Three years ago Peter Hostmark, newly-installed president of the Pacific Northwestern Ski Association, was invited to accompany Joe F. Bahl, passenger agent for Milwaukee Road, to the scene of what is today known as the Snoqualmie Ski Bowl.

The party tramped all over the bowl area, even hiked almost to the top of Bald peak, then down again and along the old railroad grading.

Your correspondent was standing close by when Joe Bahl popped the question.  "Well, Mr. Hostmark, what do you think of the area for skiing?"

"Fine, fine!" said Hostmark, but replying somewhat in the dull-toned manner of a man brought to earth from a fetching dream. Then came the tip-off to Hostmark's detachment.

      "But it would make a beautiful side for a ski-jumping hill! A magnificient site!" said Peter in enthusiastic voice, his eyes running from the steep slope above to the curving terrain below.

Today that Hostmark dream has been realized.

Hostmark, himself an engineer, drew the plans and the product of $18,000 expenditure by Milwaukee Road now awaits only about 2 feet of snow before it will bid welcome the efforts of the world's greatest ski-jumpers.  Seattle and the Pacific Northwest may rightfully claim one of the most tremendous jumping hills in the United States.

270-FOOT LEAPS WILL BE MADE --- HOSTMARK

The one big event slated for the new ski bowl hill will be the jumping portion of the national four-way combined championships which have been awarded the Seattle Ski Club and Washington Ski Club jointly for March 30-31. 

       At this time jumpers competing in the four-way championships will leap from the Class B takeoff but the Seattle Ski Club plans staging a special big-time competition from the Class A takeoff in conjunction with the national event.

Do not be suprised if Reidar Andersen, Norway's greatest, and such men as Olav Ulland, Tom Mobraaten and others are battling through the air waves on that redletter date.  Andersen, ending last season's visit in the United States, prophesied that he would be back. 

What such a brilliant field embodying aces like Andersen and Ulland, will do on Milwaukee Road's big hill is problematical. Hostmark predicts that 270-foot jumps will not be surprising. The hill will take that jump handily, according to the man who drew the plans.

INRUN PERFECT FOR VARYING CONDITIONS
 
Veteran northwest jumpers who have viewed the new hill are enthusiastic over its possibilities.  The inrun has a fine natural curve; is unlimited because of timber free slope above the hill and may thus be modified for varying snow conditions.

To begin with, in order to avoid confusion with the Snoqualmie Ski Area, the name has been changed to the Milwaukee Road Ski Bowl.  A three-year plan of development now under way will make it one of the largest skiing areas in the United States.

The initial program contemplates the clearing of approximately 360 acres of skiing terrain, of which about half will be completed this year, barring unforeseen difficulties.

The Talley-Ho skiboggan chair lift, developed by Keith Talley of Seattle, will be installed which will permit skiers and non-skiers alike to attain an altitude of 3,600' on approximately a 1,600' run and together with the additional rope tow that is to be installed from the 3,600' level, will carry the better type of skiers to the top of Rocky Point, a 4,000' altitude from which point wide ski lanes will be available from both sides of the mountain back to the Ski Bowl Lodge, approximating a run of about 1 1/2 miles.

Incidentally, the Talley-Ho lift is equipped to handle 1,440 persons per hour as compared with approximately 300 per hour for the average size chair lift. The fact that this lift is designed to ride downhill as well as up should be a boon to non-skiers.

In addition, the small lower cable lift, with individual rope attachments for pulling up the skiers, will be extended approximately 200', which will make it around a 1,600' tow. This will be intended for the novices and a separate wide ski area will be adapted for them, eliminating all cross-skiing in that these lanes will be separated by sufficient timber to insure safe skiing for all types of skiers.

Once again the Olympian Hill, on which the 1941 national jumping events were held, will be available and the Seattle Ski Club is locating a lodge at the Ski Bowl, approximately 1 mile from the lodge, and will conduct free jumping lessons on Sunday under the tutelage of Olav Ulland.

As in the past, there will be no overnight accommodations in the area but ski trains will be run from Seattle and Tacoma on approximately a two and three hour schedule from these points.

It is intended that we feature to outside skiers the opportunity to ski at the most novel ski resort and be able to stay overnight at their favorite hotel in either Seattle or Tacoma, and special trains will also be run at night for special groups of 250 or more as the entire area will be floodlighted.

Ken Syverson, well-known skier and originator of the Sunday Ski School, will again be in charge of the Seattle Times Free Ski School featured on Saturday for students.

In addition, during the 3 year program, it is expected to develop a ski lane to Bandera from the top of Rocky Point, approximately 8 miles, at which point it is intended the ski trains will pick up the skiers on their return to Seattle and Tacoma.

Further developments will be made next year from the top of Rocky Point to the top of Silver Peak area via snowcat, a distance of 3 1/2 miles, and an altitude of 6,000' is possible at the latter point.

As a matter of additional information, it is expected that in 1947 there will also be made available a number of toboggan lanes, but the details of the construction and operation are not available at this time. It is intended, however that they will be approximately a half mile and have approximately a 400' drop in elevation and will be adjacent to the Ski Bowl Lodge.