#18 - Sugar Bowl - Donner Pass, CA
Posted by: 
Volcanoguy
N 39° 18.821 W 120° 20.312
10S E 729456 N 4354965
History sign along the Hwy 40 Scenic Bypass.
Waymark Code: WMW0GN
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 06/21/2017
Views: 2
History sign #18 of the Hwy 40 Scenic Bypass series.
Text of sign #18 - Sugar Bowl
History
When Bill Klein, who would transform skiing himself, invited Hannes Schroll to Donner Summit from Yosemite in 1937, the ski industry was about to change. Hannes was a daredevil champion skier whose yodels as he tore down mountains could be heard for long distances. He was enthusiastic when he saw the Sugar Bowl. “We have to develop this,” he said. The “Sugar Bowl” is perfect for skiing.
His family money disappeared just as he was talking to his mother about sending if from Austria so he could buy the land. It was the Anschluss and Hitler had taken charge of Austria and Hannes’ money. Hannes turned to his Yosemite friends and they in turn turned to their friends and Sugar Bowl, the first California ski area built as a destination resort, was built. It included the first chairlift in the state and the second in the nation. The single seater (as opposed to the quads of today) ran to the top of Mt. Disney (3200 feet) in 6 minutes (today’s quad takes 3 minutes). There was a lodge designed by a famous architect, rope tows, a skating rink, and ski pouring. Skiers arrived by train and were transported to the Bowl first by horse drawn and then by tractor drawn sleighs.
A Good Story
Hannes Schroll was larger than life. At the 1936 Mt. Rainier Olympic Trials, “I heard a yell high above me … yodeling at the top of his lungs.! He jumped the first terrace like a deer going over a rail fence. Then he jumped another- and landed on one ski. His body was leaning over like an open jack-knife, and he was swinging his ski poles to keep from somersaulting. He must have skidded a quarter mile on that one ski, whooping and yelling all the time. As he passed me, his hat sailed trough the air, and he whooped even louder he was that glad to get both his skis back on the snow. Before he stopped, he’[d] passed No. 41, who had taken off ten minutes before.” Rotarian 2/1936
Walt Disney was an initial investor in Sugar Bowl. One day his daughter wanted to ski. Hannes took her up Mt. Disney, put her on his shoulders, and skied all the way down.
Group that erected the marker: Donner Summit Historical Society
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link]
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
On Hwy 40 about a half mile west of Donner Pass.
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