By Michelle San Antonio

Images and text courtesy of the Johnsburg Historical Society

A view of the North Creek train station as eager skiers disembark and locate a ride to take them up to the mountain.

A once familiar site may soon be witnessed again at the North Creek train station this winter: a train arriving to the station in deep snow with hundreds of eager skiers on board. The re-establishment of the snow train passenger service by the Saratoga-North Creek Rail Road is a hopeful endeavor; one that the business community, Gore Mountain, and the train operators approach with anticipation.

The snow train, or ski train as it is also known, is not a new concept to North Creek. This small hamlet located in the Town of Johnsburg in Warren County has a year-round population of less than 1,000 people. Many here make their living in logging, recreational pursuits, town and county government, and hard-labor. The development of the mountain terrain surrounding North Creek eighty years ago was a natural one, as the logging roads up the steep terrain were already in place. In 1932, the local American Legion organization began widening the trails for ski use. This came at a time when Lake Placid was in the spotlight for hosting the 1932 Olympic Winter Games and skiing became a popular winter recreation.

The local paper enthusiastically reported on The American Legion’s four mile-long ski trail from the top of Gore Mountain, stating: “An unusual feature of the Legion’s ski trail is that flaming youth and his older brother can make use of the slide without making the difficult climbs associated with ski trails. Cars may be driven to Barton’s Mines at the start of the trail and the winter sports enthusiasts may then ride all the way back on skis” Home Town News North Creek Enterprise 12/15/1932.

In the early days of the rope tow, skiers grabbed the moving rope with their hands and hoped their woolen mittens wouldn’t freeze to it. The development of the tow was the invention of several local men who each had their own way of devising a pulley action. The first known tow was an outdated Model T car, whose rear tire was removed and the rope fed around the wheel base. As improvements were made to the system, a safety device was later installed. The affordability of using the rope tow made it a popular attraction for novice skiers.

Being able to drive up the mountain and ski down was a significant attraction to these trails; one that very few areas offered back then. Furthermore, the numerous logging roads and the proximity of the train station to those roads-cum-ski trails prompted The Schenectady Winter Sports Club to choose North Creek as its prime ski destination to service its members. A chartered train for club members arrived at the North Creek train station on March 4, 1934 bringing 375 skiers onboard the King Winter Special. Round trip fare from Schenectady was $1.50.

With the success of the chartered trains, the club made arrangement to begin overnight travel from Grand Central Station for the general public. Riders left New York late evening Friday and arrived early morning in North Creek the next day. The overnight ride was meant to service the skiers with anything they may need, in addition to being a fun adventure for young men and women. Saks 5^th Avenue Sporting Goods Department provided warm clothing and après ski attire for sale. Female clothing models were onboard showcasing the latest fashions for winter recreation. Ski equipment rentals were available on the train, including waxing services and an instructor ready to answer any questions for the novice skier.

Arriving into the North Creek station, hundreds of “winter sports enthusiasts” disembarked the train. Local men with buses, trucks, and cars waited to transport them to the mountain for a fee of 25 cents a person. The phrase “Ride Up Slide Down” became a popular one associated with this area since a skier could be transported from the station by a vehicle to the base of the mountain. From there, the skier could pay another quarter for several tickets to ride a rope tow and then slide back down. It was the ease and proximity of transportation that made the slopes in North Creek so popular. In the winter of 1936, it was estimated that 25,000 skiers visited the slopes, spending approximately $50,000.

A ride from the train station to the mountain typically cost 25 cents. It was the ease of transportation that popularized the motto: “Ride Up Slide Down.”

This influx of people and cash were a small boon to the community. Residents were able to make some extra income by boarding all these skiers. For $3 a day, a skier could get a warm bed and three meals. Of course, this was at that discomfort of the boarding family’s children who were cast out of their own beds and made to sleep in the cellar to accommodate these strangers.

The hamlet’s hotels and lodges were full on the weekends that the snow trains operated. Main Street businesses thrived. The slopes in North Creek are touted as having one of the earliest rope tow systems in the east. A nurse developed an on-slope first-aid patrol and members wore a distinctive armband and carried a backpack with emergency supplies. Emergency sleds and a telephone box were installed on the slopes. This practice was a forerunner of the National Ski Patrol now known at every public ski mountain.

Lois Perret Schaeffer, a nurse associated with the Schenectady Winter Sports Club, is attributed to developing the on-slope first-aid emergency services at Gore Mountain, a fore-runner to the National Ski Patrol.

The comments in the press were encouraging. One particular piece, entitled “What a New Yorker thinks of North Creek” reads:

Above all, he [the skier] is struck with the fact that the extremely popular North Creek hasn’t the aspect of distinct commercialism that he had expected. He notices that the people who have opened up their houses to skiers like himself really seem to enjoy having them around, and last, but not least, is the fact that everything is quite within his budget.

Reluctantly climbing back on the train Sunday afternoon, after practically mastering the sport [of skiing], he is possessed of two things. One is a reservation for next week-end. The other is the mounting love for this little town nestled in the side of the mountain, presenting the best in skiing, the best in companionship – and he still has a comforting jingle in his pocket which attests to the fact that he can come here without having to break the bank at Monte Carlo!

North Creek News Enterprise 11/8/1939

Ladies on board the Snow Train from New York, thought to be models for Saks 5^th Avenue featuring the latest in ski fashion. The train ride was meant to provide the skier with any goods they may need, including ski rentals, clothing, and advice.

The snow trains were wildly popular for nine winters. Several scheduled trains had to be canceled and trails closed due to the poor weather conditions. Despite this, the winter sports clubs carried on with trail development and rope tow installations, and looked forward to the future installation of a T-Bar lift. What no one anticipated was the war. When it took hold and took men with it, there was no one left to groom the trails. There weren’t that many skiers to ride the trains or the trails either. The war depleted the town of resources, men, and skiers. Furthermore, the train operators now focused on transporting troops and goods for the war effort.

Following the end of the war and the revitalization of the country, the snow trains were reestablished in the late 1940s and early 1950s, but were welcomed with little success. The popularity of the private automobile made getting to the mountain a quicker trip. Transportation on ski buses was attempted, but was not nearly as successful as those snow train rides.

The trails at Gore Mountain continued to develop. In 1964 the Adirondack Mountain Authority, a state-run department, began overseeing the operations of the mountain. At the expense of the state, new chair lifts were installed and later, in 1967, the red gondola lift - the first gondola in the state.

In anticipation of the 30^th anniversary of the snow train, North Creek residents established a celebratory ride called “Snow Trains Unlimited” in 1974. Unfortunately, it had to be canceled due to the lack of snow on the mountain. While this situation was a disheartening one for the ski train enthusiasts, it did bolster the state’s efforts to install artificial snow-making guns on the mountain, especially since a few seasons were cut short completely due to the lack of snow in the mid and late 1970s.

The Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) took control of Gore Mountain in 1984. Under this management, the mountain continues to establish new trails and better the existing ones. Just last year in 2010, work was completed on the triple chair lift which connects the small village mountain, also known as Ski Bowl or McMahon Bowl, to Gore Mountain. The Ski Bowl slopes were home to some of those first rope tows installed in the 1930s.

Now in 2012, the Saratoga-North Creek Rail Road will attempt to regain the popularity of snow trains not seen in over 70 years. North Creek’s present day effort to encourage skiers and to accommodate them is not a new one, as indicated by a plea in the local paper in 1935: “These ski trains will mean considerable to the people of this community and no effort on our part should be passed up in order to make the ski trains possible. Maybe your one bed or camp cot will mean the success of bringing these trains to our village” North Creek Enterprise Home Town News 6/13/1935.

This winter, retro-fitted school buses will be ready to transport skiers from the train station to the mountain. Hotels, restaurants, and shopping are all within a short walking distance from the station. The business community and local government are still striving to do their best to welcome the thousands of skiers who already visit Gore Mountain. With train and lift ticket packages available, the whole family can take a leisurely ride up the tracks, enjoy a cocktail, take in the gorgeous scenery, and not stress a bit about transportation. Gore Mountain still presents the best in skiing and North Creek still offers small town hospitality; all with a comforting jingle left in your pocket.