Skiing in New Jersey? That's a book?

Trees wrapped in delicate blankets of white, arched over pillow soft trails. The scene is familiar to any skier: the perfect day atop the Green Mountains of Vermont, the fabled Sierra Nevada range, or even the epic Colorado Rockies. In her new book, Skiing in New Jersey? author Elizabeth Holste asks, and answers, questions about another popular ski area, one smaller in size but no less steeped in tradition - and just a short drive away. Even the most ardent supporter of New Jersey skiing must admit that the local mountains, by comparison to some, are vertically challenged. But many would be surprised to find out just how long people have been skiing the hills here. Holste, who will be signing copies of her book from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Nov. 18 at Annie’s Book Shop in Sussex, found evidence of more than 40 New Jersey ski hills. Sussex County alone has had “at least 11 or 12” ski hills, Holste recalled during a telephone interview. The North Jersey Country Club, a golf club now located in Wayne, has the earliest evidence of Jersey area skiing, dating back as far as 1924. In her research, Holste discovered the same driving factors behind New Jersey ski operations as those which powered larger mountains to the north and west: passion and commerce. Early hills were settled by Swiss immigrants. “They cleared the land themselves; everything was done by themselves,” said Holste. As the industry grew, both within the state and throughout the rest of county, smaller owners struggled to keep pace with larger mountains, making the things they needed as they went along. “They built their own grooming equipment; they built their own lighting,” she said. Morris County’s Craigmeur installed one of the country’s first lighting systems, as early as the 1950s, realizing that they could “make extra money if they [opened] up their slopes longer.” Sadly, many smaller operations simply could not compete when paired against the corporations that began to buy up Jersey ski areas. Today, only Mountain Creek, Hidden Valley, and Campgaw, owned by the County of Bergen, survive. Holste said that commercialization has been “good and bad” for Jersey skiing. She noted that it “has taken away some of the charm in the ski areas, especially in Vernon” and felt that the aggressive marketing to the tri-state region, while successful, has led to mountains that are “kind of overrun now.” Despite the changes, Holste acknowledged that attracting new skiers and improving the mountain facilities has had some profound impacts on the legacy of New Jersey skiing. Mountain Creek is the modern day descendant of the original Vernon Valley/Great Gorge skiing operations founded by, among other people, Jack Kurlander. His daughter Jamie went on to become a World Cup skier for the U.S. ski team. Long hailed for its family-friendly trails and proximity to New York City, Mountain Creek also played a role in the development of Olympic champion Donna Weinbrecht, who went to high school in West Milford. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the area positioned itself at the heart of the snowboarding boom, and Jimmy Weinbrecht, Donna’s brother, was an early coach of Danny Kass. Kass, originally from Vernon, went on to win silver medals at the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics, and remains a major face in the sport that, Holste said, “kinda saved the winter sports a little bit.” The story of New Jersey skiing is as long and winding as one of the state’s many trails. Holste said she spent roughly four years putting the book together, eventually choosing to publish through www.lulu.com, a Web-based publishing company. Though her choice of topic may seem picayune to some, the N.J. Ski Council claims “40 or 50” ski clubs as members, with 25,000 registered skiers since 1939. As Holste is fond of saying, “If you can ski the east coast, you can ski anywhere!” Copies of Holste’s book can be purchased for $25 at the Montague Historical Society, local book stores, and www.amazon.com. Annie’s Book Stop is located at 205 State Route 23, Wantage Hills Plaza, Sussex. The author can be reached at holsteliz@hotmail.com.