Douglas Ski Bowl Cabin

The Ski House of the Day is the Douglas Ski Bowl Cabin, on Douglas Island, in Juneau, Alaska. The original cabin is one for the ski-history books...as it actually doesn't exist anymore, but here's a look back at it and at the Douglas Ski Bowl:

The 16 x 18 ft. log cabin was built in 1936 through the combined effort of the Civilian Conservation Corps, Juneau Ski Club and the US Forest Service.  This was a time when skiers hiked up the mountain to ski down the Douglas Ski Bowl...and found the cabin to be a welcome refuge from the Alaskan elements. Later, mid-century skiers accessed the area via a ride on "Oola - the Juneau Ski Train" a Tuckerman Snow Cat that pulled a sled carrying 40-50 skiers up to the bowl!  Eventually, Eaglecrest Ski Area was developed here through a  community effort, after federal highway $ funding of a road.  The ski area has been repeatedly saved by community efforts, and today, Eaglecrest is owned and operated by the borough of Juneau as a public ski area (photo by David McMaster):

According to the Alaska Lost Ski Area Project, the Douglas Ski Bowl Cabin was eventually renamed the Dan Moller Cabin (Moller was the forest service foreman in charge of the CCC construction of the cabin, and a charter member of the Juneau Ski Club).  The cabin was restored in the mid-1980's; and according to Juneau Empire in 2009, the "cabin is one of Juneau's best loved and most used backcountry shelters."

The deteriorating original cabin was torn down in 2010, and a new one (bigger, brighter, and stronger to withstand the snow-load) was built in its place.  The US Forest Service says it's available for rent but they caution to be advised it's open to the public as a warming shelter during the day (this information could be out of date as it appears to describe the original cabin rather than the replacement).

Legend has it that the original Douglas Ski Bowl Cabin saw its share of skiers' parties back in the day...and based on this sight along the trail leading up to the new cabin, the tradition lives on...at least with someone's birthday party:

The Douglas Ski Bowl Cabin is a great little piece of skiing history to look back on while pondering those trailblazing skiers of the early / mid-century Alaska...and while celebrating a birthday!

A Salute to The Ski Chalet

In observation of Memorial Day today, I wonder how many of our brave soldiers from years gone by may have been skiers, and whether any of them may have spent time in a ski house even during trying times of war.  And that led me to a surprising discovery - a military ski chalet.  The Ski House of the Day has a history that is tied to the US military in a big way!  On Kodiak Island, Alaska, The Ski Chalet was built by the US Army in 1941, then was operated by the American Red Cross, was transferred to the US Navy in 1944, and later was run by the US Coast Guard:

In 1941, the same year that the U.S. entered WWII, army soldiers stationed at Fort Greeley, Alaska started construction of the Anton Pass Ski Chalet :

...and they completed it in 1943, during the middle of the war.

They built a sprawling 11,900 sq. ft. ski chalet, complete with a large stone fireplace:

in a very large great room:

In addition to being a ski lodge, this spacious open lodge room served as the place for Saturday night movies and dances...

...and it looks like the snack-bar area was popular as well...(and check out those gigantic snow-shoes hanging on the wall):

The ski area that they created (with one rope tow) was called Anton Larsen Pass Ski Area, which they shared with the locals.   Later known as Pyramid Mountain, the ski area was closed down in the 1990's.

Wow - check out The Ski Chalet "snowed-in"...in the 40's:

According to saltonstall.blogspot.com, the original ski chalet went downhill (and not in a skiing sort of way) during the 50's, and eventually burned down.  Apparently a newer version was built;  but I think a newer version just can't offer the same kind significance as the original ski chalet.   

By the way......check out what skiing in the area of the Anton Larsen Pass --and snowboarding there--is like nowadays; and here's a look at the Coast Guard landing on skis there now. 

To me that original Ski Chalet, existing only in old photos and in the memories of a dwindling few, serves as a kind of memorial that we can ponder to honor the soldiers that served here during WWII (...who probably welcomed the small distraction that this project provided at a time when WWII was escalating...a distraction that they, and the rest of the world surely needed). 

So, today, on Memorial Day...I'll reflect on those US Army soldiers who built this ski house...I'll wonder how many, if any, of them ever returned to The Ski Chalet after the war was over.   And, as with the rest of our troops, I'll wonder how many of them never got the chance to return home from the war at all.

Girdwood Log Lodge

National Geographic has proclaimed Girdwood, Alaska one of the top 25 ski towns in the world.  They describe it as a place for "off-the-beaten-path powder-hounds with an aversion to glamour,"  and they point out that Girdwood's frontier-style ambiance remains intact.  So, the Ski House of the Day is this beautiful custom log lodge in Girdwood with some frontier-style ambiance of its own:

This ski house is within walking distance to Mt. Alyeska, which has a relatively low tree-line so the upper "trails" are wide open white spaces, and has a 60-person tram to the top of the north face where you can see all the way to the ocean!   The house, too, has wide open spaces in its huge 4300 sq.ft....in fact the entire living area looks like one big continuous open space;  and it also has 25-ft. vaulted ceilings that make it feel even larger than it is.  Its massive log and stone fireplace, centrally positioned in the living room, looks really inviting for apres-ski...

...but wait...I had to do a double-take to figure out that this is actually a two-sided fireplace:

Upstairs, the master bedroom has its own fireplace...

...and the hot tub is under cover out on the deck...

But here's the frontier-style surprise...

...there's a  BEAR in the house!

Is it just me, or does this bear look like he's in the perfect stance to be doing a snow-plow and gripping a pair of ski-poles?