DCSki Lost Ski Areas Archive

Area near Almshouse

Cockeysville, Maryland

Historical profile · Updated February 25, 2007 · 1 reader comment

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The story in brief

Near the former County Home for the Aged in Cockeysville, Maryland, a county-operated rope tow served a small hillside skiing area during the 1960s and possibly remained in place into the 1970s. The profile preserves only a brief recollection, but reader memories suggest this may be the same site sometimes called the county area or associated with the Almshouse. Located on the east side of a hill, it had a small pond at the base and operated only after a snowfall.

Though modest, the area was reportedly popular and offered an informal introduction to skiing for local residents. One skier learned there in the early 1960s, alongside visitors using equipment that ranged from wooden skis and bear-trap bindings to newer metal-composite skis and step-in bindings. A break in the slope on the skier's left could be used as a small jump, adding to the area's character. Remnants of the rope tow were recalled during the 1970s, but no visible evidence of the ski area remains today.

Generated from DCSki's historical profile and reader-contributed memories.

Richard Hays remembers seeing a rope tow in Cockeysville, Maryland during the 1970s:

“Another county park that used to have a rope tow lift was at the Almshouse in Cockeysville, Maryland. Remnants of the lift were still in place during the 70’s if I recall correctly. Nothing remotely hinting at it is evident today.”

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Area at Eden Mill Harford County, MD An unnamed, natural-snow ski area at Eden Mill in Harford County featured a rope tow, a gentle beginner slope, and two steep drops descending toward the parking lot. By 2007, the former ski hill had become parkland, with lift remnants and slopes largely overtaken by meadow and forest. Area in Butler Butler, MD Believed to have operated on or near Black Rock YMCA property north of Oregon Ridge in Butler, Maryland, this small rope-tow hill served local skiers in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Its cow-pasture slope and reliance on natural snow reflected the informal character of neighborhood skiing. Areas in Garrett County, including Crook's Nest, Sweeney's Hill, and Marsh Hill. Near McHenry, MD Garrett County’s early ski scene near McHenry grew from improvised slopes such as Crook’s Crest and Sweeney’s Hill to a lighted, 1,000-foot rope tow on Hoop Hole Ridge. Development on Marsh Mountain eventually led to Wisp Resort, preserving the area’s long connection to skiing. 1 reader comment Braddock Heights Ski Way Braddock Heights, MD Located west of Frederick, Maryland, Braddock Heights Ski Way was a compact local hill with a T-bar, rope tow, and several short trails. Though small and snow-dependent, it introduced generations to skiing; later visitors found lift machinery, cables, and sheds still scattered through the overgrown site. 35 reader comments

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Reader Comments

July 5, 2007

The area you refer to as the "almshouse" may be the same as the area I refer to as the "county area"; see my comments under Oregon Ridge. I have not lived in the area for over 40 years , so I am not familiar with the current local nomenclature. If it is what I think it is, it is the same building we used to call the "County Home for the Aged". Regardless, as I said in my Oregon Ridge post, there was a rope tow there in the 1960's and it was run by the County. It was on the east side of a hill and it had a small pond at the base. I remember skiing there several times during the early 1960's. It was only open after a snowfall and it was quite popular. It was always interesting to look at the Equipment on display. You would see everything from the wood skis and "beartrap bindings " of the 1940's to the then-latest metal composite skis and step-in bindings. There was a small area to the left (facing downhill) where you could turn the break-in -slope into a small ski jump. Since this is the area where I learned to ski I'm interested in getting it right in the historical record.

Snowcat got your tongue?

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