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Cascade Ski Club History: 1920s - 1940s 'Prestige in Skiing' |
| One might say that the father of Cascade Ski Club was Ole Haugen, who secured first rights for the Multorpor jump hill in 1928 and developed it with his two brothers, Lars and Seibert. The nucleus of the organization came from a split in the ranks of Mount Hood Ski club. Both were basically composed of men born in Norway, skilled at jumping and cross-country racing. At some time in 1928 a number of the men of MHSC decided to defect, and the Cascade Ski Club was born. The first officers were: |
The father of Cascade Ski Club was Ole Haugen |
Reider Hafstad
Kaare Schafstad
Ole Haugen |
President
Vice-President
Secretary |
 |
| First jumping tournament was held at Multorpor on January 6, 1929 |
Their first jumping tournament was held at Multorpor on January 6, 1929. By the end of the month, they had affiliated with the National Ski Association through a membership in the Western Amateur Ski Association. This gave the club immediate sanction in holding first-magnitude tournaments at Government Camp. |
| Most of the local competition came from Mount Hood Ski Club and Vikings Sports Club, which soon folded up. Meets were also exchanged with the men on the north side, Hood River Ski Club, and Guide Ski Club, on the jump hill located at the site on the present-day Cooper Spur Ski Area. Big competition was from Seattle and the Hollyburn Ski Club of Vancouver, British Columbia. The north winds were crawling with Norwegian jumpers ready to compete with the Oregonians. Tournaments often used a combined score of competition in both cross-country and jumping, much like the Olympic Nordic combined event. |
The north winds were crawling with Norwegian jumpers |
| When the Battle Axe Inn raised the rent Cascaders moved out! |
Cascade Ski Club maintained an area on the upper floor of the Battle Axe recreational building. They rented from Everett Sickler, but that arrangement lasted only about a year. When Henry Villiger bought Battle Axe Inn, he raised the rent, and Cascaders moved out. The officers for the second year were: |
Harald Lee
Hjalmar Hvam
Feider Hafstad
Norman Bruck
| President
Vice-President
Secretary
Treasurer |
 |
| There was a great deal of unity in the ski community of those days. Mazamas such as Judge Fred Stadter and Fed McNeil were also members of Cascade, All the old skiers knew each other. At Christmas of 1929, 1,100 winter sports fans crowded Summit, Swim, and Government camp for a December 23 holiday celebration. S.W. Lawrence in a Santa Clause suit was helped by L.W. Hawn to pass out candy and gifts at the party at the Government Camp Hotel. The music was provided by the United Artisan Drum and Bugle Corps. Down at Swim, Boyd Summers threw another Christmas party for is patrons. Hjalmar Hvam won the standing ski jump event with a leap of 84 feet. Kaare Schafstad came in with 74 feet and Ole Lagerud 68 feet |
Cascade's Hjalmar Hvam won the standing ski jump event with a leap of 84 feet |
| Cascade Ski Club was one of the six original member clubs of PNSA |
When PNSA was formed in November 23 1930, Cascade Ski Club was one of the six original member clubs and without a doubt the group most influential in founding the association. The secretary of Cascade, Fred McNeil, became the president of PNSA, and the club held on February 1, 1931. |
| In 1931, the club had two large projects going One was the shaping of the jumping hill at Multorpor. In October, they borrowed $1,000 and rented a huge gasoline yarder to move dirt. New standing and buildings were erected, and when they were finished, Multorpor had jumps and A, B, C, and D competition. |
Cascade builds jumps on Multorpor Hill |
| Club used a shack at the foot of Multorpor for headquarters |
For a short time the club used a shack at the foot of Multorpor for headquarters, but there was a great push for a club house. This was the same year that the Mazamas were building their log structure northeast of Summit. Cascade Ski Club contacted the school board for Portland District #1 and secured some portable World War One schoolhouses. These were hauled up in sections and erected just south (behind) of the old Government Camp Hotel. The old original Norwegians of the club were right in their element, doing the carpentry and finishing needed to make the place a home. By mid-December all the building was enclosed, with doors and windows set |
| It was during that autumn that a tremendous push was made to increase membership. The club held meetings in Portland with films and music. Memberships were sold for a dollar to anyone who wanted to ski, or watch skiers jump, or even watch movies of skiers jump. On December 10, 1931, McNeil reported a membership of 450, and he met with treasurer Fed VanDyke to plan and order a bookkeeping with proper cash book, membership ledger, invoice file, and voucher forms. The club was dealing with money in four-figure amounts, and it was time to up it on a business like basis. A publication was started to keep membership aware of the club happenings. |
In 1931, a publication was started to keep membership aware of the club happenings |
| Cascade Ski Club quickly picked up the art of slalom running and dominated |
The building programs on the ski hill and the New Lodge placed the club in a severe financial position made even more acute by The Depression. On February 25, 1932, they were faced with current payables of $1,256, with only $513 in the bank to cover them. In addition there were long-term notes on money borrowed to make the improvements. Needless to say, the Cascade Ski Club building was saved. In January 1934, a new type of skiing was brought to Mount Hood, the downhill and slalom races. The Mazamas sponsored a series of races at Timberline. Boyd French, J.J. Jones, and Grant McConnel won the first one. The expert skiers of Cascade Ski Club quickly picked up the art of slalom running and dominated the field. Hjalmar Hvam and Roy Tangen were two of the men who immediately made good showings. |
| This big change occurred in skiing when such men as Bierly and Boyd French Sr. came into the area with the new parallel techniques. This allowed far more people to get the most out of skiing as individuals, but it also added a great new dimension in racing. Slalom and downhill races, added to the traditional jumping and cross-country events, and created four-way competition. Most competitors specialized, as they do today, but some tournaments were conducted using a four-way combined score. It did not take very many years until slalom and downhill took over the sport. After World War Two jumping and cross-country became practically a legend, seldom run. |
Slalom and downhill races, added to the traditional jumping and cross-country events, created four-way competition |
| The clubhouse halls no longer rang with the accents of the old Norwegians |
Cascade kept a very strong position in maintaining the larger stable of racers all through the Thirties. By the time World War Two was over a great many of the original members had retired to the armchair. The clubhouse halls no longer rang with the accents of the old Norwegians who skied and played hard all day and ate and drank far into the night. The new membership of the 1950s consisted of good-to-expert skiers of social prominence who gave the club and aristocratic tone on the mountain. |
By Jack Garasier, Mt. Hood, A Complete History
