Camelback: The Downs & Ups Of A Banana Belt Ski Area

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Author Jill Wechsler

First Edition, 1989

Used Book, Excellent Condition

The story of Camelback began when a few ski-crazy entrepreneurs from Philadelphia linked up with a like-minded group in Stroudsburg, Pa. and hit on a radical idea for building a new ski area: to combat the ice and thaws that plagued eastern skiing, they would install snowmaking on all of Camelback's trails and slopes. The plan was expensive, and no one was sure it would work here in the "Banana Belt" — where the winters were so warm that, according to New Englanders, "you might as well be in the tropics." But the Camelback founders persevered — through rain and blizzards and two near-bankruptcies. Snow pipes froze and broke. Grooming vehicles flipped over. Chair lifts broke down. Some days there were only 50 skiers on the mountain!

What kept Camelback going was the talent, dedication and good humor of the men and women working at the mountain, many there from its very beginning 25 years ago. A small group of investors never lost hope and kept coming up with the funds needed to keep this fledgling enterprise going. After years of "downs and ups," Camelback today is one of the leading ski areas in the East. From the early movements of the earth that created Camelback Mountain and the first rope tows that gave birth to a whole new sport, to the development of high-tech grooming machines and quadruple chair lifts, this history of Camelback tells the store of struggle and success in the American ski industry and the people who made it all happen.

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Author Jill Wechsler

First Edition, 1989

Used Book, Excellent Condition

The story of Camelback began when a few ski-crazy entrepreneurs from Philadelphia linked up with a like-minded group in Stroudsburg, Pa. and hit on a radical idea for building a new ski area: to combat the ice and thaws that plagued eastern skiing, they would install snowmaking on all of Camelback's trails and slopes. The plan was expensive, and no one was sure it would work here in the "Banana Belt" — where the winters were so warm that, according to New Englanders, "you might as well be in the tropics." But the Camelback founders persevered — through rain and blizzards and two near-bankruptcies. Snow pipes froze and broke. Grooming vehicles flipped over. Chair lifts broke down. Some days there were only 50 skiers on the mountain!

What kept Camelback going was the talent, dedication and good humor of the men and women working at the mountain, many there from its very beginning 25 years ago. A small group of investors never lost hope and kept coming up with the funds needed to keep this fledgling enterprise going. After years of "downs and ups," Camelback today is one of the leading ski areas in the East. From the early movements of the earth that created Camelback Mountain and the first rope tows that gave birth to a whole new sport, to the development of high-tech grooming machines and quadruple chair lifts, this history of Camelback tells the store of struggle and success in the American ski industry and the people who made it all happen.

Author Jill Wechsler

First Edition, 1989

Used Book, Excellent Condition

The story of Camelback began when a few ski-crazy entrepreneurs from Philadelphia linked up with a like-minded group in Stroudsburg, Pa. and hit on a radical idea for building a new ski area: to combat the ice and thaws that plagued eastern skiing, they would install snowmaking on all of Camelback's trails and slopes. The plan was expensive, and no one was sure it would work here in the "Banana Belt" — where the winters were so warm that, according to New Englanders, "you might as well be in the tropics." But the Camelback founders persevered — through rain and blizzards and two near-bankruptcies. Snow pipes froze and broke. Grooming vehicles flipped over. Chair lifts broke down. Some days there were only 50 skiers on the mountain!

What kept Camelback going was the talent, dedication and good humor of the men and women working at the mountain, many there from its very beginning 25 years ago. A small group of investors never lost hope and kept coming up with the funds needed to keep this fledgling enterprise going. After years of "downs and ups," Camelback today is one of the leading ski areas in the East. From the early movements of the earth that created Camelback Mountain and the first rope tows that gave birth to a whole new sport, to the development of high-tech grooming machines and quadruple chair lifts, this history of Camelback tells the store of struggle and success in the American ski industry and the people who made it all happen.