Today, Leavenworth, Washington is famous for being a charming Bavarian-style village nestled in the Cascade Mountains, where millions of visitors come year-round to enjoy the authentic European experience and plethora of outdoor activities. But the town’s newly found fame decades ago had a humble start, and it can be argued that wintertime recreation was the main draw that helped drive Leavenworth’s success.
Leavenworth's winter sports history began as early as the 1900s when the area became known for its abundant snowfall and winter alpine landscapes. In 1928, the Leavenworth Winter Sports Club was formed with a focus on Nordic Ski Jumping. In the 1930s, nordic ski trails were added and by the 1940s, international ski jumping competitions were hosted on the “Big Hill” as it was called at the time, adding alpine skiing for visitors to enjoy. This wonderful facility, now referred to as the Ski Hill by locals, still operates today and includes an extensive network of nordic skiing and snowshoe trails, as well as snow tubing and downhill skiing serviced by two rope tows.
Throughout those early days of winter recreation, the local ponds and flooded parks were often frozen enough to support ice skating for locals and the growing number of wintertime visitors. Popular spots to skate included Fish hatchery, small spurs along the Wenatchee, downtown, now Lions Club Park was flooded. These freezing events are less common today although when they do happen, many locals “in the know” will head out and skate or play hockey when conditions are just right.
The fact that winter sports were thriving in town would lead one to think the 1930s to 1950s were a booming time. Unfortunately it was quite the opposite, and wintertime recreation was one of the few bright spots. Leavenworth basically faced a “perfect storm” of bad events starting with the railroad being rerouted away from town in the 1920s. This led to the collapse of the local logging industry, which was followed by the Great Depression and then World War II. Little hope was left for the survival of the town.
Leavenworth’s outdoor ice rink, a new hub for winter memories.
