It was pulled by a 1936 Ford truck engine which, on occasion, was known The tow itself consisted of hemp rope close to an inch in diameter. On aīusy afternoon the line was quite long and would mean a wait of at least 15 Occasional runaway skier went crashing into the line. To the green enabled the skiers to form an arcing line at the slope's base whileĪwaiting a turn at the rope tow. Was fairly steep from the tee area to about 50 yards from the green, making the Theįirst hole was about 350 yards long - from tee to green. Will give a different picture as to what existed during those earlier years. Was the original course, but major revisions, including those on the first hole, A golf course currently exists on most of what The slope followed the contour of the first hole at the now defunct CommonwealthĬountry Club. Since this was soon after the Second World War, it was common to see military The clothes you wore were your everyday outerwear. If you were very fortunate, you had a simple ski boot (square toe) to go If you were moreįortunate, you had a coil type binder with an adjusting clasp on one side. Strap on each ski to slip your feet into. The width of the wooden ski wasĪbout five inches. The length of your ski was determined by your height plus the extension Skier in the forties used and the equipment that is available today. There is no comparison to the equipment the Have memories of below zero, windy times when making change required a talent Most evenings, this activity was routine, but I Session's first hour was to sell each person a ticket, much like the tickets you The line and then trudging a quarter of a mile to the top of the slope. Less prevalent than they are today, and many skiers would arrive after riding on The terminus and car barns of the Commonwealth Avenue (now the Green Line) TheĬommonwealth Country Club was located on the Newton - Boston line very close to (the 1940's) on the Country Club property, caddying during the Spring, SummerĪnd Fall, and working on the ski tow during the Winter. Will Hynes: My name is Will Hynes and spent most of my teen years Home my father said "The Newton Tow grossed more in 1 day than I did in a whole Only a few were riding the tow including 8 year old me. There was a large crowd of skiers mostly standing around. How my old ski tow is doing." So, we drove the fifteen miles from Swampscott to I distinctly remember my father saying "Let's see His weekday job was owning and operating a stone quarry With four children had enough of my father taking off every winter weekend to Of other nearby smaller areas, and changes at the golf course. Possible reasons include a lack of snow, growth The ski area lasted into the 1950's, but hadĬlosed by the end of the decade. Check out the ski report on the left, sent to NELSAP by Ski operated with packed powder conditions on a 6-8 inch base. Octodiscusses moving the tow and businessĭecemdiscusses a second tow and dividing up the Robert Lawton - click on each for the larger version: So forth at the time the rope was ready to be installed. Lawton would pay Cooke the cost of installation, towers, pulleys, and Season, Cooke was contracted out to build a new tow and operating building for Also, 3,735įive cent tickets were sold, for a total of $186.75. Known that 2,157 tickets, at $1.00 each, were sold at Commonwealth. Very beneficial to increasing operating hours and profit. Skiing was new, it was already well known at that time that night skiing was $100.00 to move the tow, so it assumed that another deal was stuck, and itĪppears that Cooke was able to receive 25% of one half of the profits.įloodlights from the Hoist were also sold for approximately $50.00. Cooke estimated that some seasons the Commonwealth towĬould operate 100 days, and others, just a few. Until the cost of moving the lift was paid. Operating and maintenance costs of the lift. Where he would move the lift without cost, with Lawton taking on all the Ride the lift per minute, for four hours a day, for fifty days a season, and atĪ charge of 5 cents per ride, could gross $2400.00. Lawton, Cooke estimated that 4 skiers could Robert Lawton at the NewtonĬommonwealth Golf Course to sell the lift in October of 1940. He did this as the hoist was not very profitable, and Thanks to Phil Cooke, who has relayed toĭecided to sell the lift. Operation was continuous, but research continues. We are not quite certain if it operated, closed, then reopened, or if the Course was the location of a small rope tow ski area in the 1940's and 1950's.
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