Share Your Memories
60th Celebration Video
Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Boyne Mountain
60th Celebration Photos and Video
History Please . . .
By Cary Adgate January, 7 2009 - Originally posted on the BOYNE Blog.
You were there and now is the time to prove it.
I wish I was around to experience the very first days of skiing on Boyne Mountain. But I did become a regular in the early 60's, so I have a pretty solid feel for most of the history of this proud resort. But I would like to hear YOUR stories - especially if they pre-date my first years here. In the run-up to this weekend's 60th Anniversary celebration, I've had several very enjoyable conversations with other 'old timers'. It's amazing how hearing selected memories of others seems to jar loose long-forgotten ones of my own. Usually it only takes a word or a name to bring back sights and smells and feelings that can be very difficult to explain in words.
Not trying to be profound, but just stating the facts: the past is the foundation for the present. What we are doing today takes on more meaning if you experienced - or at least learn about and appreciate - the past. So please help me out by using the 'Add comment ' area below and post some of your own memories here for all to see. 'Meaningful history', as defined by you, can be something from 1949, 2008, or last week for that matter; person, place, or thing - just as long as it had an impression on you.
Here are a few words, in no particular order, to jog your memory - please fill in the gaps for us all to enjoy.
Kneissl White Stars and Kastle Snow Princes - the old North Boyne double chair - T.W. Ellis of Boyne - those long red licorice whips from Symons General Store - John Miller - Head Standards with Cubcos (I never could find the DIN settings on those things) - Hans Q - watching the likes of Anderel Molterer and Christian Pravda race for money on Hemlock - Jill... (ok, that's personal, and you probably don't know her, but I'll bet you might remember your first love on the Mountain) - Mr. Moll - parking in the back of the lot (right about where the MGL pool is now) - long thongs (let's hear some theories as to what those are from some twenty-somethings) - do I remember a rope tow somewhere near where the new Meadows chair is - years of NYE torchlight parades, complete with a couple of tipsy Austrians - BIG moguls on Hemlock - big red and white Coke machines with returnable 7 oz bottles - Don Thomas - the hemlock on Hemlock . . .
Please contribute - (follow link below) - thanks.
Cary Adgate - BOYNE SnowSports Ambassador
Share your comments and see all other postings of 60th memories
History
Another anniversary has us both thankful and energized, as we revisit the past and anticipate the future. The continued success of Boyne Mountain is firmly grounded in the efforts of our founder Everett Kircher, and as the Kircher family continues to nurture his legacy, our-and their-mission is to guide Boyne Resorts through this first decade of the new millennium and beyond.
HOW WE MARKED THE DECADES
- 1940’s
'Anybody damn fool enough to want to build a ski hill, well... I’ll give you the property.' When Michigan’s Senator Pierson made this deal with Boyne founder Everett Kircher, he was unaware of the tenacity of this transplanted Detroit Studebaker dealer. Starting with one run, a used single-chair lift, and a warming hut, Kircher began a resort and leisure corporation that now spans the continent.
1947 Boyne Ski Lodge company formed
1948 Boyne Ski Club (Boyne Mountain) opens
1949 Opening Ceremony of Boyne Ski Club - January 9
- 1950’s
We liked Ike and we liked Boyne Mountain in ever increasing numbers. Among the skiing enthusiasts were then Congressman Gerald R. Ford and wife Betty. The 1950’s also signaled the beginning of Everett Kircher’s snowmaking innovations and Boyne Mountain’s vaunted ski school under the direction of Othmar Schneider.
1950’s Early snowmaking innovations begin
1954 Gatlinburg Sky Lift opens
1959 Boynehof Lodge built at Boyne Mountain
- 1960’s
Peace, love, and one innovation after another: America’s first freestyle exhibition, the world’s first triple chair, and the world’s first quad chair. The elegant Boyne Highlands, opened in 1964, raised the standard for resort amenities and style.
1960’s Duck Bill Snowmaker introduced
1964 Boyne Highlands Ski Resort opens
1965 Boyne Highlands’ Heather golf course opens
- 1970’s
Disco came and went; Star Wars took us to 'a galaxy far, far away,' but at the Boyne’s, we were golfing. Northwest Michigan became America’s summer golf capital thanks to Boyne’s creation of world-class golf courses, nationally recognized golf schools, and high-profile tournament play. Big Sky, Montana, joined the family of Boyne resorts.
1970’s Patented Boyne Snowmaker (a.k.a. Highland Snow Gun) introduced
Forward Snowguns on Towers introduced for coverage and oscillation
1970 Boyne Mountain’s Alpine golf course opens
1974 Boyne Highlands’ Moor golf course opens
1976 Boyne Mountain’s Tennis Center opens
1976 Purchase of Big Sky Resort in Montana
- 1980’s
Pac Man and the personal computer market exploded onto the scene. Mt. Saint Helens just exploded. Boyne Resorts kept growing and prospering with the addition of the Monument (Boyne Mountain) and Donald Ross Memorial (Boyne Highlands) golf courses. The westward expansion continued with the purchase of Utah’s Brighton Ski Bowl.
1980 Boyne Mountain’s Cross Country Center opens
1985 Boyne Mountain’s Monument golf course opens
1986 Purchase of Brighton Ski Bowl in Utah
1989 Boyne Highlands’ Donald Ross Memorial golf course opens
1989 Boyne Highlands’ Inn Convention Center opens
- 1990’s
Suddenly, we were online. The Internet connected us and Y2K became an urban legend. Michigan’s first high-speed quad and America’s first 6-place chair made lift lines a thing of the past. The Country Club of Boyne, the purchase of Boyne South in Florida, and construction of Bay Harbor Golf Club and the Inn at Bay Harbor made Boyne Resorts a luxury brand.
1990 Boyne Highlands’ Country Club of Boyne opens
1991 Big Sky’s Shoshone Condo/Yellowstone Conference Center opens
1992 Purchase of Boyne South in Naples, Florida
1993 Boyne Highlands opens 36 new units and Greystone development
1994 Brighton Ski Bowl opens new day lodge
1994 Agreement signed to build, own and operate Bay Harbor Golf Club
1994 Boyne Mountain’s Mountain Club real estate development becomes available for sale
1995 Boyne Highlands’ Arthur Hills golf course opens
1995 Boyne Mountain’s Disciples Ridge expansion opens
12 additional runs, 1 chairlift
1997 Purchase of Crystal Mountain Resort in Washington
1997 Crooked Tree Golf Club Partnership (50%) purchased
1998 The Inn at Bay Harbor opens
- 2000’s
A new millennium! Boyne Resorts continues its expansion with the addition of Crystal Mountain in Washington, Cypress in British Columbia, and Sugarloaf and Sunday River resorts in Maine. One can only imagine what this decade will continue to bring, but we keep our sights on progress, fun, and the good life. Sixty years’ young and still on the move.
2000 Summit Hotel at Big Sky opens
2000 Boyne Highlands’ Arthur Hills golf course opens
2000 Mountain Grand Lodge and Spa groundbreaking
2001 Purchase of Cypress Mountain in British Columbia
2002 SKI Magazine ranked Big Sky Resort #8 and Crystal Mountain #25 among North American ski resorts.
2005 Mountain Grand Lodge and Spa and Avalanche Bay opening - May
2010 Cypress Mountain to host 2010 Olympic Winter 'gen-x' games
