SMALL SKI AREAS_>>
it is time to let him get on with his day. The lodge is still exactly how it appears in my childhood memories, the large A-frame to the east and the long two-sto- ry addition jutting abruptly to the west, with a deck all along the front edge. Pic- nic tables are omnipresent. I’ve been swimming all day in mem- ories of this magical place, but Mike has a memory to share with me, too, before I go. “I have a memory of George I want- ed to tell you,” he says. (He remembers my grandfather’s name?) “When George turned 70 and got his free senior pass, he used to come into my office with the cash that it would cost for a regular season pass. He would ask me to distribute it to the lifties as I saw fit, anonymously. He did this every year until he passed. There were years it made all the difference to some of those employees. “It inspired me to be good, make the right decisions. Be helpful. To keep going, because he, and so many others,
The Knefley family, who acquired Ski Sawmill in 2001, in the early days.
cared so deeply for this place.
Ski Sawmill, and all the small hills like it around the country, aren’t just important to manufacture lifelong mem- ories and churn out new skiers and rid- ers. With every lap of the T-bar, every grandmother’s PB&J, every laugh, and every run shared with a loved one, the soul of our sport thrives and permeates our families, friends, and colleagues. And that makes what we all do special.
“He reminded me it was bigger than just me and my business. He wanted to show a small gesture of success, and I’ll never forget it.” I never knew this. My grandfather’s passion for the resort and for the sport, and how much we all desire to see it suc- ceed and thrive, leaves me speechless, holding back tears.
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