The Western SkiSport Museum
The Western SkiSport Museum was founded in 1969 by the Auburn Ski Club. Working with ski writer and historian William B. Berry, the Museum was developed as an exhibition of Western North American ski history. Beginning with the California gold miners racing straight down the mountains at speeds of 80 mph on 14 foot “longboards”, western ski history is a fascinating part of western culture. The stories of Snowshoe Thompson carrying the mail on skis over the mighty Sierra Nevada mountains while rescuing stranded miners in raging blizzards is the making of legends.
The Western SkiSport Museum was founded in 1969 to exhibit skiing history. Highlights begin with California gold miners racing down the mountains on “long boards” to the ski clubs of the 1920′s and the local ski industry.
By the late 1920’s ski clubs began to appear up and down the West Coast. Skiing was a new sport and thousands traveled to the snowline on roads not open in winter. Ski Jumping was the daredevil sport of the period and ski clubs hosted huge spectator events. In some cases the ski clubs took the snow and jumping to the cities–hosting events in Berkeley, Treasure Island in the San Francisco Bay, and the LA Coliseum. The ski industry began to develop from small club-operated hills to ski areas with the opening of Sugar Bowl in 1939.
Today the Museum continues on a mission to collect, preserve and exhibit the history of winter ski sports in the western United States.
Address
Western SkiSport Museum
Box 82
Soda Springs, CA 95728
United States
Free Admission
Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the ski season only.
CLOSED IN THE OFF-SEASON
By appointment during the off-season, contact at 530-426-3313×101
Hours: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Featured Exhibits:
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Auburn Ski Club
* Snowshoe Thompson
* California Gold Camps and the Longboard skiers
* 10th Mountain Division “Ski Troops of World War II”
* Yosemite Winter Club
* Sun Valley and Alta Ski Areas
* U.S. Ski Team and Olympic history
* Sugar Bowl
* Ski Jumpers of the 1930 and 40’s
* Dodie Post — Olympic skier from Reno, NV.
* Dick “Maddog” Buek— Legendary skier from Donner Summit
* Western Ski Hall of Fame
* Jeff Hamilton — Auburn Ski Club skier, 150 MPH world record speed skier, 1992 Olympic Bronze medalist
* U. S. Forest Service
* Roy Mikkelsen — Auburn Ski Club jumper and Olympic ski jumper in 1936
* Archives and library by appointment
* Ski Movies dating from 1919
* Publications: “The Lost Sierra — Gold, Ghosts and Skis”