Ad from 1969 Ski Atlas on teachski.com
http://teachski.com/books/nationalsurvey/pasharp.jpg
I learned to ski at Sharp Mountain in 1966. My first pair of skis was wooden, bought at Norm's Ski Shop on Market Street in Pottstown. I remember skiing with Steve Mensch and Bob Koch. I also remember the first girl to ever notice me was someone I met at Sharp Mountain. Her name was Lisa Paige and she was a member of a ski club from the Wilmington Delaware area. We all thought it was funny a ski club would actually plan a ski trip to Sharp Mountain. I also remember the Lipton Brothers, whom I would meet again when we worked together as Ski Instructors at Hahn Mountain. My family moved to Orwigsburg the same time Big Valley (later Hahn Mountain) opened and I switched loyalities at that time. It was closer and (only by a hair) bigger.
it is a shame
now the pottsville is being run into the ground so they could build condos on the beautiful mountain
This past week, I was skiing Okemo Mountain In Vermont and I went up the lift with an old timer. Somehow I found out he was orginally from Coaldale. I remembered a gentleman from Coaldale opened up a ski shop on West Market Street shortly after Sharp Mountain opened. I could not recall the gent's name, but the guy sharing the chair with me did. His name was Norm Richards. I bought my first (and second) pair of skies from Mr. Richards.
I worked at the ski school when the lodge first opened. I did appointments or something clerical as I don't ski.The owner of the Pottsville Pizzeria owned the school I think. It was so long ago, I had forgotten all about it.I quit to move to Texas. I was very disappointed to hear that they closed the lodge.
You are correct, Wendy. The owner of the Pottsville Pizzeria was the Ski School Director. His first name was Lou, but I cannot recall his last name. I think his wife was an instructor also.
My sister Lindy says that Lou's last name is Paparazzo.
I was told that the double chair was sold to Blue Mountain (then Little Gap) when they opened. Unfortunately a lot of the former ski area has been destroyed by mining over the years. A strip mine was dug between the top of the t-bar and the top of the double chair, and a road was put in to service mining operations which goes back and forth over the old lift lines and trails. It's a pretty active area having been mined extensively before and after the ski area was in operation. You can still find some of the footers for the chairlift and t-bar in the woods.
