1950 - 1959

The Cincinnati Ski Club was founded by three guys; Bob Pugh, Dick Duble and Mike Fremont (see his video above) in 1950. Their idea was to start a club so they could economize on travel, gear and accommodations and maybe meet some athletic desirables of the opposite sex, as well as have a critical mass for outings (in those days it was mostly Boyne Mountain). And so it went. Names from the past membership in the earliest days include Art Grogg, Gerry McDermott, Herb Cragin, Susie Jackson, Bill Portman, Betty Randolph. Trips consisted of carpool road trips to Boyne (12 hours because there were no interstate highways then) and even a carpool trip to Sun Valley ID.

1960 - 1969

What happened?

1970 - 1979

The 70’s saw a big increase in membership and trip variety somewhat due to the popularity of skiing overall and supported by better and safer equipment. The club began running water ski trips in the summer at Lake Cumberland which were very popular. Trip leader Tom Cone recounts one houseboat trip he led to Lake Cumberland that had one of the participants in jail for mooning on the dock before he had even arrived to lead the trip. It was a crazy decade where it seemed the goal was always to push the envelope with stunts like delta wing kites, 600’ rope on a waterskier, riding plywood discs with a ladder on top. The underlying goal was always to impress those of the opposite sex and it worked well.

1980 - 1989

The 80’s saw the club continue to grow and evolve into a “all sports club” with volleyball, golf and more and bigger Western ski and summer houseboat trips. The 4th of July trip was billed as “The Jimmy Buffett Drunk Cumberland Cruise” and ran with as many as 5 houseboats which were outfitted with portable generators and blenders and all the beer and margaritas you could drink. Winter trips were bigger too; sometimes 80-100 participants. Three greyhound busses on the Blue Mountain trip was the standard. Trip leaders whose trip ran out of alcohol were banned from leading any more trips. Ski racing grew amongst the membership as a fun way to challenge yourself on the little local hill at Perfect North Slopes which had yet to put in it’s first chair lift and the J-bar lifts only went to the bottom of what is now “Center Stage”. Many members today can trace nearly their entire circle of friends to people they have met through club activities because it has always been apparent that CSC members know how to have fun. Most trips of the 80’s were remembered or famous because of the amount of alcohol consumed. On one trip to Snowshoe the CSC members were drinking with a rowdy band of Fukawee Ski Club members from DC who the next morning were proclaiming that the CSC was the only club to ever out drunk them. Theme trips like the Pajama Party and Hawaiian Luau Houseboat trips and Laurel Lake trips were very popular. In the early 80’s the Club began it’s long association with Special Olympics by supplying dedicated volunteers to ski with the athletes. This great association continues today.

1990 - 1999

The 90’s saw the beginning of reason and restraint as club liability for supplying alcohol on trips began to limit or eliminate alcohol themed trips. The membership began to grow older and wiser and a shift was happening to concentrate more on the sports and less on the party. There were many new variations of our sports with the introduction of parabolic skiis, snowboards, wakeboards, air chair, wake skate and surfing and so there was a lot to learn. Boating became hugely popular with the membership and the “home” lake was moved to Norris Lake in search of smoother ski water. The economy was good and trips continued to thrive and focus more on great skiing.

2000 - 2009

The current decade sees the club continuing to do well and provide quality trips to the greatest destinations. As the mean age of membership continues to climb the club is evolving to bring in more younger members and offer activities that will be of interest to gen X and Y.