Oglebay's Skiing History

In 1939 Oglebay Park opened the first ski tow in West Virginia. The rope tow that was installed on the third fairway on the Crispin Golf Course was made possible through the philanthropy of the local skiing enthusiasts. The skiing operation was underwritten by the Oglebay Ski Club, which was incorporated in 1940.

This rope tow operation continued through the winter of 1960-61. Though the ski season averaged only 20 days, many Wheeling area residents learned skiing skills that lasted a lifetime. In 1960 with the advice from Philip Dupre (of the Dupre Family from Seven Springs) the rope tow was moved to the Par III Golf and Driving Range area of the park. In 1963 a new group of local skiing enthusiasts raised funds to install the first Pomalift and provide the installation of a snowmaking system. Underground piping for this system was donated by Wheeling Steel and the compressed air for the system was generated by a leased, portable, air compressor. In the first winter with snowmaking, nearly 70 days of skiing were enjoyed and the demand for the area was so overwhelming that additional private funds were secured to add the second Pomalift in 1964. A year later permanent compressors were purchased and the snow making capacity was increased by over 40%.

The 60's and 70's were years of great skiing at Oglebay. The record year of 106 days occurred in 1978. Over 20,000 skiers hit the slopes, many of them beginners. Many schools had Ski Clubs and on almost any day school buses brought numbers of youngsters to the slopes.

In 1981 a third Pomalift (for beginners) was installed. It was at this time, however, that skiing had reached its peak. Since the advent of snowmaking in 1963, Oglebay skiers had enjoyed an average of 55 days of skiing per year. A 45-day skiing season was considered to be the "break even" point for the operation. By the mid 80's a dramatic weather change had taken place and winters began to substantially moderate. By the late 1980's the average ski season had dropped to less than 40 days and from 1990 to 1997 skiing days had dropped to 22 per season.

The strain of the mild winters and the aging of the snowmaking equipment added to the costs and annual financial losses started to average about $40,000. At the completion of the 1997 season it was decided that skiing would be discontinued until such a time that sufficient funds could be raised to replace the aging, outdated, snowmaking system with a modern efficient system that could be operated under much milder conditions with much greater efficiency.

Let's Ski - 2005!

Driven by their childhood ski experiences at Oglebay, a local committee of volunteers helped to re-established skiing at Oglebay this winter. The volunteer committee raised nearly $250,000 in local pledges to help meet the $1.2 million goal to purchase and install the needed hardware and equipment to re-open skiing.

The committee wanted to provide to their children and youth of the community, a winter activity reminiscent of the ski experiences they had at Oglebay when they were children. While a significant portion of the funds have been raised, the committee still needs to raise $150,000.

In addition, fund raising is underway to support an endowment for maintenance, an endowment for local youth who may not otherwise be able to afford to use the slopes and improvements to include additional snow-making equipment, expansion of the ski surface area and enhancements to the ski lodge.

While donations of any amount are greatly appreciated, donors who pledge at least $3,000 will be displayed on an "Honor Roll" plaque in the ski lodge. Based on their level of commitment, contributors will be categorized as Green Circle, Blue Square, Black Diamond or Double Black Diamond donors.

Oglebay's Ski Donors