New England Ski  Museum Announces 2009 Cal Conniff Grants

Ski jumper, classic ski race, and town ski slope awarded grants from Ski Museum

 

Franconia Notch, NH  March 13, 2009 – At the 2009 Hannes Schneider Meister Cup Race on March 6, New England Ski Museum President Bo Adams announced grants to groups and individuals that reflect three distinct historical strands of skiing tradition in the region. 

Ski jumping was the earliest form of skiing to engage the imagination of the New England public, reaching back as far as the second half of the 19^th century. Modern-day ski jumper Nick Alexander of Lebanon, NH was awarded $1,000 to assist him in his European travels this season as he follows the Continental Cup circuit. Nick learned to jump at the Lebanon Outing Club’s Storrs Hill jump. New Hampshire is notable for having the only public high school ski jumping program in the U.S. Though Nick was competing in Europe and unable to attend the announcement, he was represented by his parents, Jim and Deb Alexander.

The era of the walk-up ski trails built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s was represented in this year’s grants by the Thunderbolt Ski Runners of Adams, MA, which will hold a race on the Thunderbolt Ski Trail next year, its 75^th anniversary.  The Thunderbolt has been kept open through the volunteer work of a committed band of backcountry skiers in the Mt. Greylock area, and is the subject of a recently released DVD titled Purple Mountain Majesty. Race organizers hope to attract 120 racers, with alpine, telemark, snowboard and vintage equipment welcome. Racers will be started at 2-minute intervals as was done in the original down-mountain races of the 1930s. The club’s trail supervisor, Rich Adamczyk, was on hand at the event to represent the group.

 

Thunderbolt Ski Runners on the summit of Mt. Greylock

Use of the CCC ski trails tapered off once ski tows became widely available, and the third Cal Conniff Grant reflects the time when most northern New England towns had a municipal rope tow and ski slope for residents. The Franklin (NH) Outing Club operates such a town tow at Veteran’s Memorial Recreation Area, and the grant committee awarded them $700 to help in the upkeep of the area, which has been in operation since 1961. While most of the small local ski hills have closed, victims of rising energy costs and changing skier demand, certain town areas have remained open despite the economic strains, and several others have recently reopened after years of closure.

The Cal Conniff Grants are made possible from proceeds of the Hannes Schneider Meister Cup Race, a benefit race for the New England Ski Museum held each March at Cranmore Mountain Resort in North Conway, NH. The name honors race founder Cal Conniff, one-time president of the National Ski Areas Association and Ski Museum president.