2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide - 59

I SNOWSPORTS BUILDER
AWARD 2022
I
Kirk Hanna, Operator of Mt. hood Ski Bowl
and Developer of Collins Lake Resort, was a
recipient of the Snowsports Builder Award.
The Award was presented by Gloria
Raminha, FWSA President.
Gloria Raminha, FWSA President,
presented Matthew Drake with the
Snowsports Builder Award for the Drake
Family, founders and operators of
Mt. Hood Meadows. photos by Adam Bacher
under the auspices of the Works Progress Administration,
and furnished with art and furniture
commissioned under the Federal Art
Project, the lodge had opened to the public in
1938. It fell into disrepair and was closed in
1955. The U.S. Forest Service, which administers
the lodge, revoked the permit and sought
a new operator.
With the encouragement of lodge employee
and former WPA worker, Jim Duncan,
Kohnstamm applied for and was awarded the
permit. He formed R.L.K. and Company and
set about developing the lodge and ski area -
a labor of love to which he devoted his life.
Kohnstamm installed the Pucci and Victoria
Station chairlifts, and he purchased SnoCats
to transport skiers and tourists to snow
fields above the lodge's 6,000-foot elevation.
Kohnstamm created the first summer skiing
opportunities in North America with the completion
of the Palmer chairlift in 1978.
When Kohnstamm lobbied Congress for
funds to build a convention center and day
lodge for skiers, he told congressional committees
that Timberline was both a hotel and a
museum. Running the lodge without a day
lodge, he said, was " like trying to run an exclusive
restaurant in the Lincoln Memorial. " Congress
added supplementary funds to the U.S.
Forest Service budgets for the new wing and
the day lodge, The C.S. Price Wing was completed
in 1975, and the Wy'East Day Lodge
opened for the 1981-1982 ski season.
Recently, under Jeff Kohnstamm's leadership,
Timberline purchased a small ski area
called " Summit " in Government Camp. Now
called " Summit Pass, " the area will be the location
of a new day lodge and a new Timberline
Gondola that will shuttle guests from the
Government Camp area to Timberline Lodge
and Ski Area. The Timberline Gondola is the
cornerstone of Timberline's Upgrade Plan
which was reviewed and accepted by the US
Forest Service in 2022. ss
Mt. Hood is an 11,245' volcano, the tallest mountain in Oregon. Its resorts offer one of
the lognest ski seasons in North America, historically beginning the winter season in midNovember
and lasting through the end of May. Meteorologists are predicting another La
Nina (cold phase) winter for 2022-2023, which would be for a third year in a row. La Nina
tends to organize the wintertime jet stream in a way that favors the Pacific Northwest and
Northern Tier of states with the most consistent winter snowfall. Looks like it's going to be
another great season of skiing and boarding on Mt. Hood! photo of Mt. Hood / Pexels
Far West Skier's Guide 2O22 - 2O23
59
John Burton, Director of Marketing,
Public Realations & IT, accepted the
Snowsports Builder Award on behalf of
the Kohnstamm Family, Operators of
Timberline Lodge and Timberline
Ski Area, from Gloria Raminha,
FWSA President.

2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide

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