly our own labour, plus some earth-moving equipment, we cut the first hills and built 2 rope tows. That was the way it was as of Boxing Day 1960 when the club opened..."
From this group of 300 strong, Alpine has grown and flourished. Many of the founding families enjoy three generations skiing together and more recent families have created their own traditions at Alpine.
In 2011 we will be celebrating the accomplishments of the Club all season long. A 50th Anniversary Committee is in the planning stages for a series of fun and exciting celebrations to be enjoy through the 2010 - 2011 season. In the meantime, don't forget to drop in and say hello or take part in our off-season festivities such as the annual Lobsterfest in May and Corn Roast in September.
Stay in touch with the e-news and share your summer with us on the Alpine Facebook Fan page.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVERYONE!
