Ausblick's History and Organization

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Ausblick ski area (which means “scenic view or overlook” or letters rearranged "A Ski Club") dates back to the early 1950’s. Reverend Raphael Hockhaus, S.J., a WWII combat Catholic chaplain, sought out a ski hill site for Marquette University’s Avalanche Club, which had been skiing at other area locations including Slinger and just west of Menomonee Falls. He drove around and found the site in early spring, 1950, days after the Avalanchers learned they were losing the hill they used in the Slinger area. "One look at that big thing towering up into the noon sun," he said, "and we knew that was what we wanted - even though we were almost two miles away when we saw it." It was part of the John & Myrtle Condon farm. A contract (copy in Dennis Evinrude’s file) shows that the university purchased the hill from John & Myrtle on November 1, 1950 for $5,000. The Condon's still own farm land south of our hill top (in their mid 80's as of January, 2002), leasing it out to other neighboring farmers.

 

Lots of trees had to be cleared to make the hill skiable.

 

While the boys used their talents and brawn to build the lodge, the girls used theirs to keep everyone nourished.

Work began in June, 1950, after arrangements were initially made to lease the property, clearing the rocks that beaded the long slopes. Rock clearing continued into the late fall. Crowbars, a portable tree saw, bulldozer, bucksaws, axes and trucks were donated by generous friends. A dynamiter gave the club dynamite to remove tree stumps, then loaned his services to blow them up.

1930-something Ford with V-8 engine, damaged in an accident, powered the rope tow. 

Note the extra wheel/tire mounted on the rear to allow the rope to ride in between. When a skier grabbed the rope, the man behind the wheel "gave it some gas" to get them up the hill.

 

View these and other pictures in better detail on our Pictures page.

After having a rope tow (powered by an old - '30's? - engine from a car one of the members wrecked) installed under the direction of Don Haas, a civil engineering student, Father Hockhaus scrounged materials to be used in construction of the original lodge, built under the direction of Jerry Wimmer, a student of Marquette’s College of Engineering. The club figured it was Divine Providence that led to the discovery of the hill so, in gratitude, christened the area “Maryhill” after the Virgin Mary. They planned to bring orphans and underprivileged children out to learn how to ski when Maryhill was completed.

Don and Mary Haas recall working all day along with others from Marquette, the girls making apple pies from nearby apple trees and the boys picking corn from a farmer’s field (Condon’s?) to go with the hamburgers they made on which to feast after the work was done. Father and Don would recite poetry. 

Some of the club members, in addition to those already mentioned, included then President Tony Dagelen, Ted Wahlen (Wauwatosa), Jackie Maloney (Green Bay), Catherine Duster (Cedar Rapids, IA), Jack Schumacher, Jim Lawton (West Allis), Mary Jane Towey (Rochester, NY), Paul Moynihan, Tom Grieb, Tom Kutchera. (Names taken from an October 26, 1950 Milwaukee Sentinel story by James T. M'Crory - "Ring Out Ahoya! Friends--Hard Work, A Ski Hill Is Born")

According to the Haas's, in the early days, students had to pay to ski but could work on the lodge or grounds to earn a ski ticket.

 In 1970, Marquette University realized that expensive upgrades were going to be necessary so reluctantly sold the hill to a private corporation, which expanded the lodge and added the first of many improvements, including snowmaking, grooming, and the first triple chair lift in Wisconsin. The deal was struck because Marquette needed land on which to expand the campus and the owner of that land, Kingston “Chip Swallow, Jr. was interested in running a "country club-style" hill. Betty Jo Azpell (formerly Berghammer), our longest-term ski patroller, and Len Anhalt, former ski patroller and past president, can relate some anecdotes about the early days (We may expand this history soon with some of those stories.). Chip Swallow and friend, fellow investor, John Buechel, were at Pabst Brewery's Ratzkeller pondering the name of the hill. They asked the bartender, Adi Binder, a German-born with a still heavy accent, what German word would equate to Buena Vista, a term they knew from some ski run names both in Europe and at some US resorts. Adi immediately answered, "Ausblick!" And, so our name was born.

 After three unsuccessful years of operation, the site was sold for $200,000 - $100,000 in loans from some members, who were soon paid off & $100,000 in (I will get details again from Dennis) - to Ready, Inc. Almost immediately, Ausblick, Inc. formed in 1973 as a non-stock, non-profit corporation. It struggled for quite a few years trying to convince area ski enthusiasts to join the club. In the mid-1980’s, its maximum limit of members according to by-laws, then 300, was reached. Since then, a growing ski race team brought the need to expand from Wednesday night, Friday night, Saturday and Sunday skiing to include Tuesday and Thursday nights. 

Two of the rope tows we had - one from the dogleg turn of the bunny run to the top and one on the east side of the race run – were not being used much, members favoring the triple chair, so were removed. The motor housing from one of them was salvaged to be used as our race run start shack. Destroyed  a few years later by an arson fire, it required a “work day” for Len Jakus, Pat Barney, Tom Blong and Jim Stein to build a more spacious replacement. Continued growth of the race program brought the need for the main run start shack and ramp as well as improved timing shacks at the bottom. In the late 1990's, we added the start shack at the top of the main run next to the upper lift shack to give the younger, budding racers the same experience as the older kids over on the race run. Then, in 2005, a new start ramp was built in part to relieve congestion at the unloading ramp and to allow the racers more room to line up and "stage" for their turn down the course.

 The original hill lighting system, state-of-the-art when installed, left us with some serious “dark” spots. We could not improve hill lighting for night skiing without replacing old with new. We made plans to do the $100,000+ project in three annual phases completed in 1992 or so (ask Dennis).

 Because our first lodge’s north wall was the property lot line, former president Len Jakus, at the urging of the Board in 1990 (?), negotiated to buy nine acres at a cost of about $50,000 from Dan Meissner, who had allowed our members to park their cars on his adjoining farm land in exchange for a family membership. This added land prompted your Board to look at how we could better utilize the added terrain for expanded ski runs. And, anticipating that Sussex to the east would annex land from the Town of Lisbon for property development, it became obvious that our “old” lodge would need significant improvements for us to retain our “conditional use” permit. Coupling that with the prospects of expanded ski terrain being able to handle more ski enthusiasts, we engaged in a long term plan that included replacing our original home, the source of MANY fond memories, with the current lodge.

 After many attempts to take a building plan to execution in the early 1990’s, the 1999 Board decided on a design by Dale Streitenberger. Membership response was generally favorable but many resisted, suggesting “the old lodge was just fine.” Construction finally started with excavation and footings poured in late 1999. State of Wisconsin approval was a formidable challenge, delaying the work more than once. Due to mild weather, completion just preceded our hill opening in December, 2001. So ended Phase One of our long-range plan.

After enjoying the accolades of our new edifice and casually discussing how we would fund further activity, your Board felt that we would tackle some of the necessary foundational work, focusing on those things that we could budget for year to year. So, work began on our Phase Two with site engineering to determine if we can relocate the top of our hill to the southwest corner of our property and increase the height by 15 or more feet. This would allow us to access all skiable terrain from a newly installed quad (four person) chairlift. Replacing the pond, increased in size at least once, with cooling towers would afford more direct access to the main and racing runs. Our placement of the new lift through woods to the west of the main run, originating near the front of the new lodge, would be complimented by pivoting the lone Bunny rope tow to follow our natural fall line in a southwest-northeast orientation. It would afford skiers/snowboarders and, especially, new learners a single fall line to negotiate, rather than the double fall line we've had for so many years.

  (as the story goes, more history details to follow ....)

Ausblick Ski Club’s purpose is to provide its members with the finest ski facility in the area at a reasonable cost and without congestion.

 Assets of the club include the hill, triple chair lift, snow making equipment, grooming equipment, cooling pond, lighting, chalet, garage, and other miscellaneous equipment.

 Ausblick strives to provide well-groomed conditions for the varied abilities and interests of its members.  Ski instruction, racing and freestyle, and snowboard programs are offered to help members improve their skiing capabilities.  Ausblick ski patrollers are part of the National Ski Patrol System.

 The social committee organizes events and parties that foster the camaraderie among members, which has built many old and new friendships. 

The nine member Board of Directors and through committees headed by board members, is responsible for the formulation and monitoring of: 

·         Policies  (Operations, guests, hill rental, etc.)

·         Programs  (Social, membership, racing, ski instruction, etc.)

·         Budgets (Expenses, cash flow, funds)

·         Longer Term Improvements (Needs, priorities, funding plans)

·         Board members term three years.  Three board members are elected at each annual meeting.  (Held in April).  The Board of Directors elects club officers.

Past Presidents of Ausblick

* denotes National Ski Patroller

# denotes spouse of National Ski Patroller