Evening star., 1937-12-12

n VIEW YORK CITY, Dec. I'LL
N the railroads never did any
VI thing else, they can lay claim
4 to having created the ski
vogue which has swept every city
north of the Potomac in recent win
ters, until the demand for ski infor-
nation has resulted in bulletins being
placed in various stations giving the
temperature and condition Of the runs
in various spots which attract the
week end or Sunday skiers.
Having mastered one run and gained
confidence IN ability on the runners,
the skier soon seeks to extend his
sphere of operations to higher peaks,
sportier courses, faster runs, bigger
Jumps and greater thrills generally.
New York City has its regular SUM-
day ski trains to courses 100 miles or
more distant, as we'll as its week end
trains to more remote points, just as
the Western roads have to the IA
vorite fields on their lines. Colorful
names feature the Eastern trains-the
Snow Clipper. every Sunday to Pitts
field, Mass; the Snow Express, Sum-
days to Great Darlington and South
Lee, Mass, and on occasional Sum-
days, the Snow Special to Norfolk,
Conn, and the Junior Snow Train to
Canaan, Conn, or Great Darlington,
Mass, depending upon conditions of
the snow. The latter train Is for chill
dren.
The New Haven Railroad, which
features the snow-train service to
these several points, also operates
overnight trains of sleepers and
coaches, such as the Ski Meister,
every Friday night, to Waterbury. VT.
to enable the devotees of the runners
to climb Mount Mansfield, highest
peak in Vermont, with part of the
train serving also Brattleboro and
Woodstock, VT, and Littleton, N. H
Still another train-the Eastern Slopes
EXpress-will leave New York every
Friday, snow permitting" for the
White Mountain snow lands such as
Plymouth. North Conway and Inter-
vale, N. H., and even at Easter there
will be a three-day trip to Tucker
mans Ravine, N. H. The New Haven
trains use the Boston g. Maine beyond
Springfield to many points.
Cooperating with the New York
Central, it will maintain a ski bureau
in Grand Central Terminal, giving
information on trains and the condi-
ton of the runs, making hotel and rail
reservations and performing other
services. Department stores cooper
ate in renting or selling equipment on
the various trains
The New York Central will feature
the sporty ski runs on Lake Placid
and the other mountains of the Adj
rondacks for the overnight trips and
the Bear Mountain course for the one
day trips. Also, 1t will cooperate with
Canadian roads in running through
Pullman trains to the Laurentian
Mountains, north of Montreal
Virtually every other railway in the
New York area will be in the "ski
business" in big way, in so far as its
route permits, with the Lackawanna
featuring the Poconos, the Erie sim
liar territory as we'll as sections of New
York State, and other roads to a less
extent joining In handling the exodus
OF winter sports fans. -4----.--
RUT it is in the West that skiing
and outdoor winter sports really
reach their peak. No need to worry
about adequate snowfall or for last
minute calls to the railroad to inquire
about the condition of the runs. A
heavy snowfall assures the skier of
abundant snow, of the fine, powdery
variety, which enables the skis to grip
the surface and to give that fine
crunch which is the skiers' delight
Be it the Mount Baker section of
Washington State, only IS miles from
the Canadian border; the Yosemite
Valley, the Mount Hood or Mount
Rainier regions, 2-mile-high noun
tains challenge the skill of the experts.
While affording easier gradients for
the novices.
Through the cities of the North
west are more than 500 ski clubs,
composed Of men and women and
youngsters. Every Sunday, or for week
ends, they load their skis on the Great
Northern trains, for instance, and
make the trip to Bellingham. en-
route to Mount Baker. Here, on its
more than 10,000-foot slopes, with its
companion, Mount Shuksan, over
5000 feet high, are runs of the sport
lest type, where experts may start
from high peaks and speed downward
to the heather meadows far below.
TRANSCONTINENTAL travellers, en-
- route to California via the North
west, are given free side-trip tickets
to visit the famed Mount Baker region,
with its Austrian ski instructors from
the Otto Lang School. Mount Baker
Lodge is open all winter to receive
winter sports enthusiasts.
Mount Rainier, more than $4,000
feet high, stands as sentinel over
looking Tacoma, and down its sharp
grades skiers race at even greater
speeds than the Empire Builder train,
RESORTS