Michael Stephenson, Tramway Engineer. Setting stake for lift terminal at the Ski Bowl!

As the days grow longer and the winter snows melt, the activity at the Historic Johnsville Ski Bowl is picking up speed. Last Thursday, the newly hired lift engineer, Michael Stephenson along with Miro Pokorny, President of Mountain Pride Construction, Alfred Strolz, on-site electrician for Squaw Valley and Ed Thompson, chairlift electrician were on hand with members of the ski hill committee to begin preliminary layout for the new chairlift. Michael Stephenson is a Tramway Engineer who has overseen the design and construction of over 100 new installations or major modifications of detachable and fixed grip chairlifts and other custom tramways in the U.S., Canada and Japan. Miro Pokorny is an accomplished lift contractor whose portfolio includes chairlift installations at Sugarbowl, Northstar, and Kirkwood, as well as “Flightline” at San Diego Wild Animal Park –the longest zipline in the continental United States.

The day began early with a meeting of the engineers over coffee at the Chalet View Lodge, followed by an inspection of the lift equipment in storage in Graeagle. Following the inspection, the group arrived at the ski bowl to begin the process of evaluating power options and potential lift locations. “I can’t express how incredibly lucky we are to have this level of talent and experience involved in moving this project forward.” said Dan Gallagher, Eastern Plumas Recreation District board member.

One of the main goals for the day was completing a profile survey from the top of the ski hill to the bottom. The profile is the first step in selecting the tower locations, the top unloading terminal and the bottom loading terminal locations. As straight forward as that sounds, the engineers explained that there are many important considerations to take into account in the effort to maximize the Ski Johnsville experience. One example is how to give the Bowl’s future visitors easier access and return from the “Back Trails” area. Another example is the possible location of a future terrain park. The group relayed that they had a fun and productive day on the mountain, while moving the plans for re-opening the Historic Johnsville Bowl forward. Mr. Stevenson and Mr. Pokorny both expressed a sense of awe at the spectacular view of the Mohawk Valley and surrounding mountain ranges from the top of the ski hill. “The hill is steeper than I first realized,” said Stephenson.

As soon as the Ski Bowl’s business and operations plan is finalized and officially approved, the EPRD Ski Johnsville Committee is planning on organizing the first work-day on the hill. “Several projects are on the agenda and community assistance is always welcome,” said Tom Connelly, local engineer and longtime Johnsville advocate. One of the first projects in the works is the removal of scrap metal to a recycler in Reno and another is the refurbishing and/or rebuilding of the historic warming hut. The EPRD Board is hoping an individual or local group might enjoy taking on this challenge. The old warming hut dates back to the first days of the ski hill’s operation.

Five local chefs met at Nakoma Golf Resort to plan and prepare for the SnowBall 2012 fundraising event.

As we look forward to the upcoming SnowBall and the Longboard Races, let’s take moment to look back at the history of our community and club ski hills in Northeastern California, including Johnsville.

Over the past fifty years, many small to very small downhill ski slopes have dotted our region, they include, Cedar Pass near Alturas, Stover Mountain in Chester, Coppervale neat Westwood and the Plumas Eureka Ski Bowl above Johnsville. Still others, like ones on Yuba Pass, that required skiers to walk in, half a mile or so, are long gone. Exploring each provides a glimpse of skiing in a different era, when rope tows and surface poma lifts, small old style ski lodges were much more common.

While each has it’s own character, charm and history, they are all family friendly and definitely well worth a visit as soon as the snow flies.

The Plumas Eureka Ski Bowl has it’s own bits of unique history that may not be well known.  For example, did you know that the original site for the ski bowl was located on Mount Washington? The location on Mount Washington was re-evaluated due to avalanches. How about more recent history?  Rob Russell of the Plumas Ski Club was featured on California Gold a few years back, giving demonstrations of longboard racing in Johnsville and it’s origins.

Finally, how many people know that the initial access vehicle for the Plumas Eureka Ski Bowl was a decommissioned military half track? One can only imagine the adventure of being towed from the town of Johnsville to the old ski hill warming hut to begin a day of skiing. The history of that old half track, now retired and rusting west of Quincy near Gopher Hill, could be a story in and of itself.

We owe a debt of gratitude to those dedicated community members who first envisioned a ski bowl near Johnsville over fifty years ago and had the fortitude to make the vision a reality. Our goal is to build upon their foundation and continue the dream of a community ski hill with a few more modern conveniences.

Let’s get together on the 25 February 2012 and celebrate the beginning of a new era for the Johnsville Historic Ski Bowl and the Ski Johnsville Project. In preparation for the big event, Ben Sylvia of Nakoma Golf Resort is coordinating a wonderful group of local chefs donating their time and talents to the cause.

The music will be by Cool Black Kettle, from South Lake Tahoe and is best described as grass roots Americana groove music.  Check out their web site, www.coolblackkettle.com, for additional information, but definitely plan to join us for an awesome evening.