WINTER SPORTS 127 



of this beautifully graded highway with its wide spaces for turn-off and 

 for parking, has brought untold pleasure to many thousands of persons. 



Downhill Trails . . . Skiing is the main sport at Timberline Lodge. 

 Ski-crowd facilities cost something, too. There must be a diversity of facilities 

 to meet varying degrees of skill and interest. Pioneer skiers were able to 

 take things as they found them, in the main. They used logging roads 

 for downhill runs, and tote roads, horse trails, or hiking trails for cross- 

 country travel. In the East, carriage roads leading to popular summits 

 and horse trails constructed to haul material to fire lookouts provided 

 challenging grades and turns. In the West, naturally open slopes, both 

 above and below tree line, and areas selectively logged furnished suitable 

 terrain. 



This remains true, of course, of the mountain slopes in many parts of 

 the West, and artificial improvements there are generally unnecessary. 

 On the densely forested slopes of the Northeast ski-trail construction and 

 maintenance is more necessary, expensive, and difficult. 



Ski trails must be carefully planned and developed, with many things 

 considered — logical termini, exposure to wind and sun, the risk of ac- 

 celerating soil erosion. Beyond that, one must consider the trails; do they 

 deface the mountain? And beyond that are questions about bridges, warm- 

 ing shelters, and considerations of sport and safety. What should be the 

 maximum, minimum, and prevailing grade, the frequency and degree of 

 turns on trails, and the total length? Here are problems that have to be solved 

 on no fixed scale, for a novice trail after heavy use and fluctuating tempera- 

 ture may become difficult to the intermediate skier, and heavy snows may 

 make an expert trail safe even for ,beginners. 



Trails "stiff" enough to excite and satisfy the average skier most of the 

 time, and yet not to break too many bones of beginners — that is the only 

 possible formula, admittedly inexact, very largely a matter of personal 

 judgment or opinion. Laying out ski trails, foresters generally temper the 

 run with constant thought of the novice. There are so many novices and that 

 number, happily, is increasing all the time. 



Cross-country skiing is becoming more popular. Each year there are more 



