Skiing in New Jersey

Local author pens history of the sport in the Garden State, By Amy Stewart New Jersey has a long history and tradition of downhill skiing. Since the 1920s, the Garden State has been home to over 30 ski areas and author Elizabeth Holste dug up enough of that history for a book — “Skiing in New Jersey.” Holste, born and raised in Ridgewood, N.Y. began visiting Sussex County as a kid while visiting her grandparents’ second home in Vernon. By five years old, she was on skis and her love of the sport began. The family’s move to Kinnelon at age 13 put her closer to the New Jersey slopes and the school ski program helped her hobby became a passion. Learning about the history Holste’s enthusiasm didn’t wane with the season — she loved to talk about skiing, all year round. “I heard stories about places I never knew about and it sparked my interest. Most of the ones I heard about were in New Jersey. Then one day I decided to try to find evidence of the remains of some of the slopes I was hearing about.” From there her interest nearly became an obsession. Holste says her “oh my gosh” moment was when she found a ski jump that existed in the 1920s. Holste has uncovered evidence of over 35 once operating, downhill ski slopes throughout the state, most of which stretched across Sussex, Passaic, Bergen and Morris counties. There is evidence of two slopes in south Jersey, one in Lower Alloways Creek, Salem County called Holly Mountain, and one in Pine Hill, Camden County called Ski Mountain. “It is amazing how many are out there and it is amazing how much evidence still exists.” After gaining access and permission to private property, Holste has hiked yards, parks and hills finding remains of old ski lifts, snow making equipment and jumps. Holste has knocked on doors so she could photograph foundations of previously existing ski lodges, bull end nose wheels from lifts, stanchions, remains of rope tow operations, etc., in people’s yards. She said people would respond, “That thing. I always wondered what it was from.” Early operations The first known ski jump in New Jersey was located at the North Jersey Country Club in Paterson (now Wayne), and was erected in 1924. The first rope tow in New Jersey was installed at the Craigmeur Ski Area, off Green Pond Road in Newfoundland. They soon became common in the 1930s. Ski lifts came into play around the 1950s. “T” bars and “J” bars were also introduced, but most of these have become obsolete as most ski centers use gondolas to ascend a mountain. Skiing for city dwellers Ski trains ran from New York City and Newark to Port Jervis, New York. The train allowed skiers to access several slopes in the Montague area and High Point. For $2.50 skiers could get a round-trip train ticket to High Point State Park on Sundays. For $13.50, a person get a round trip ride to Montague, stay Fiday and Saturday night, ski and have meals in an all-inclusive offer. Newton even had its own slope called Newton Ski Tow, and the brochure for it bragged about its lighted slopes. It was located near Route 206 and 519, across from where Sussex County Community College currently sits and in back of where the present day Kohls and Home Depot have been built. Present day Sussex County has been home to 12 ski areas between the 1930s and present day, but only two remain: Hidden Valley and Mountain Creek, formerly Great Gorge and Vernon Valley. New Jersey’s third ski area operates in Bergen County under the name Campgaw. For those who follow snow sports, the names Donna Weinbrecht and Danny Kass are familiar. Both grew up on New Jersey slopes and both went on to the Olympics. Weinbrecht won the first gold medal in 1992 for freestyle mogul skiing and Kass won silvers in both the 2002 and 2006 snowboarding half pipe competitions. Sussex County’s newest Olympian is Nolan Kasper, who competed this year in the slalom and placed 24th. New Jersey can also brag about being the first place that step-in bindings were made, which were called Cubco bindings. Ski Clubs popped up around the state, bringing people with common interests together combining buying power, enthusiasm and knowledge. Many of these clubs are still in existence. Craigmeur Ski Club, the first and oldest ski club in the state, is still a family focused, thriving organization, even though the ski center itself no longer operates. The New Jersey Ski Council organized and brought clubs under a common umbrella and still works for the benefit of skiers and snowboarders alike, running trips, organizing race leagues and providing education and training. Personal stories The book, “Skiing in New Jersey” is filled with tales about the people who populated the slopes — slope owners who took the wheels off of their cars, attached tow ropes to rims and used the engine’s power to operate the lifts; the love story of a skier left behind by friends who then fell head over heels for the rescuer/slope owner who gave her a lift home; and crazy ideas of how over-enthusiastic skiers attempted to extend the season. Weinbrecht said the book “takes you back in time to the birth of skiing in one of the most unlikely winter sports states in the country”. “Skiing in New Jersey” can be purchased through www.lulu.com, www.amazon.com, or through the author by email to holsteliz@hotmail.com. Anyone interested in more information about ski clubs can visit www.NJSkiCouncil.org.