TONIGHT WE BEGIN OUR SERIES, "GONE BUT FOR THE FORGOTTEN"
WITH A TRIP DOWN THE SLOPES AT THE MOUNT TOM SKI AREA.
THIS LOCAL LANDMARK OPERATED FOR 35 YEARS IN HOLYOKE AND
INTRODUCED THOUSANDS TO THE SPORT OF ALPINE SKIING BEFORE
THEY CLOSED IN 1998.
PRODUCER DAVE FRASER SAT DOWN WITH VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL
MANAGER DAVE MOORE AND SOME OTHERS WITH FOND MEMORIES OF THE
ICONIC SKI AREA.
>> IT WAS ALMOST LIKE AN ACCIDENT BUT WE TOOK CREDIT FOR
IT, IT WAS A NOBODY RODE THE BENCH SPORT.
I TOOK CREDIT FOR INVENTING IT BUT IT IS NOT AT ALL TRUE.
IT JUST HAPPENED.
WHAT REALLY DID IT FOR ME WAS THE WINTER OLYMPICS.
THE 60 OLYMPICS, WHICH WERE IN SQUAW VALLEY, AND A COUPLE KIDS
FROM THE U.S. DID REALLY WELL SKIING.
BILLY KID.
GENE SEEBERG, AND KID WAS FROM STAHL AND EVERY KID WHO CAME TO
MOUNT TOM IN THOSE DAYS, AND I AM ONE OF THEM, WE WERE SKIING
DOWN THAT HILL, WE WERE SQUAW VALLEY, YOU KNOW.
AND I TOLD PEOPLE, I WAS LUCKY I GOT TO SKI EVERYWHERE AND I
WOULD SAY MY TWO IT WAS JUST BIG
AND WIDE AND FUN.
I CAME ON BECAUSE I GOT A JOB AT ONE OF THE FIRST WINTERS I
WORKED THERE, AS A TICKET SELLER, OKAY, SO HAPPY TO BE
THERE, AND I HAD BEEN AWAY SINCE HIGH SCHOOL, AND IT WAS JUST A
FIT.
I JUST LOVED IT, AND I COULDN'T WORK HARD ENOUGH, AND MAYBE TWO
OR THREE YEARS LATER, I WAS RUNNING IT.
>> IT WAS IN 1979, AND CONTINUED TEACHING UP TO THE DAY OF
CLOSING WHICH WAS IN 1998 I BELIEVE.
THAT'S WHEN THEY CLOSED.
WE TAUGHT THERE, AND MY WIFE, MY WIFE THERE, MANY YEARS AGO WE
MET THERE, THE BEST PLACE TO BE PART OF.
>> THAT WAS MY FIRST RIDE ON A CHAIR LIFT, AT MOUNT TOM IN THE
MID 1960s.
THAT'S WHERE EVERYBODY WENT.
THAT LINE OF LIGHTS IN THE DISTANCE FROM SOUTHERN NEW
ENGLAND THAT WAS A BEACON TO SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND FOR PEOPLE
THAT WANTED TO DO SOMETHING.
FIRST TIME I HAD SEEN SNOW-MAKING, WHICH WAS ANOTHER
UNBELIEVABLE THING TO ME.
THEY MAKE SNOW HERE?
COOL.
I WANT TO SEE THAT HAPPEN.
>> WHEN I FIRST GOT THERE BETWEEN 2:30 IN THE AFTERNOON
AND 6:00 AT NIGHT, THE PLACE WAS EMPTY.
THEY HAD BEEN A COUNTRY CLUB UNTIL 2:00 AND THEN AT NIGHT IT
WAS A BUSY PLACE, WE WEEKDAYS SE HAD THIS TIME AND THE LIFTS ARE
TURNING AND WE MADE THE SNOW AND WE GROOMED THE SNOW, AND OUT WE
GO INTO THE SCHOOLS, AND I TAKE A LOT OF CREDIT FOR IT, BUT IT
WAS REALLY THE TEACHERS OR THE ADMINISTRATORS AT THE PARTICULAR
SCHOOLS, THAT TRUST US, AND WE JUST TAUGHT THEM HOW TO SKI BUT
A LOT OF THEM HOW.
>> BUSES WOULD ROLL UP, THERE WOULD BE 200, 300 KIDS GETTING
OFF THE BUSES AT ONE TIME, AND THEY WOULD GET BROKEN UP INTO
GROUPS, BY SCHOOL AND ABILITY.
SO WE WOULD HAVE 10, 15, 20 GROUPS OF 20 KIDS ALL OVER THE
MOUNTAIN.
>> IT WAS FAMILIES AND IT WAS A GREAT PLACE TO GATHER AND REC
REBECCA WITH PEOPLE THAT WERE YOUR NEIGHBORS AND PEOPLE YOU
DID NOT KNOW.
IT WAS A GREAT PLACE TO GO, AND JUST SKI AND HAVE A GREAT TIME.
>> PEOPLE WOULD COME IN AND PICK UP THEIR KIDS OR WHATEVER IT
WAS.
FIVE, SIX, SEVEN YEARS OLD.
LEAVE THEM THERE FOR THE DAY OR THE NIGHT.
WE'RE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT HERE.
>> WE WERE THE FIRST PEOPLE THAT HAD THE GROOCHI FAMILY THE
FIREWORKS FAMILY, AND THEY WERE SHOOTING OFF FIREWORKS AT THE
TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN, AND THE FIRST TIME THAT WE WERE SUPPOSED
TO DO IT, IT SNOWED LIKE CRAZY.
WE WERE WAITING FOR THE SNOW ALL WINTER, AND IT SNOWED WHEN THEY
WERE UP ON THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN.
ALWAYS WHITE DAY AND NIGHT, THE MOUNTAIN IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD.
WE HAD A MILLION OF THEM.
EVERYONE WHO IS EVER GOING TO WATCH THIS IS GOING TO SAY IT'S
RAINING OUT AND HE'S GOING TO SAY, COME ON UP.
IT'S A REALLY NICE DAY FOR SKIING.
SAY THOUGHT IT WAS VITAL THAT I BE OUT AND PEOPLE KNOW THAT
SOMEBODY REALLY WHO I AM GOING TO SEE THERE IS GOING TO BE
THERE, AND TELLING ME THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE GOOD AND GOOD
NOW.
>> THE SKI AREA CLOSED IN 1998.
AND THERE HAD BEEN A LOT OF FACTORS LEADING UP TO IT.
MOSTLY ECONOMIC.
PEOPLE TALK ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME.
THE PLACE REALLY WAS MEANINGFUL.
I FEEL FABULOUS ABOUT IT, LIKE IT WAS SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF.
AND I WISH THAT IT WERE STILL THERE.