MANY YEARS AGO

On August 19, 1885, early German immigrants in the Seattle area formed a physical fitness club called the Seattle Turn Verein.  It was created as a social, educational and gymnastics club which had indoor gymnastics as a core activity.  The group purchased and owned property in Seattle which they used for their club. 

During World War I, there were strong feelings against German related groups.   So on July 15, 1918, the club was reorganized and incorporated under Sections 3740-3751, Remington's Revised Statutes, in the State of Washington, as the "Seattle Gymnastics Society".  In the late 1920's, younger members of the club began skiing in the Cascade mountains.

 

SKIING THE HARD WAY

Skiing in the mountains then was an arduous adventure.   Members drove toward Snoqualmie Pass but could only get as far as the now-named Denny Creek area because the cross-state highway was not open in winter months.  Over hand-made wooden skis, "skins" were slipped on, which allowed for walking and climbing.  Food and water were backpacked, and skiers climbed all day to reach the top of what we now call Summit West.  Often the climb was in waist-deep snow.  At the top, they would take off the "skins" and make one run down the mountain in untracked snow.

A NEW NAME

In about 1934 or 1935, club membership was down in numbers so the active group decided to change the name.  Members were asked to submit names for a vote.  Merle Throssell Patchell suggested the name "Sahalie" which is a Chinook Indian word meaning "high places."   The group liked it and changed its name to Sahalie Ski Club.   Soon after, the club adopted an emblem which was designed by Merle.  The name and the emblem continue to be used to this day. 
                         

The club was incorporated in the State of Washington as a non-profit corporation under the name Sahalie Ski Club, Inc. with the stated objective "to encourage skiing and enjoyment of the outdoors by all of its members, and to promote good fellowship."

DISASTER AT THELODGE

The first lodge served the small ski club well.  By the early 1940's it even had a full-time "keeper" who lived on site.   Then on April 16, 1943, disaster struck.  The lodge burned to the ground.   By then the lodge was well known and pictures of the burning lodge were published on the front page of the Seattle Times and inside the Seattle Post Intelligencer.  

                                                                Click to enlarge picture     
                                         Picture courtesy of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

A TIME FOR REBUILDING

The club did not have insurance.  World War II made materials and money scarce and rebuilding the lodge would prove to be difficult and costly.  But the club members were determined not to let the club die.  They took out second mortgages on their homes and set about  rebuilding the lodge themselves.  The finished lodge was larger than the original. 

In the late sixties, an addition was built bringing the lodge to its current size.  The lodge is now equipped with a state-of-the-art sprinkler and fire detection system and is fully insured against fire.

ALPENTAL ARRIVES

Until the late sixties, members parked their cars by the side of Interstate 90 and broke trail through a mile of snow to the lodge.   It was a difficult hike with skis and supplies.  Then the original developers of Alpental approached the club requesting a 30-foot right-of-way easement to build a road to their ski area.  The club agreed, but requested as partial payment that for 99 years Alpental maintains a plowed 60 car parking area on the road adjacent to the lodge.   Alpental has changed owners six times, but the terms of the agreement still stand.  As Alpental plows the road going to their resort, the snowplows widen and maintain a parking area for the Ski Club.

GOING UPHILL

In the 1960's, the club installed one of the longest private rope tows in the United States. The facilities at the club rivaled the public skiing facilities across the highway. While the public facilities have grown and added chair lifts, Sahalie has been content using its own rope tows for beginner skiers and the public facilities for more advanced skiing. However, there is a growing desire by some members to explore installing a chair lift in order to take advantage of the upper 45 acres.

The original spirit of the club's founders is alive today. Sahalie Ski Club maintains a place where members enjoy the outdoors and good fellowship.