Skiing came to Proctor with the arrival of Dartmouth grad Roland Burbank in the mid-1930s. It came to stay. Here is the school being towed up North Street by Headmaster Halsey Gulick during a Winter Carnival.



The sport was deemed so central to the school's essence that for several years Proctor marketed itself as "The School On Skis," an initiative that prompted this all-school photograph:



Immediately north of Leonard Field, Slalom Hill served Proctor skiers for more than twenty years, starting in the mid-1940s. It had a functional, (if not terrifying) rope tow, but was handicapped by southern exposure and limited vertical elevation. The young man with a girlfriend on his shoulders (without helmets) is being towed up North Street in less litigious times.


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In the mid-'60s, the first trails were cut on Patterson Hill, which we now call The Blackwater. As you can see, they were more like woodland glades than race trails.

 
Prior to the installation of a used T-bar (purchased from a hill in Michigan) in the early '70s, a rope tow served The Blackwater.




Looking the other way (north,) we see the original lodge, a single-room box with a slope-side glass pane wall, just east of the rope tow.





The first T-bar was installed in the early '70s. George Emeny is second from right in this image!




Improvements to the facility have been remarkable. As Director of Buildings & Grounds twenty-something years ago, Howard George oversaw the addition of snowmaking and the first lighting systems. The construction of Yarrow's Lodge provided comfortable, wood-heated spaces, bathrooms and a food servery.

 

Over the past two years, both the Burden Trail and the Blackwater Trail have been homologated, or brought up to FIS and USSA racing standards. (Compare this image to fourth from top!)

 

The pump house has been improved; the Hameshop Brook Bridge has been replaced, and more upgrades are in the works. At a reception in Newport Wednesday evening, Mike Henriques unveiled plans to improve and expand snow making, purchase a Snow Cat groomer and significant improvements to lighting. Below, some of the sixteen students who comprise a professionally trained Ski Patrol manage the O'Connor lift.

 
In addition to the 185 (52% of total population!) students who enjoy The Blackwater, we host Bow, Concord, Kearsarge and Hopkinton High Schools, as well as Colby-Sawyer College. We are home to seven high school jumping programs and four Nordic programs.

 
Proctor skiing has come a long way, and we have a vision for the future!