March 7, 2022
By Jeff Shaw
I’ve been thinking about skiing a lot lately. Mainly because I’ve been doing quite a bit of it. As of today, my two sticks have carved turns 24 days, in six states, at 23 different ski areas across the northeast. Those sticks – more commonly known as skis – have literally been my ticket to ride this winter. But not on Cape Cod.
As you probably know, there are no ski areas on Cape Cod. Proximity to the coast, lack of elevation and geography are not good enough ingredients for an environment to produce and hold snow. To be sure, there are plenty of trails, golf courses and other open spaces that transform into cross country ski or snowshoe paths when the fluffy stuff drops. But for those of us ‘downhill diehards,’ a two-hour drive is needed to find the open slopes.
All of this skiing and snow fun made me wonder, was downhill skiing ever a thing on Cape Cod? I mean, the ski boom of the 1940s and 1950s couldn’t have completely missed Cape Cod, did it? Nor’easters rarely do. Someone must have cobbled together a make-shift rope tow on a small hill or even on their inclined backyard. Sadly, my “half-ass internet research,” a phrase coined by Bill Simmons of the Rewatchables Podcast, produced nothing. Nada. Zilch.
According to the New England Lost Ski Areas Project, Massachusetts has 172 lost ski areas — none of which are located on Cape Cod. The closest lost ski areas to the Cape Cod Canal are in Braintree (former Abell Ski Slope) and North Attleboro (former Sunrise Ski Slope) at 47 miles and 45 miles, respectively. In terms of terrain, Abell Ski Slope was, true to its name, one slope, with a 50-foot vertical drop, serviced by a 500-foot rope tow. Sunrise Ski Slope, also had one slope, with an approximately 140-foot vertical drop, serviced by a J bar.
This downhill dead end made me ponder potential ‘backcountry’ woods or hills that could support a rough and tumble downhill schuss. So, I typed “highest elevation on Cape Cod” into the online abyss that is the internet. The results were not encouraging. Though, there may be a super slim reason for optimism. First, let’s learn a little bit about the highest elevation on Cape Cod – Pine Hill in Bourne.
Let’s not bury the lead. Pine Hill cannot be skied. The hill is located on the grounds of the Camp Edwards portion of the Massachusetts Military Reservation. Access to it is restricted, not only because it is on a military facility but because it lies at the rear of an artillery range! Yeah, not a good place to carve some turns.
According to earlier reporting by Eric Williams of the Cape Cod Times, pre-COVID, the public can visit Pine Hill, but must arrange advance permission through the base’s Public Affairs Office (PAO). A PAO escort leads visitors over several miles of roads to a range station on a rise near the hill. I was unable to find the current visitor policy on the Massachusetts National Guard website, but you can call or email the Guard here.
Pine Hill, rising 304 feet above sea level, is the highest natural occurring elevation on Cape Cod. It is a vast wildnerness, thick with trees, bushes and brush with no view of the sea or valley below. Interestingly, just up the road on the same hill is Wheelock Hill, a man-made bump that measures 306 feet above sea level, just edging out Pine Hill. The area surrounding it is 15,000 acres of pitch pine oak forest with expansive views of the sea. Both locations are almost twice as tall as Scargo Hill in Dennis, sometimes thought to be the highest point on Cape Cod.
In terms of that earlier mentioned super slim reason for optimism. Other than the road near it, the Pine Hill area has remained mostly undeveloped. Avoiding man-made obstacles is a good start for any for any downhill skiing.
Further, in 1999, former governor Paul Cellucci tried to convert the area into a state conservation area, but dropped the plan after the military objected.
Perhaps a former 10th mountain division member can talk to the fine people who run Camp Edwards and create a mini-version of the famous Thunderbolt Ski Run at Mt Greylock in western Massachusetts. After all, the name of the highest elevation on Cape Cod is Wheelock. That coincidence must be a sign that downhill skiing on Cape Cod is “a lock” to happen (and admitted pipe dream of the author).
In the meantime, if you know of any hills that hosted downhill skiing or operated a rope tow (for sledding, tubing, etc.) on Cape Cod, please let me know!