The Incomplete History of Local Ski Hills of Years Past

What do Rockwood Park, Hammond River Road, RNS and Welsford all have in common? They are all locations of previously operational ski hills in the Greater Saint John Area. And they all have a story of community behind them.

Have you ever been on a walk and noticed old machinery half hidden in the leaves and moss? I walked the trails around Spyglass hill and Rothesay Netherwood School in Rothesay daily for many years and noted cables, cars and more. This may be a common sight along the forest floor but the actual history of them remained unknown to me.

So, I started asking questions. And… I got some answers. There is absolutely information left undiscovered. My hope is to return to update and revise the info as further intel is received.

Hammond River, Quispamsis

First up, let’s talk about the hill on Hammond River Rd in Quispamsis - formerly known as Hammond River Ski Hill. It’s also known as Harding’s Hill to locals.

"In the mid-1960s Harold and Peggy Harding opened a rope-tow ski hill on their hillside pasture in Hammond River, now Quispamsis. Their first tow was made by one discarded by Poley Mountain, which had built its first T-bar." from 'Rothesay, New Brunswick, the First 150 Years' by Jude Carson and Gretchen Kelbaugh

I spoke with Don Dickson who recounted the hill to be full of skiers on winter weekends. It’s the hill on which he learned to ski, with a rope tow connected to an old tractor in a shed. The ski hill was run by Harold and Peggy Harding. While Harold operated the tow, Peggy manned the warming hut and sold hot chocolate.

As it’s written in Peggy’s obituary: “Being from Montreal, Peggy enjoyed downhill skiing, so she and Harold drove to Montreal and brought back a used rope tow from her brother Denn’s ski hill in the Laurentians.” Mary Ann Harding submitted the photo below and shared the following: "Geoff [Harding] clearly remembers the pully system of the Rope Tow arriving at Hammond River in the trunk of his parents car. ... The Rope Tow assembly came from Peggy’s older brother Dennison, who ran a Ski Hill called Mount Snow in Rawdon, Quebec. That was in the year 1958/59."

Gretchen Kelbaugh shared her memories of the hill below. They paint a clear picture of the atmosphere on the Harding Hill.

"My family moved to the Model Farm Rd in Hammond River in 1966. The roads were still dirt and our house was surrounded by woods. Of all the sporting adventures that would be open to my brother Duncan and me, we never would have guessed that downhill skiing would be one. In fact, we didn't even need to get in a car. Years ago, my grandfather George Harding had bought land running from behind our house through the woods to Carson field and on to the top of what was now Hardings' Ski Tow. Harold and Peggy Harding ran this on land originally owned by his father Bill, my great-uncle. Before Duncan bought his first car, he and I could cross-country ski through the woods, down a huge ravine with a brook at the bottom, and up the other side, to land very near the top of the ski hill. I can still remember how sore my ankles would be from all that cross-country skiing in downhill equipment. Not easy but was I ever in shape by the end of the winter. We skied most weekends and often on Tuesday and Thursday nights, under the lights.

While the hill was short, it was rather steep, so we could really gain speed going down. If you lost control, you might bang into the ski lodge, where hot cocoa, hotdogs and chips were sold. Some weekend days there was a huge line of people waiting for their turn up the rope tow, most coming from Hampton, Rothesay and Saint John. I loved those weekends with my Harding cousins and friends and felt a bit special being related to the owners, not to mention, being given a free pass.

Even in Rothesay, you could always spot someone who skied at the Harding hill by the black mark on the right-back of their ski coat, from holding the oily tow rope. I would become tired as the ski day wore on, of course, and on warm days of spring skiing, the large wet rope would start to slide through my hands as I held on, going up the hill. I remember praying that I could make it to the top before my hands cramped completely and dropped the rope. You didn't want to fall on the way up for fear of being speared by the skier behind you.

Finally, I remember a couple times watching rookie skiers get to the top of the tow and not let go of the rope. Up they would go into the air, until their dangling ski would catch the safety line, shutting off the tow. They likely still have a fear of ropes."

Gretchen's brother, Duncan, added:

"We often rode through the woods on my 1967 skidoo, towing a home-made sled with the ski equipment in it. After every new snow of 3” or more, five of us cousins were asked to pack the hill so the snow would not be pushed down the hill, or pushed into hazardous ruts and bumps (pre moguls, I suppose, but not wanted on this small all-skier-level hill). That involved closely side-stepping your skis cross-wise to the hill up and down, until every square foot was gently packed. (the job now done by grooming equipment). We put on a lot of miles on our skis, as most of the time when there wasn’t a line-up, you would ski fast down the hill, cruise around the tow shack, and catch the rope without even stopping, ie, skiing a constant loop.

This enterprise was undertaken by my Uncle Harold to supplement his dairy farming income. It was a hard way to make much money though, as the nearby Bay of Fundy delivered rain periodically throughout the winter, and good snow cover was hard to keep."

If you didn’t live on Hammond River, you may have known about the ski hill by their hand painted sign on the highway that read “Ski Hammond River”. Likely due to liability issues, it closed in the late 1970s.

Maplecrest, Bloomfield

Don also told me about the hill in Bloomfield, off the Guthrie Road - Maplecrest. It was taller and steeper than Harding’s hill. With only a rope tow, your arms were tired by the time you reached the top. He recalls it being as busy as Hammond River Ski Hill. It was run by a group of volunteers from Hampton and you could see the one ski run on your drive back from Poley Mountain. It was operational until the early 1970s.

Rockwood Park, Saint John

Perhaps the most ‘official’ ski hill was Rockwood Hill, in Saint John. Set in Rockwood Park, there was a small lodge and a Ski patrol team. I spoke with Dean Price of the Saint John Cycling Club who told me it was built sometime around 1967 and there were at least 2 runs and a T-bar lift. It closed in the early to mid 1980s, likely due to the fact that more people were choosing to drive to Poley Mountain instead.

Today, the location of the former ski hill has a new life: mountain biking trails, thanks to the hard work and dedication of The Saint John Cycling Club.

Mt. Douglas, Welsford

Charlie Fawcett shared his memory of the ski hill on Mt. Douglas. This hill was started by the military in Gagetown with the intent of running training exercises. A t-bar lift was installed in 1969 and there were around 5 trails. It was open to the public but controlled by Gagetown.

Rothesay Netherwood School, formerly RCS, in Rothesay

The ski hill behind what is now known as Rothesay Netherwood School, was no longer than the bunny hill at Poley Mountain but it was steep and fun. It’s set back in the woods off of one of the hiking trails that still exists today.

Other Notable Mentions

• Outside of Hampton on Route 845, there was a small hill with a couple of trails and a rope tow. It was open on weekends in the late 1950s. The people who ran and used this hill then went on to develop Poley Mountain in Sussex.
• Hoyt Farm, on the Pickwauket Road in Hampton was open in the late 1960s.

One thing they all share in common is their mystique mixed in with nostalgia. Photos seem hard to come by and exactly who ran them or why they stopped operating is a bit of a guessing game. Although, by and large, liability and challenges acquiring insurance along with people commuting to the larger “local” hill, Poley Mountain, seems to be the reality of their closures.

Those who I spoke with had a whimsy in their voice as they reminisced on those days spent on their community hill. These were the slopes where many learned to ski. That special snippet of time carries into their actions today. Don Dickson tapped into those early ski day memories by setting up a rope tow with his lawnmower to create a little ski hill on his property for his granddaughter to enjoy.

It’s fascinating to look back on the numerous community run ski hills that were clearly a staple for many years. There is certainly a charm in imagining that they could still exist today.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this post. If you have any further info about these hills or other local ski hills not mentioned, let us know!

Contributors:

Charlie Fawcett

Dean Price

Don Dickson

Duncan Kelbaugh

Emilie Murphy

Gretchen Kelbaugh

RESOURCES:
https://www.newschoolers.com/forum/thread/173907/Lost-ski-hills
https://www.google.com/amp/s/beta.ctvnews.ca/local/atlantic/2021/9/3/1_5572471.amp.html
https://kennebecasisfh.com/tribute/details/27599/Margaret-Harding/obituary.html
https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/mobile/bike-trails-bring-new-traffic-to-former-saint-john-ski-hill-1.5572471?utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&taid=61323f8105de4d0001e768fa&cid=sm%3Atrueanthem%3Actvatlantic%3Atwitterpost&utm_source=twitter