North–South Ski Bowl was a modest
ski area
A ski area is the terrain and supporting infrastructure where skiing and other snow sports take place. Such sports include alpine and cross-country skiing, snow boarding, tubing, sledding, etc. Ski areas may stand alone or be part of a ski resort. ...
in the
western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, located in
northern Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...
in the
Hoodoo Mountains of southern
Benewah County.
Its bowl-shaped slope in the
Idaho Panhandle National Forest
The Idaho Panhandle National Forests are a jointly administered set of three national forests located mostly in the U.S. state of Idaho. In 1973, major portions of the Kaniksu, Coeur d'Alene, and St. Joe National Forests were combined to be a ...
faced northeast and the vertical drop was just under on Dennis Mountain, accessed from
State Highway 6, south of
Emida and north of
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
. An "upside-down" ski area, the parking lot and lodge were at the top, less than a mile east of the highway, formerly designated as 95A (
U.S. 95 Alternate). The access road meets the highway at its crest ("Harvard Hill"), just under , and climbs about ; the border with
Latah County is approximately south.
History
With a day lodge built in the late 1930s by the
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was ...
(CCC) through the
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...
(WPA),
the ski area was developed by the
U.S. Forest Service
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering of land. The major divisions of the agency are the Chief's ...
,
and originally owned and operated by
Washington State College
Washington State University (WSU, or colloquially Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington, United States. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant universities in the American West. With an un ...
(
Pullman is approximately southwest, about an hour by vehicle). In the early 1950s, it was known as the "St. Joe Ski Bowl,"
and prior to that as the "Emida Ski Bowl."
After a poor snow year in 1958, it was sold to a private owner, Fred Cramer and his brother, Merle, and a
platter lift
A surface lift is a type of cable transport for mountain sports in which skiers, snowboarders, or Mountain bike, mountain bikers remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularit ...
was added in 1959.
It was the primary training area for the
WSU and
UI intercollegiate ski teams,
and included a
ski jump
Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the fin ...
.
The Ramskull Ski club formed in 1960, named for the creek of the ski area.
The road from the highway was improved and parking areas expanded in 1962.
Closed for the 1969–70 season,
the students of WSU (
ASWSU) regained ownership and operated North–South until 1980.
Additions included a
chairlift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers. They are the primary on-hill tran ...
in 1970,
and a new lodge in 1976,
and the area was lit for
night skiing
Night skiing is the sport of skiing or snowboarding after sundown, offered at many ski areas. There are floodlights – with metal halide, LED or magnetic induction lamps – along the piste which allow for better visibility. The night ski ...
.
The area got into financial difficulty in 1979, and the students searched for a buyer.
After leasing it to a private operator in 1980
for four seasons, ASWSU sold the area outright in 1984.
[
]
Present day
With an aging chairlift and inconsistent snowfall at a low elevation, alpine skiing
Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel Ski binding, bindings, unlike other types of skiing (Cross-country skiing, cross-country, Telemark skiing, Telemark, or ski jumping) ...
was discontinued in the 1990s.cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...
and the top of the former ski area is home to Palouse Divide Lodge, a private conference and retreat facility.
See also
* Tamarack Ski Area – near Troy ''(defunct)''
References
External links
Palouse Divide Lodge
– official site
Virtual tour
– daytrips – Inside Idaho
U.S. Forest Service
– Palouse Divide Park 'n' Ski area
Map
Idaho Department of Transportation
– camera – State Highway 6 – Harvard Hill
– Historic road map (1937) – Idaho, Montana, Wyoming – Texaco (Rand McNally)
Idaho highway map (1956)
– Shell (H.M. Gousha)
{{DEFAULTSORT:North-South Ski Bowl
Ski areas and resorts in Idaho
Buildings and structures in Benewah County, Idaho
Washington State University