New York Metropolitan Ski Council

The Metropolitan New York Ski Council had its inception as the Central Ski Committee in 1934. Representatives from 6 clubs met for the purpose of finding a way to bring skiing information to New York and to blaze the trails for the adventuresome to escape to the Winter Wonderland.

Drawn together by mutual interests, they worked in close harmony with the press and the Northland in an endeavor to evolve a uniform method of snow reporting.

The Council found and developed its own area at Norfolk, Connecticut, got ski trains to run there, and promoted weekend snow trains to the Catskills, Vermont, and the Laurentians. It got snow reports into the New York SUN, established a practice slope in Phoenicia, conducted interclub races which have been run ever since 1935, gave free instruction in Central Park, infected thousands of city dwellers with the ski bug by sponsoring movies, and helping promote the first winter sports show in New York City. This Council formed the Metropolitan Ski Patrol shortly after the NSPS was started. Ken Littlefield put out a bulletin, TRAIL SWEEP, which has become the National Ski Patrol’s house organ.

Over the years this council has been host to foreign ski teams visiting the United States, largely because of its location and because of the efforts of the late John J. Clair Jr. It has also been a leader of the revival of ski touring.

The following is a highlight of events throughout the years:

November 1940 – The Metropolitan New York Ski Council met with ski writers. The meeting was devoted to an exchange of ideas between the members of the council and the press. Means of facilitating snow reports were also discussed.

November 1940 – The Amateur Ski Club, member of the Council, sponsored a meeting to award Minot Dole, Chairman of the National Ski Patrol, with the United States Eastern Amateur Ski Associations Safety Trophy.

November 1943 – The Swedish Ski Club, one of the most active ski clubs of the east, contributed 17 members to the United States Ski Troops.

December 1947 – The Amateur Ski Club hosted the United States Olympic Ski Team before they were sent off to the Fifth Winter Games at St. Moritz, Switzerland.

November 1949 – The Metropolitan New York Ski Council was designated by the National Ski Association of America to serve as the official reception committee to welcome all foreign skiers for the world championships to be held at Lake Placid, New York and Aspen, Colorado this winter. At this time the Council had 28 clubs and 7500 members.

October 1950 – The Metropolitan New York Ski Council had 30 clubs and close to 10,000 members.

January 1952 – The Metropolitan New York Ski Council hosted the United States Olympic Nordic Ski Squad before they departed to Oslo, Norway for the Sixth Winter Games.

1957 – The Metropolitan New York Ski Council’s Ski Development Committee worked with New York State with forming new ski areas in the State.

Today, the Metropolitan New York Ski Council is very active with organizations that bring kids to the slopes. The Council supports and donates to; Stoked Mentoring, Chill NYC, The Peaks Project, Cochran Ski Area. We will also be giving these organizations free ads in out guidebook to help further their causes.

The Council also donates and participates in Charity races such as; Race for Cancer, Shawnee Mountain, PA and 24 Hours at Stratton.

The Council has gear & clothing drives with various clubs and donates to organizations that could use them.

The Council is a member of; National Ski Areas Association, Snowsports Industries of America, Ski Areas of New York and National Ski Council Federation.

Michael Calderone, Chairman of the Metropolitan New York Ski Council:

I feel we must do our part to bring kids to the mountains. This is the future of the sport.

Past members of the council who had an influence in the ski community:

John J. Clair Jr. – The Chairman of the 1956 United States Olympic Ski Games Committee. John has also held key positions with the National Ski Association of America, National Ski Patrol System and The United States Eastern Amateur Ski Association. In October 1956, John was named winner of the American Ski Trophy, because of his many contributions to the sport. In May 1970, John was inducted into the Ski Hall of Fame.

Roland Palmedo – The founder of Mad River Glen which opened in 1948. He was also an author of many books on skiing and developed one of the most extensive ski libraries in America. Roland was also a founding member of the National Ski Patrol.

Harry Voege
– President of the New York State Winter Sports Council, Vice President and Director of the United States Eastern Amateur Ski Association and he founded The Metropolitan Ski Jumping Committee. He was instrumental in forming ski clubs throughout the Metropolitan New York City area. Harry was also Director of the National Ski Association. From the 1930’s until his death, Harry was an advocate of eastern U.S. Skiing.

Today, The Metropolitan New York Ski Council has 45 ski and board clubs and over 20,000 members. The Council strives to uphold the dedication and hard work of the founding fathers in promoting winter sports in the Metropolitan New York City area.

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This year marks the 150th anniversary of ski clubs and ski racing in North America, and the first in North America. Thanks to the research of the Plumas Ski Club and the Plumas County Museum, there is documented evidence of both clubs and racing in the gold camps of the “Lost Sierra” of California. The mining camps had had their day by the late 19th century. This very early history was the history of Far West skiing until the 1920s, when transportation became available to get to the nearer ski slopes. And so it rested until the meetings in 1930.

FWSA has its roots in both California and the Pacific Northwest. Both regions hosted the founding of ski association in 1930. The California Ski Association was founded by 4 ski clubs on October 7, 1930 in the Garden Room of the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. The meeting was scheduled by the Winter Sports Committee of the California Chamber of Commerce, but the ski clubs had other ideas. Elected President was Wendell Robie of the Auburn Ski Club, shown at right in his youth.

The Association grew from a few clubs to 33 clubs in California alone by 1940. Then came World War II and development of both ski areas and new skiers was on hold until the 1946 snow season. The return of veterans and the now-available transportation to the slopes saw a wave of recreational skiers through the 1950s. Then the explosive effects of televised winter sports from the 1960 Winter Olympics really took effect and the growth of clubs accelerated even further. In 1963 there were 128 affiliated ski clubs in California alone; add to that the dozens of clubs in the northwest and Nevada. By 1970, there were 170 ski clubs in California, Nevada and Arizona. Today that number for the 13-state area is probably over 250.

The first ski council was formed in Seattle in 1933. Council formation commenced in earnest right after the war. The California Ski Association originally devised a top-down organization by districts. But grass roots organizing from the ground up replaced districts first with Federations of clubs and then by councils. From 4 California councils in 1970, FWSA now has 11 councils serving the 13-state region. Councils and clubs are now the building blocks of FWSA, replacing the formerly large numbers of unaffiliated skiers. There is today a trend toward virtual organizations.

The name FWSA originates with the affiliation under the National Ski Association. When that organization reconstituted itself in 1948 as the United States Ski Association, the California Ski Association and the Pacific NW Ski Association were both recognized as divisions of USSA. Since 1983, however, FWSA has operated independently except for a council federation affiliation with NCSF.

The front line programs of FWSA consist of travel services to members since 1955, an annual ski week in North America since 1973 and now one internationally, league racing by skill classes (race card not required) since 1964, close relationships with industry, a quarterly insiders newsletter – the Councilman , an annual slick magazine – the Skiers Guide – now enhanced by digital content, an athletic scholarship program, continuing awareness of matters affecting skiers and ski areas with a public affairs program, and a continuing education series for club officers.

The skiers of the Far West region and the members of FWSA – organized skiing – have made history for 150 years – and they are still making history.

Thanks to John Watson, Past President and History Chair for this article

About Far West Ski Association

FWSA currently serves skiers and boarders in a 13-state territory, from Colorado west to Hawaii and Alaska. The membership includes both direct, individual members and the much larger numbers in clubs. The programs conducted by the Association may be found on its website at FWSA.org.

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