Saturday Slight

Lots going through my mind on this cold but beautiful Saturday morning prior to the big Thanksgiving holiday week---food, football games, craft sales, outdoor projects, etc. 

Later this morning, I'll also be attending a funeral for a dear family friend.  Myrt Burnett touched so many people in so many good ways during her 95-plus years on this earth.  Her large family and countless friends will be saying good bye today.

I feel blessed to have known her most of my life.  

Probably her only flaw---in my mind---was her collusion with Bonner County Cow Belles,  who liked to gather on the bleachers at the old fairgrounds back decades ago,  whenever pathetic Marianne was showing that unruly cow named Millie in 4-H fitting and showing.

Those ladies may have come to the bleachers at the outdoor arena for other reasons, but it was obvious from the giggles and snickers I heard coming from their section that they fully enjoyed Millie's dramatic misbehavior during fitting and showing class.  

Millie was normally a well-behaved Hereford, but thanks to the rule that no male calves could be shown in fitting and showing, she could turn into a horned monster.

You see, Millie produced only male offspring, good ones at that, cuz we always did well in the 4-H beef cow calf competition, when strongly maternal Millie could have her son by her side. 

Since the rules dictated that the son could not be seen in a 4-H fitting and showing class,   Mama Millie had to take his place, and Millie never liked being too far away from her baby.  So, she performed with her loud bellers as her powerful 1,500-pound body dragged me around the arena.  

Judges would finally ask me to tie her to the fence, only after allowing those Cow Belles like Myrt to enjoy some good entertainment.  I earned the bottom white ribbon for three consecutive years cuz of Millie's three consecutive bull calves.

I never forgave any of those Cow Belles for what I considered their callous enjoyment at my expense AND I always told them so. 

Other than that short-coming,  Myrt Burnett stood pretty high in my book.  Hard-working, no nonsense, civic-minded, thoughtful and, as the family stated, a pillar in the community, along with her husband Art. 

In her later years, Myrt earned some extra-special jewels in her crown when she took my mother under her wing at The Bridge for Assisted Living.  Mother adored Myrt.  The two sat together at meals in the Bridge dining room.  

My mother was not alone as a beneficiary of Myrt's friendship and caring.  It was just a natural thing for her to look out for others.  She and Art raised a fine family too, and many of them have been lifelong friends.   

So, it will be sad to say good bye to her today. 

On another note, today is also the opening day for Schweitzer Mountain Resort aka Schweitzer Basin Ski Area. 

I was talking with some friends the other day about the Kennedy assassination, and we agreed that the event marked a major turning point in this country and its attitudes.  

In that same conversation, I pointed to Schweitzer as a bit of a parallel, a more positive one. 

Two weeks after Kennedy's assassination changed America forever, Schweitzer Basin Ski Area opened, changing our community of Sandpoint forever. 

No longer would we be the sleepy little two or three-motel logging town that curled up and hibernated from Labor Day to Memorial Day. 

Yup, this community has taken off and thrived in the past 50 years.  Just this week, Men's Journal featured Sandpoint as "Idaho's Hippest Mountain Town."  The accolades continue to flow in, and I believe we can point to Schweitzer's opening 50 years ago as the major catalyst.

So, today marks a memory, even if it isn't the exact day that Schweitzer opened for business the first time.  That was on a Wednesday in 1963---Dec. 4.  

Nonetheless, I'm guessing the anticipation of opening day may be matching that felt by the locals back in 1963.  I saw a photo on Facebook of a group of kids already in the lift line at 2 a.m. this morning.

In honor of this significant opening day at Schweitzer, I'll leave you with the story I penned for the latest edition of Schweitzer Magazine.   

And, if you desire some more nostalgia, you can read a lot more about many of the folks who played an important role in the resort's early beginnings.  Just go to www.schweitzeroriginals.blogspot.com.  

Early Years on the Mountain:  Schweitzer Originals

Bob Aavedal tends to downplay his role as a Schweitzer original. Aavedal directed parking when Schweitzer Basin Ski Resort first opened Wednesday, Dec. 4, 1963. He helped build and operate chair lifts at Schweitzer and worked part-time as a ski instructor.  

For 43 years, Aavedal owned and operated the Alpine Ski Shop on the mountain and in downtown Sandpoint before retiring in July, 2012.

Aavedal’s low-key manner changes when assessing Schweitzer’s impact over the past 50 years.

“Best thing that ever happened to Sandpoint,” he boasts.

Indeed, the words “Schweitzer,” “Sandpoint” and “best” have become synonymous in recent years, as both community and resort have received national and worldwide acclaim, including “America’s Best Small Town” and Ski Magazine’s “Best Kept Secret in North America.”

Besides its long snow pack and sensational view of Lake Pend Oreille, the mountain maintains another secret for success:  loyal followers who have stuck with Schweitzer, contributing their vision, talents and support throughout its various stages of growth. 

Fifty years ago, Aavedal, along with local residents and skiers from around the Northwest and Canada, participated in Schweitzer Ski Basin’s opening day. Blue skies, brilliant sunshine and sparkling white snow energized their enthusiasm to usher in a new era of winter fun for the region.

The stage had already been set by visionaries, strategists and promoters, Dr. Jack Fowler, architect Grant Groesbeck, U.S. Ski Assoc. president Dr. Merritt Stiles of Spokane. Several Sandpoint-area businessmen, including Jim Brown, Jr., Bob Cox, Bud Moon and Bill Ballard, recruited Canadian Sam Wormington from Kimberley, B.C., to spearhead the overall operation.

Fresh from developing North Star Ski Area in Kimberley, Wormington moved to Sandpoint in mid-1963 and hit the ground running while supervising construction crews, assembling staff and promoting the mountain.

 Local residents fueled the dream by purchasing $10 shares of Schweitzer stock.

“Bud [Moon] was totally wrapped up in getting Schweitzer going,” Sandpoint resident Helen Newton recalled.  “One day he said to me, ‘Helen, you and Skip need to buy shares in Schweitzer.  It’s going to happen!’”

Heavy equipment/construction experts Wayne Parenteau, Rennie Poelstra, Scottie Castle, Russell Oliver, Bud Palmer and others used their skills to build and maintain infrastructure, including the road from Sandpoint, a 500-car parking lot, the first lodge and a mile-long Riblet chair lift.

Lorraine Montgomery Morgan sold Lift Tickets No. 1 and 2 for $4 apiece to Jim and Margaret Toomey of Post Falls. Sandpoint photographer Jim Parsons, Jr., who snapped hundreds of photos of early promoters during Schweitzer’s initial development, purchased the first family season pass for $130.  Clark Fork’s Jack McArdle bought the first individual season ticket for $100.

The Leonard Haugse family from Pastime Café ran the food concession.

“We were busier than heck,” Sandi Haugse Terry recalled.  She remembers steadying food containers, including her dad’s fresh cinnamon rolls, on her lap while mom Helen drove the family Corvair up the often challenging Schweitzer Road .

  

 Delores Kelly, a local bookkeeper known for financial vigilance and her calm, steady nature, supervised the office and ticket sales. Diane Ekwortzell Gartrell worked with Kelly that first year.

“Sam would pick us up in a big, plain Jane Suburban 4-wheel drive,” Gartrell said. “. . .  the road was not paved and, because of the early hour, it might not have been completely plowed.  It was not unusual to slide off the road several times on the way up the hill. On the trip down, we would often pile out of the truck to help push someone out of the ditch.”  

Meanwhile, Parsons operated his Schweitzer Ski Haus in the lodge with help from high school students, including Gary Johnson and Chris Thompson.

“I remember being really nervous that first day. There was a long line of people at the door, all wanting rentals,” Johnson recalled. “It was on-the-job training, but we managed to get through that first day.  It wasn’t rocket science in those days.”

Wormington, always dapper in his colorful ski sweaters and caps, set a consistent, positive tone with his yodeling and upbeat assessments of skiing conditions.

The overall mood was giddy and giggly. 

“It was a funny but busy day.  A lot didn’t know how to ski. Everybody was happy and laughing about each other falling,” inaugural ski patrolman Zane Lund recalls. “A lot got off at Midway.  The rental shop didn’t know adjust skis and bindings, so the ski patrol was trying to adjust them, using quarters for screwdrivers.”  

Five decades later, many first-day pioneers, including Aavedal, Lund and former ski instructor Jean Martin, still often show up at Schweitzer, eager to enjoy skiing the slopes. 

Lund of Samuels first skied while serving in the Army in Alaska.  After returning from service, he was pumping gas into his vehicle when a tall, lean stranger walked up and said, “I hear you know how to ski.”  Within minutes, Sam Wormington offered Lund a job.

Prior to Schweitzer’s opening, Lund cut brush with a hatchet for the rope tow and skied alongside Canadian ski team members, who trained on the mountain at Wormington’s invitation.

Meanwhile, on opening day, Jean Martin and her former husband left their home at the base of Schweitzer, joining the parade of cars headed for the mountain. Experienced skiing friends helped them get started.

“As they passed us on their frequent runs, they would give us a few pointers,” Martin recalled. At the time, her savings account, targeted for attendance at NIC the next spring, went for skis, boots and poles. The wooden skis with metal edges did not last long.

“In the spring I went commercial fishing and saved enough money to buy a pair of metal skis.” Martin and another local housewife, Lucille McPherson eventually joined the ski school as instructors.

Martin’s and Aavedal’s experiences mirrored many Schweitzer pioneers whose early involvement planted seeds for a lifetime love of skiing, career choices, marriages and always the desire to return to the mountain.  

“I met and courted my wife Diane on the slopes of Schweitzer,” Gary Johnson recalled.   “She was from Georgia and seemed to like the way I skied.”  

“After about four years in the ski shop, I taught skiing in 1969 and 1970,” he added.  “Al Voltz and Chris Thompson ran the ski school. My wife and I volunteered to cut brush on ski runs for about 4-5 years and earned our season passes. Diane and I also ran a cross country ski school for about 10.”

After his U.S. Forest Service retirement, Johnson and his wife returned to Sandpoint and their beloved Schweitzer.

  

Meanwhile, Chris Thompson spent his career in the ski industry, certifying ski instructors and eventually serving as VP/COO/GM for a company that owned four ski resorts.  Now, retired, he works as a consultant at Schweitzer for the Snowsports Center and the Schweitzer Alpine Race School [SARS].

Thompson and Johnson concur with Aavedal about the resort’s influence on the area.

“There is no doubt that Schweitzer has had a huge impact on Sandpoint and the surrounding communities,” Thompson said.  “Since its inception, it has influenced the economic vitality of the region.”

“Schweitzer definitely changed the face of Sandpoint . . .  a slow process at first, but look at the place now!” Johnson added.   Sandpoint, Schweitzer and Lake Pend Oreille are now a big draw and have put this area on the map. The resort holds lots of great memories over the last 50 years.   Thank you, Schweitzer!”

This story reflects just a sampling of dedicated staff members and community supporters  who contributed  to Schweitzer’s development and ultimate widespread  popularity.  Many originals  have passed on, but scores of others will likely be on hand to share their experiences at the  50^th year celebration at Schweitzer Mountain Resort Dec. 13-14.  See timeline.  Also, visit www.schweitzeroriginals.blogspot.com for additional  reflections.