I was riding up this weekend and as is usual I invite others to ride along. I am more concerned about wasting an opportunity to have a good conversation or network with others. Riding up the chairs with others leads to some interesting meetings.
Anyway, one fellow I rode up with this last weekend informed me he was from Lakewood Wisconsin. I then asked him about the Paul Bunyan Ski Area, a ski resort near Lakewood I know has been out of operation for a long time.
He had some interesting things to say about the situation. He told me he recalls parent dropping off their children on empty days and the children would ski all day long and get to hang out and meet with each other. His take was the meeting and socializing with others left a large and positive impact on the lives of those youngsters.
Then we come back to that constant refrain. Who knows, if some future Olympian or World Cup skier would have discovered the joys of skiing or snowboarding at Paul Bunyan? Still, no hill should ever expect that but all the same, it is important to introduce to our children the joys of being outdoors in the winter time. The children around Lakewood may not have easy access to some downhill skiing anymore, but at least they have access to XC skiing.
Those of you who know the region understand the other big winter activities are ice-fishing and snowmobiling. I particularly like the later (whereas my wife likes the former — anything that means fish in the pan she is all for) but do not own a snowmobile. While snowmobiling can be an intense physical activity I just find it less satisfying and places less demands on the body than skiing.
I fear this is a story I will be writing again.
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4 Comments
Thanks for the post. Yes, it’s too bad that almost all of the old mom-and-pop ski hills are gone now. I grew up in Appleton, and Paul Bunyan was the first hill I ever skiied, in January of ’71… beginning what is still one of the biggest joys of my life. Though I now live at the base of a major Colorado ski resort, I’ve never forgotten that very first day at Paul Bunyan.
Jim,
Thanks for the comment, I think it one of the best I’ve had here and it is nice to see my old material getting some good attention.
I don’t recall too much from my first day on skis. I vaguely recall it at Hidden Valley and it did not make that much of an impression at me at the time, even if I was older those memories are shrouded in a fog of time. I recall more distinctly my second time on skis while in HS (again Hidden Valley around Manitowoc) but once again, once that winter was over I did not get back on skis until the winter of ’98 and I’ve been on them every since.
These resorts small they may be can birth Olympic champions. Thanks for reading the Wisconsin Skier and thanks even more for commenting!
Mark
I learned to ski at PB. It is an activity that has been a big part of my life since. I still recall fondly of my beginner days of leather lace boots and cubco bindings to my skier/snowboard daughters. I have worked at ski resorts in Utah,am currently Lift Operations Manager at a Ski area in New York, and have skied all over the world. This from humble beginnings at PB! Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to learn a sport I will participate in for the rest of my life and a legacy passed to my kids!
Ken, thanks so much for the comment. Wow, Paul Bunyan is another one of those little ski hills that COULD!