By Vince Schaefer
Edited by Don Rittner


Pages 276-277

Shortly after the advent of the first successful Snow Train to North Creek, which ran March 4, 1934, my brother Carl heard about a device developed near Woodstock, Ver-mont, consisting of an endless belt of rope powered by an automobile engine, which hauled skiers to the top of a ski hill. This permitted skiers to get many more downhill runs than had heretofore been possible. My younger brother has a very inventive and mechanical aptitude toward things, and he soon devised a similar device, which he installed on what was called the Village Slopes, a piece of hilly land ending in a natural bowl which, I believe, was donated to the North Creek inhabitants by Father McMahon of the St. James Catholic Parish of that place. 

The tow operated for several years. Meanwhile, Carl and his wife Margaret moved to North Creek and secured a parcel of land along the North Creek-Sodom Road, where he also installed a rope tow and developed the North Creek Ski School. Carl's activities thus were responsible for the first ski tow in New York State, and the first Ski School in the state, following the impetus to skiing generated by the 1932 Winter Olympics.

Carl developed a fine terrain setup as part of his school, calling the development "Ski land." His ski activities were progressing very well until a disastrous fire demolished his home near Skiland. This was more than Carl's resources could withstand and, as World War Il was declared and travel was severely curtailed, he decided to return to Schenectady and seek employment at the General Electric Company. At the same time, he retained his ski tow at Skiland that became a family and friend activity, and became the scene of many enjoyable winter weekends.

As the plans for the Gore Mountain Ski Center developed, we were dismayed to learn that the access road to the base of the center would cut across the best part of his ski tow. 

The land acquisition team of the state was quite demanding and uncooperative. They offered him a pitance for the land they wanted, in fact at one time proposed to take all of his property.

A compromise was eventually developed where he retained the lower part of the land, which included the snow bowl, a strip of land including a brook which carried s stream draining a portion of Gore Mountain, and a strip of land extending out to the County Road and North Creek. Prior to the Ski Center plan being announced, acquire the strip of land extending to the County Road and the stream, but then following my appointment to Governor Harriman's ski policy committee, I sold the land so that I could not be accused of self-interest in the decisions that I could see would be made.

Carl relocated his tow to a side hill about half as high as the one which he had before the state took his land. This tow provided the young folks and us older ones with lots of fun over the years, and after more than fifty years the Skiland tow continues to operate every winter! The grandchildren are now enjoying the facility as well as their parents and grandparents!