In 1942 a group of sophomores and
juniors in Portland high schools decided to
form
a ski club. Everett Darr let them use the Mountain
Shop in Portland for their meetings and permitted
them to sleep on the floor of his shop at Government
Camp, then called the Ski Pole. There were 13
boys in the original group with Jack Keep presiding.
World War II disbanded the club
as the armed forces took the founding members
to the battle front. When the war terminated in
1945, they began to filter home and renew old
friendships. Under the leadership of Robert Dooley,
the club reformed for the 1947-48 season as an
adult ski club. Since the post war reorganization,
the club has been a strong factor in skiing at
Mount Hood, gradually expanding its activities
and membership. SVSC is now comprised of professional
people, corporate executives, small business owners,
tradesman and artisans of all types from every
walk of life.
In 1948 the club became a PNSA sanctioned
club, opening the door to sponsoring top racing
competition. In 1966 SVSC realized a long-awaited
dream by being sanctioned by the United States
Ski Association, allowing participation in events
of the international ski association, FIS.
Schnee Vogeli sponsored the Turkey
Day Slalom which was the first USAA sanctioned
ski race of the season, and the Portland Day Trail
Race which is the only USAA sanctioned trail race
in the United States.
In the 1960’s Schnee Vogeli
was granted one of the six internationally sanctioned
Far West Kandahar races by Great Britain. In 1971
this race was an official qualifying race for
Olympic competition. In 1974 the race was split
between Alpine Meadows in California and Alpenthal
in Washington.
Competition within the club is
held annually at the Club Championship Race. Another
intra-club race is called the Snowbird Giant Slalom,
a late season event which is open only to the
members who have never placed in any competitive
ski race. The club also promotes youth skiing
by providing funding for a “Mighty Mite”
division sponsoring prize ribbons for this competition.
SVSC also sponsored a competition
of a lighter sort, with the annual Kanda-Beer
Race, a widely famed fun race from Timberline
Lodge to Government Camp. The racers don hilarious
costumes and compete in both speed and costume
presentations. The Kanda-Beer is famed for its
broadminded observance of the rules, with winners
often coming in first by virtue of some clever,
conniving, underhanded maneuver.
Aside from
the serious and fun races sponsored by the club,
Schnee Vogeli has a complete social calendar that
includes the famous Pray for Snow Dance first
held at the Log Lodge in Rhododendron, moved the
event to Timberline Lodge and currently at Charlie’s
Mountain View in Government Camp. This dance allows
skiers from the Portland Metropolitan area to
get together for a social evening, engage in a
little merriment and tell tall tales of ski runs
long past. The club used to sponsor another public
dance, the Green Buzzard’s ball, held at
Timberline Lodge. The club has also sponsored
an annual trip to Bend, Oregon to ski at Mt. Bachelor.
Schnee Vogeli members actively
promote safe skiing and contribute their time
and effort to make skiing safer and more enjoyable
for all skiers. In past years, the club sponsored
a program to develop and manufacture safety signs
and clean up signs for use by ski areas. These
signs were presented free of charge to local areas
and also to areas visited by club members. Schnee
Vogeli also sponsored a ski Buy and Sell that
was an annual event for 29 years. The sale allowed
skiers of all abilities to purchase used equipment
at a discounted price. The equipment was carefully
checked by club members for wear and safety problems.
The club prides itself in knowing that the equipment
sold at the sale would provide safe, enjoyable
skiing for the future owner. Many of the Schnee
Vogeli members are ski instructors and ski racers
who have the experience to help new skiers select
the proper equipment to make their ski experience
rewarding and fun.
When the new
day lodge was constructed at Timberline, Schnee
Vogeli members were instrumental in volunteering
their time and energy to work for Bridget McCarty
in outfitting the new day lodge. Members constructed
tables to be placed in the day lodge and sold
the tables to individuals, groups and local businesses
to help raise money for the project. The tables,
bearing plaques recognizing the donors, can be
found on the first floor of the new day lodge.
Thanks to their efforts, the day lodge is a comfortable
place for skiers to relax, meet friends and enjoy
the mountain.
|