Mount Horeb was once host to
a world class ski jump facility
by Raymond L. Guenveur, O. O.
When one thinks of winter in Wisconsin, one thinks of snow which may bring to mind the sport of skiing, and looking forward to the first snow fall.While the number of cross-country skiers is increasing each year, and the down-hill group is certainly not getting any smaller, there are those who get their pleasure from jumping. They would have loved living in Mt. Horeb between 1914 and 1920.
In 1914, a ski jump was built in Mt. Horeb at Stewart Lake Park at the foot of Lake St. The tower and the slide was erected a the entrance to the park whre the upper shelter is presently located. The landing area was the the bottom of the hill where Stewart Lake and its environs are located. There is no record of the dimensions of the slide, nor the length nor breadth of the landing area. However, at the time, it was recognized as one of the finer jumps in the country. This, despite the fact that the landing area was a bit short for the height of the slide.
Several meets were held each season, attracting many of the worldís finest jumpers. One of the participants was Ragnar Ontvedt of Norway, the world champion at the time. Others participating were Anders Haugen, Anders Olson, C. Landvich, E. Landvich, Lars Haugen, and Sigrud Hanson, all of Chicago, Axil Hendrickson of Blair, Wisconsin, and David Lind, Barney Reilly, Einar Lund, Ole Gunderson, all of Mt. Horeb.
All of those events were well attended as is obvious from one of the photos accompanying this article. Special trains brought large crowds of spectators from Madison.
Somewhere between 1918 and 1920, Axil Hendrickson was seriously injured following one of his jumps. His right leg was subsequently amputated. Hendrickson's accident, combined with the realization that the landing area was too short for the height of the slide, caused the Mt. Horeb ski jump to be dismantled in 1920. It was erected in Madison on the propert of the University of Wisconsin.
The Mt. Horeb area began to look forward to its next ski facility in 1948, planned by Dr. Swerre Quisling of the Quisling Clinic in Madison. Quisling purchased property in Blue Mounds near the entrance to Blue Mounds Park, and called it Pleasure Valley. He announced big plans to open a ski resort there. Quisling had two jumps built, and a small building where skiers could warm up and get something to eat. Soon the Pleasure Valley Ski club formed, including Dr. Quisling. However, Quisling did not follow through with his plans, and after a few years, the property was no longer in use. The main jump was dismantled and is now located at the Blackhawk ski area in Madison. Quisling, now 100 years old, lives in Minnesota.
In 1958, Sanford Stevenson of Chicago moved to the area and bought the farm on which Sutter's Ridge was located on Little Norway Road. He purchased snow-making equipment, and opened four runs ranging in length from 1000 feet to 1700 feet, including a 300 foot verticle drop. He added a 1200 foot T-bar and opened for business in January of 1959, as Norway Basin. He reported that the barn on the property was used as a lodge while still half full of hay.
In 1963 the name of the facility was changed to Tyrol Basin after a recommendation by Professor Asher Hobson who owned Little Norway. Hobson thougth the public might confuse the two names. Stevenson disposed of the property in 1976. The present owners purchased the property in 1986. It is a group headed by former Dane County Executive, Johnathan Barry. The manager is Donald McKay. It is one of the finer ski facilities you will find anywhere.
Thanks to Shirley and Sam Martin, and Sanford Stevenson contributed information for this article.