“The three purposes of the new ski club was to stimulate interest in skiing, to teach beginners and train ski teams, and to form worthwhile intercollegiate athletic relations…” –The Hochalm Ski Club, 1932)[1]
The increasing popularity of skiing at Smith College during the late 1920s, and the keen interest in this sport on the part of more and more students culminated in the formation of the Holchalm Ski Club. The club was authorized on Dec. 2, 1931 at a combined meeting of the members of the Physical Education department, the Athletic Associations board, and the captains of winter sports[2].It was an entirely separate from the Outing Club and Outdoor Activities.
Photo of a Smithie on Hospital Hill. Athletic Subject Files. CA-MS-00167, Box 1368. Smith College Archives.
Inspired by the developments of Alpine skiing, Smithies named their club “Hochalm” which is German for “high alps”. The original charter members were tried veterans in this hazardous sport, but hopeful candidates for membership were actively recruited from the ranks of the more experienced skiers at Smith. They noted in a press release in 1932 that “to those who still frequent the gentler inclines, and who invariably meet with mishap even on the flatter plain, the ski club stands as a distant, but not impossible goal [3] (“The Hochalm Ski Club”).
However, in the spirit of creating a friendly, learning community at Smith for those who were interested in skiing, the Club invited beginners, who borrowed skis and roles from the Outing Club, to go along on it’s practice trips [4]. Those who were courageous enough to attempt such an undertaking, and who acquired the requisite degree of skill in scaling the heights of the surrounding mountains, hoped in time to become members of the group.
Photo of a group of people skiing on an unidentified mountain. Smith College Archives. Athletic Subject Files. CA-MS-00167, Box 1368. Smith College Archives.
In January, 1932, the Hochalm Ski Club was fully equipped but without any snow on campus.. However, the group received invitations from the Dartmouth Ski Club, the Woodstock Ski Club, and the Boston Ski Club to go on week-end ski parties. They also planned classes, practices, lectures, and short field trips for the club [5].
Footnotes:
[1]–[5] The Hochalm Ski Club. January 21, 1932. Athletic Subject Files. CA-MS-00167, Box 1368. Smith College Archives.