l/ouy UNCLE SAM • 3) '
IS POPULARIZING
WINTER SPORTS
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Crowds lining the ski jump at Tahoe National Forest
in California.
ACROSS the mountainous reaches
of our far-flung land the thrill
ing cry of “TRACK!” echoes
again as skiers come plummet
ing downhill amid flurries of feathery
snow.
All the way from Bangor to Seattle,
weird words such as “binding,” “Chris
tie,” “heel springs,” “creepers,” “slalom”
are back in the national vocabulary.
The snow sport lovers are in their
element once more.
The popularity of winter sports dur
ing the last decade has led to the or
ganization of scores of private clubs de
voted to skiing, tobogganing, ice skating
and other winter sports. That’s all well
and good for those who can afford the
expense of private lodges, but what
about the great American public? Mil
lions upon millions of us love winter
sports too. Suppose you want to spend
a week-end in the mountains skiing,
tobogganing, or pust plain enjoying na
ture. Where would you find accommo
dations? Good ski trails and toboggan
runs just don’t happen; they have to
be made, in most cases. How are you
going to find out if any such trails and
runs are available near your home?
Uncle Sam has a definite answer to
all these problems. Hearkening to the
ever-increasing popularity of winter
sports, the National Forest Service em
barked 10 years ago upon a nationwide
program of expansion and development
of its mountainous slopes, until today,
dotted all over the country, carnival
Right—■ grins
mean anything, the
kids are having the
time of their life on
that toboggan.
Fhotos by U. S.
Forest Service.
scenes are taking place in contrast to
the winter solitude a few years back.
At the present writing the Forest
Service has developed more than 50
special winter sports areas in its forests.
This development requires work in the
summer months that the average per
son never even hears about. For in
stance: ski trails must be mapped out
during warm weather so that when the
snow comes the countless visitors to
these winter playgrounds may enjoy the
maximum of fun with the.minimum of
danger.
TT is readily .seen that boulders and
stumps cannot be detected in a
trail after several feet of snow has fal
len. All these hazardous obstructions
must be removed when they can be ob
served. In planning a winter play
ground area, the forest rangers have
four distinct types of ski courses they
must map out: the straight downhill
course; the “slalom,” or zig-zag trail
down a mountainside; the “longlauf,”
or cross-country run; and the ski-jump.
Each run always presents difficulties.
In densely wooded areas, scrub tim
ber, dead trees, rocks, even sizable live
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trees, must be removed, or else the
novice may find himself wrapped
around some obstruction and end his
vacation in a hospital.
The straight downhill run is the
easiest course to construct. All that is
necessary is suitable terrain, and a de
scending slide, clear of obstructions. In
developing the cross-country run, plain
markings are most essential. Some of
these trails extend for miles and it’s no
fun to get lost when the temperature
is 10 degrees below zero and you’re far
from help.
In many of the recreational areas in
National Forests, shelters, lodges and
camps are available for the use of the
public. One of the most recent inno
vations is the installation of first aid
kits at suitable locations throughout an
entire area. These kits contain blank
ets, bandages, antiseptics, and, most im
portant of all, frost-bite ointment. And
here’s a tip for the novice: what is
good for burns is good for frost-bite.
So bring along your favorite sunburn
ointment next time you go gallivanting
among the ice crystals.
Although skiing is by far the most
popular of all winter sports, Uncle Sam
has not forgotten ice skating, toboggan
ing, dog sledding and other cold weather
recreations. In lake areas, part of the
ice is kept clear. Twisting, turning
trails wind over mountain sides and
down into valleys, and the countryside
re-echoes with the joyous howls of
sure-footed huskies as the dog teams
haul sleds in thrilling cross-country
races.
Here and there, enthusiastic Izaak
Waltons can be seen industriously fish
ing through holes in the ice. Off the
beaten ski and dog sled trails, the ter
rain is dotted with snowshoers, limber
ing up their back and leg muscles. This
last group of winter sports lovers pre
sents the least trouble for the Forest
Service. No trails need be marked for
them—they can go where they please,
as long as they keep off the beaten run? #
XTATURALLY enough, the advent ol *
so many thousands of visitors to
National Forests during the winter has
placed additional responsibility on the
3600 rangers whose job it is to super- f
vise the year-round use of these areas.
Especially arduous is the task of keep
ing highways open.
Perhaps it will be of interest to list *
several of the National Forests that now
offer improved winter sports areas.
Your local railroad guide or automo
bile club can tell you how to get where
you want. In the list to follow, all the •
areas are kept open and are accessible
the year round by automobile, train, or
both.
In the East, White Mountain National '
Forest in New Hampshire is the best
kr»wn and most popular with New
Englanders. However, Green Mountain
Forest in the neighbor state of Ver
mont draws no small number of winter
vacationists.
Allegheny Forest in western Penn
sylvania and Monongahela Forest in
West Virginia are the drawing points
for outdoor enthusiasts of those states
as well as Maryland, Virginia and the (
District of Columbia.
Southerners get their taste of skiing
and tobogganing in Pisgah National
Forest in North Carolina.
National Forests in the lake states
draw the snow enthusiasts of the Mid
dlewest.
On the Pacific Coast the famous
Heather Meadows Recreational area of **
Mt. Baker National Forest and the
Snoqualmie Forest in Washington an
nually attract thousands of winter vis
itors.
Oregon outdoor lovers visit Willa- .
mette National Forest and the newly
created Mt. Hood Timberline Lodge. Os
this latter development, one of the most
recent of its kind, the Forest Service*,
says: “It is comparable only to the
world famous snow sports and health
resorts in Hungary, and is the outstand
ing development of its kind in the entire ,
United States.”
Tahoe and Eldorado National Forests
in the High Sierras present ski runs
and toboggan slides to delight the hearts
of athletic Californians.
These are but a few. More detailed
information can be obtained by writing •
the U. S. Forest Service, Washing
ton, D. C.