Teeple Hill in Highland Recreation Area overlooks Teeple Lake and seems to be a bit over 150 vertical feet from the lake to the top of the hill. According to the topo map, it is fairly steep in places. There are still cross country ski trails in the recreation area, (and some mountain bike trails that one reviewer termed “the trail from hell” ).
I found one reference that Teeple Hill had “about 200 feet of vertical and several rope tows. On Dec. 21, 1951, The Ludington Daily News snow report listed Teeple Hill with 3″ new snow on a 5″ base. Ten years later, on Feb. 10, 1961, The Ludington Daily News ski report listed Teeple Hill as having 2″ fresh snow on a 3″ base for poor ski conditions.
On Feb. 3, 1966, The Cass City Chronicle printed the AAA Guide to Winter Sports Fun in Michigan which said Teeple Hill had 4 slopes, 1 beginners slope and natural snow only. In the Jan. 4, 1968 issue of that paper, the AAA Michigan Winter Fun List says Teeple Hill in the Highland Rec. Area (operated for the public by the Pontiac Ski Club) was 12 mi. west of Pontiac on M-59. It had 4 slopes, one beginners slope 4 tows, and natural snow only. It operated only on weekends. The same paper on Dec. 30, 1976 printed the AAA 1977 Guide to Michigan’s 58 Ski Areas which listed Teeple Hill as having 3 ropes and 7 runs.
If anyone has any more information about Teeple Hill’s alpine ski history, please let me know. We are particularly interested in dates of operation, pictures, brochures, trail maps, and the like. See the “About MILSAP” page for directions to submit information.
Dec 31, 1957 Pontiac Ski Club at Temple (sic) Hill, Highland Rec Area
I have a Detroit News Sunday magazine dated January 27,1952. There are two pages devoted to Teeple Hill. My father, O.L. “Doc” Smith was one of the founding members of the Pontiac Ski Club that ran Teeple Hill. He and his buddy Roscoe Goddard were on the patrol there and stayed involved in the patrol and as ski instructors for 50 years after that. The facilities were donated by the Edsel Ford estate. In 1952 there were five rope tows in operations. Art Kollin was president of the club. The nickname of the club, which was emblazoned on the logo, was “on wings ‘o wood.” I first skied there at age 4. I will try to copy the magazine pages and forward them to you. The pictures are great!!
Look forward to seeing the magazine article about Teeple Hill. You probably know that Roscoe Goddard moved on to Mt. Holly when it opened in 1955 and was Patrol Director there from 1955 until 1960. I think I remember meeting him in 2005 at the ski patrol’s 50th anniversary banquet. He passed away in July, 2009 at the age of 93.
Doc moved with Roscoe to the Mt. Holly ski patrol. We often picked Roscoe up on the way to Mt. Holly. Doc went over to Mt. Christie when it opened and then reunited with Roscoe at Pine Knob when it opened. These two were true Michigan ski pioneers.
I sent the magazine article but am not sure it went through. Let me know and I’ll try again..
Teeple Hill was the first place I ever skied, besides out in the back 40 at home outside of Clarkston; it was probably 1955, I was maybe 5 yrs old. The whole family skied there a number of times. I can remember that it was a lot like cross country skiing in some places, folks slogging through the woods, skis in parallel tracks on the flatter trails but also on some of the narrow, gentlish down hill parts. I remember people (at least we did) would try towing a skier along on a rope behind the car on the snowpacked road in and out of the area. Doc Smith probably tended to my brother Rocky (lives in Clarkston) who got his jacket caught in the rope tow, went through the “safety gate”, and bounced off one of the wheels before the rope tow engine powered off. I was sent out to look for him and passed him on my way out of the lodge, or I thought it was him because I recognized his hat; he was bundled up on the patrol sled so I couldn’t see his face. Don’t know who stitched him up, Doc Smith, or my dad who was a MD. Geoff, what are you up to these days? Still in MI?