Dartmouth's First Skiers

JUST when was skiing introduced at Dartmouth? The answer has never been very exact, but thanks to the energetic work of Class Secretary William H. Ham, the Class of 1897 steps forward with pretty persuasive evidence that it launched Dartmouth's most distinctive sport in the winter of 1895-96. The above photograph, taken by Horace G. Pender '97 in March 1896, probably is the earliest Hanover skiing picture extant. Following are letters written to Mr. Ham by Pender, Weld A. Rollins and Herman Holt Jr., all of whom were members of '97's pioneer skiing group:

Your request concerning the origin of skiing is of great interest, since there has never appeared any recognition that this activity originated at Dartmouth with a group from the class of 1897, during the snow months of 1895-1896.

The skis were procured by "Pa" Rollins, somewhere in Maine, perhaps at Portland, six or eight pairs, and were unlike those in use at present. About four inches wide, seven or eight feet in length, of straight-grained hickory or similar wood, with wooden blocks fastened for the feet. Bindings consisted simply of leather straps into which the toe was inserted, and from which release resulted when fall ensued.

The users were "Pa" Rollins, "Cap" Holt, "Gov" Tent, "Aunty" Lewis, "Al" Morrill and the writer certainly, and the impression is that Paul Clay and Ned Woodworth were concerned likewise.

Use of the skis was had on the hills, those just outside Hanover on the road to White River, on the Lebanon road near Mink Brook, and along the river bank near the Vale of Tempe. Small jumps were made from mounds, of snow on the hillsides, and these were uniformly unsuccessful. Recollection is vivid that Tent did pretty well, being a light-weighty and Lewis definitely did not, being a heavyweight, as was suited to a varsity tackle.

The pair of skis belonging to the writer were in existence until about twenty years ago, but have disappeared. Other members of the group may have preserved them. No distinctive shoes were worn, the usual footgear being supplemented by overshoes.

We fell, all the time, and found it very difficult to climb the slopes, particularly since not equipped with poles as is the present custom. But it was exercise in the open air, resulted in no injuries, and whipped up an appetite for the somewhat primitive fare which was offered to us in those days.

Your letter of March 24th as to skiing at Dartmouth is at hand.

I had, as a boy in Portland, made skis out of barrel staves and used them. Later I had some skis sawed out at a mill, steamed them and bent the front ends up. The summer and autumn after my freshman year at Dartmouth I spent in Wyoming and Montana. Our cook told me that one could go further in a day on skis than on web snow shoes and showed me a picture of himself on skis. I found it difficult to imagine how, in that rough, mountainous, country, it would be possible to slow down orstop.

After my sophomore year, I had several pairs of skis made in a mill on Commercial Street in Portland and took them to Hanover. To save express charges, I took them in my hands and stood in the baggage cars with them all the way from Portland to Newmarket Junction, Newmarket Junction to Concord, Concord to White River Junction, and White River Junction to Norwich and Hanover,— that being the way to get from Portland to Dartmouth in those days,—but it turned out that it would have been as cheap to send them by express in the first place because the Railway made me pay for carrying the skis just the same.

These skis were of spruce and were not secured to the feet at the heels. We should have considered that as highly dangerous. There was merely a broad strap under which we put our toes. If we got going too fast, we slipped out of the skis. We walked up the hills and slid down. The hills towards Mink Brook were where we generally went. Once I remember we went to the Norwich side.

We used to ski regularly all winter through junior and senior years and got great pleasure and benefit from it. The group consisted of Clay, Holt, Morrill, Lewis, Pender, Rollins, Simpson, Tent, Woodworth, and probably others whom I do not at the moment recall. I never heard of any skiing in Hanover before this, and believe that there never had been any. Winter in Hanover in those days was very differently regarded from what it is now. Students generally hugged the stove, smoked and played cards, and did not utilize the snowy outdoors as we do at present.

Who introduced the fine art of skiing to Dartmouth College and Hanover, New Hampshire? The answer is "the Class of '97, in December 1895."

We found no evidence that skis before that time had made entry upon Hanover's snow surfaces, or upon the snowy hills of Norwich either.

During the summer of 1894 "Pa" Rollins in the course of a journey through the Rocky Mountains learned much about skiing. In the fall of 1895 he aroused our interest in this sport to such a degree that eight of us authorized him to have skis made for us at Portland, Maine.

The nine skiing classmates were: Rollins, Pender, Simpson, Tent, Lewis, Morrill, Woodworth, Clay, Holt.

The skis arrived in due course; we fared forth, and the way we fell down the .hills of Norwich and Hanover was an experience never to be forgotten. Our bright particular stars were Rollins and Tent. The former was the most daring, and the latter the most acrobatic of the nine. When George Tent was about to fall he leaned over backward, placed his hands behind him upon the skis, safely negotiated the remainder of the hill and then rose to a vertical position after reaching the bottom of the hill. In the practice of this fallpreventing procedure I am sure that even to this day he has had no peer.

Our enthusiasm never cooled and every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon of junior and senior winters we permitted nothing to interfere with these cross-country trips. To ski was to make life worth living.

SOME OF THE EARLIEST OF HANOVER WINTER SPORTS ENTHUSIASTS: 1897 offers the above composite photograph to back their claim that they were the first class to take up skiing at Hanover. In the center Hermon Holt is jumping over the prone form of Weld Rollins. Grouped around the center picture are shots from the '97 Aegis of some of the skiers of that era. Reading clockwise from the upper left, Rollins, Holt,. Paul Clay, George Tent, George Lewis, W. H. Ham, Joseph Simpson, Edward Woodworth, Albert Morrill; and Horace Pender.