~ ~~~~ o~~~~~ ~ ~ ~~ SLALOM HILL With kind permission of the author, the late Arthur S. Bourinot, a pioneer member of the Ottawa Ski Club, this poem is reproduced from his book "This Green Earth." This is the slalom hill pennants of yellow and red ffutter and startle the snow where skiers ffow in rapid, rhythmic turns about the poles. Swift prows offar-off ships the skis cloud their track and the sneer of the snow curls in a misty wake where they veer and tack zig-zag. jfag 10 jfag, then the final plunge, the ultimate lunge, to the edge of the crowd below. The tow of rope, festooned with festive sweaters, slacks and snoods, drags its slow length up the slope through the woods disgorging its load at the top, the eterna/ circle of life itself. turning, turning, as il goes, the steady ffow, ail day long. Offestive youtlr, tlrronging, thronging, up and down, up and down, thronging, thronging, they never stop; notlring is ever still on the slalom lrill. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The generous assistance given by many in the preparation of this History is grate­ fully acknowledged. Many have assisted the author in its production: reading and commenting on it in whole or in part, and in supplying relevant data. Mr. A.T. Paton edited most of the original manuscript. Special thanks are due to John Pringle Taylor who performed the laborious task of compiling the lists of trophy winners from 1920 to 1972 appearing in Appendix "B" and data for National and International Achievement from 1966 to 1972 in Appendix "A". Mrs. Ramplee-Smith and Don Bohart assisted in the task of preparation for the printer and in supervising production. Illustrations The illustrations have been collected over a long period of time. In many cases the source is not now known. Severa! have been borrowed from the National Ski Museum. Sorne of the latter were obtained by the Ski Museum from the Public Archives and three were got directly from the same sourc~ . Severa! came from the Smialowskis' collection. Other sources included the Mary Falconer collec­ tion, Dr. Bill Ball, The Lockebergs, John Clifford, Jim Patrick and J.C. Leslie. Ali contributors are most gratefully thanked. A History of The Ottawa Ski Club By Herbert Marshall Index Pre face Chapter Genesis and Growth Chapter 2 Revival and Reorganization Chapter 3 The Era of Lodge Development Chapter 4 Traits and Trait Makers Chapter 5 Evolution in the Gatineaus Chapter 6 Intra- Club Organizations Chapter 7 Technique and Training Chapter 8 Towers and Trophies Chapter 9 Competitions and Champions Chapter 10 Distinguished Visitors Chapter 11 Club Leaders Chapter 12 Land Use and Ownership Chapter 13 Participation in Canadian Ski Organizations Appendix A Outstanding Performances in National and International Competi­ tions 1950-1965 Appendix B Trophies and their Winners Appendix C Officers of the Ottawa Ski Club Appendix D Anne Heggtveit's Record Appendix E Important Dates PREFACE One of the happiest experiences of my life has been a long panicipation in the development of the Ottawa Ski Club. Contributing something to the growth of a Club which has provided health-giving spon to hundreds and now thousands of members was eminently wonh while besides giving much persona) enjoyment. There was the camaraderie of the skiing fraternity and the opponunity to become familiar with scores of square miles of the fascinating Gatineau Hills - so full of nature's treasures to be enjoyed at ail seasons. What an achievement it has been for the Club to convert those Gatineau hills and valleys from a silent winter solitude into a sporting paradise in which winter is a good friend ! For the skier its reign each year is too short. The growth of the Ottawa Ski Club from small beginnings to its present stature is a fascinating success story in the realm of sport and one which deserves to be told. Many members and many circumstances inftuenced its destiny, as the chapters which follow will try to show. As one studies the pattern oflife in the Hull-Ottawa area in that period when the Club was bom and compares it with the present, the extent of the changes is seen to be staggering. Sorne of them have profoundly inftuenced the Club's develop­ ment. Among them was transportation. In the beginning of the century the motor age was commencing. However, before it could make rapid progress something had to be done about roads and the motor car had to be produced in a price range low enough for mass consumption. The first motor car was built in Canada in 1893. Mass production was instituted in Canada by the Ford Motor Company in 1904 but it was not until after World War I that popular demand increased radically. In 1907 there were only 1530 cars in Ontario. In August 1919, an advertisement for Ford products listed Runabouts at $664, Touring cars $690, Coupes $91~, and Sedans $1175, FOB Ford, Ontario. The Journal of July, 1919, advertised the Page, Dodge, Dort, Overland, McLaughlin and Maxwell. The Ottawa Journal issued a Coronation Souvenir number in June, 1953, entitled "The Ottawa Story Through 150 Years" prepared by Mr. Harry J. Walker. For the year 1900 he wrote: The new century was introducing the motor age in its first years .... This was the beginning of the end of the horse and buggy days, the fringe topped carriages, the plain plebian democrat and the hitching posts that lined the dusty (or muddy) streets. According to the Free Press of September l lth, the first auto introduced to a pop-eyed Sparks street was an electric Stanhope buggy driven by Mrs. Aheam.... In 1908, three men decided to motor to Toronto one day in June to attend a Jacrosse match between Ottawa Capitals and the Tecumsehs. Accordingly, Messrs A.H. Currie, Johnny Powers and Alf Smith got into their 'Dusters' and climbed into Currie's four cylinder 'Touring Packard '. It took them to Toronto in the 'fast' time of three days. Toll gates were met every few miles and the toll costs exceeded the cost of gasoline. The state of the roads at the time was a formidable obstacle to motor traffic. Roads were mostly under the jurisdiction oflocal governments and the municipalities and local units gave priva te organizations the right to levy tolls and erect gates where they could collect them. These companies were, in tum, charged with the responsibilîty of keeping the roads in good repair. There was widespread disinclination on the part of the holders of the toll rights to spend anything on the roads they could avoid. The common method to dump sand or grave) loosely on parts which had become more or less impassible. These toll roads were numerous throughout Ontario. In every direction leading out of Ottawa the owners of vehicles were confronted with a toll gate. In the earliest issues of the Ottawa Ski Club News the Ironsides (Quebec) Toll Gate is menùoned a number of ùmes. One on the Mine road is also mentioned. Though there had been many complaints about the very bad condition of roads before the advent of the motor car, its coming aroused a storm of protests. Motorists banded together to improve matters. In 1907 the Ottawa Valley Motor Car Association was formed. These Associaùons sought protecùon also against the• traps' which were sometimes erected by people in the country whose horses did not take kindly to the 'iron monster' and someùmes reacted violently and dangerously when a car approached. After World War I the agitaùons for the removal of the toll roads reached a crescendo. The Ottawa Journal ofSeptember 27th, 1919, had this item: The people of Ottawa have done considerable talking about the toll roads - Can the Capital still conùnue to be shut in from the outside world by a surrounding chain of gates? Without doubt there are man y Ottawa ciùzens who would arrange to motor to outlying farms in order to buy produce but for the fact that the toll charge spoils ail attempts to beat the high cost of living. Farmers as well as local ciùzens should see that the toll roads are hindering progress and expansion. Why should Ottawa conùnue to suifer the hindrance, inconvenience and annoyance of the toll-gate 'hold-up'? In 1919, Carleton County undertook to expropriate the toll roads. The Merivale Road, Richmond Road, Montreal Road, Hawthorne Road, Metcalfe Road and Bowesville Toll Road were ait affected by this decision. On May l 3th, 1920, the Journal announced that, at last, Ontario was to be freed of toll roads by decision of the Provincial Government. It was the passing of an era which had lasted for almost 100 years. By 1926 the last toll gate in Ontario had disappeared. The rising number of motor cars had made road improvement a naùonal necessity and, since the smaller governments could not finance the creaùon of an adequate system, the provinces had to undertake a large part of the burden and establish departments of highways. We have travelled far from the horse and buggy days. The internai combusùon engine has driven the horse from our streets and largely from the rural scene. The motor boat bas made canoeing and rowing hazardous pasùmes and its roar shaners the former tranquility of our lakes. The skidoo, if uncontrolled, would drive the touring skier from the winter trails. But motorized transport and good roads have given a quick and easy access to the ski grounds and have been a potent factor in the growth of our fascinating winter sport. CHAPTER 1 Genesis and Growth Skis were used in Ottawa many years before the sport was organized in 191 O.