The Foster family figure prominently in this, but like any heroic story, behind the scenes is a mum.
History never pays its’ due to the women who, as we know, wield an influence that cannot be measured.
Mrs. Foster ran the Canteen and Chalet caring for kids abandoned by parents since 7 a.m. on a weekend morning. Later, the kids would make their own way home alone.
One cannot say Fosters Ski Hill without thinking of the old pommel lift, cold days, the old chalet and its big hot stove. Endless joy up and down the hill and if you were really good, schussing down the moguls like the boys in the Ski Club.
The Ski Swap at the Mall was a yearly ritual in which older kids traded their skis, boots and poles either up or down…recycling at its best.
Cross-country trails all through the forest surrounding the hills and events on a yearly basis have been a life long tradition for Midland kids.
Looking down from the crest we see the Chalet, which was moved here after years of service in Little Lake Park. It, in turn, being donated by Mr. Playfair to the Park Board. One good deed followed another and we still reap these gifts daily.
We also think of Fosters for strawberries in spring when we are heading for the beach or back. Don tills a lot of that land and raises gladiolas and corn in the fall.
Is the whole upper plateau a native encampment? It would make a good one.
The location of the old Ski Jump was at the south end of the hill at Sundowner Road.
We have Pete Pettersen to thank for that.
Midland was part of a worldwide ski-jumping fraternity. On the map and in the news. What a vision. It dovetailed with the Ski Hill. Guys like Ron Jeffreys, Budd Watson, Hans Eder, Louis Moser and others jumped hundreds of feet in the air.
Then Insurance Adjusters, that breed that speaks the language of risk, weighed in and that was it.
In winter, the hill is used by hundreds of skiers; walkers and nature lovers during the summer.
The whole stretch from Fosters to the Golf course, a place of refuge from the clang of a growing Midland.
René Hackstetter Dec.8, 2020.
