Using a vintage rope tow from the late ’60s and support from town and
local residents, the Kendall Mountain Recreation Center in Silverton is
alive and well. The center is one of the few places where a $7 fee ($4
for seniors and small children) still buys a day of skiing Friday thru
Sunday. Season passes are a whopping $60 and $40, respectively. On a
good day, the area sees nearly 100 people. In addition to the ski hill,
there’s an ice skating rink, access to miles and miles of groomed Nordic
skiing, snowshoeing trials and, of course, the Rec Center building,
which was completed in 2000. This past weekend, Silverton’s annual
Snowscape Winter Carnival brought people to Kendall Mountain from
all over the region. Thursday night kicked off the event with a bonfire
tribute to the snow gods. Several nights of dancing, snowball fights,
homemade soapbox races, and X/C and snowshoe races, to name a
few, were to follow. For many, the Kendall Mountain Recreation Center
makes winter in Silverton much more palatable.
The Rec center maintains a stretch of trail leading away from the ski area that is frequented by walkers, skiers and
snowshoers alike.
At the Snowscape Winter
Carnival, youngsters
turned out for the surfin'
snowboard competition.
The lift line wasn't supposed
to be the tricky
part.
Giving new meaning to snowshoeing, teams of two
competed in the blizzard-like horseshoe tournament.
Two contestants of this year’s cardboard derby,
almost fully intact, near the finish line.
Some consider it the best ski area in Silverton. Some consider it the only ski area in Silverton. At $7 for a lift
ticket, it's hard to beat.
Finding another use for the standard Silverton shovel,
Blair Clark of Silverton keeps perfect form.
Charlie Schmalz keeping an eye on the rope tow.
Some revelers
skipped the
drive home,
preferring to
glide the few
blocks to
shelter the
old-fashioned way.
