Summers at Pink Panther

When I was a kid, I remember wondering what the ski hill looked like in the summer since all my visits were for skiing.  I remember two of my grade school friends cooking up a plan to take their bikes out there and check it out.  It sounded like fun, but I'm not sure if that ever happened.  If it did, I did not go along.

So when Mark Cain sent me a couple pictures of the A-Frame from the Summer of 79, I asked him what summers were like at Pink Panther.  Here is his answer:

"Summers at the ski hill were awesome as kids.  We camped a LOT, all over the place, but mostly back on the trails or down in the valley.  Yes, the Rathskeller had bands at night but during the day we would spend a lot of time getting ready for ski season.  We would also hang out with members of the bands.

"We’d paint the t-bar towers, replace broken t-bars, replace the ropes, build the bar in the A-frame, build the fireplace in the Rathskeller, cut and chop firewood, fix the snow cat (which always needed fixing).  The “Tucker” was what we called it anyway.  My Dad and Uncle always had some new plan going on and my brother Jeff & I were always happy to help.

"That summer in 1979, Jeff (Mark's brother) and I lived in the A-frame.  Those were happy times!!"

I also asked Mark about the tower connecting the two buildings.

"I remember helping my Dad and Uncle build the tower.  I particularly remember cutting the hole into the side of the A frame to add a door.  I also sort of remember hanging a big bell up there, but that’s a bit fuzzy."

Stories from the Inside (from 2012)

In 2011-12, I exchanged some e-mails with Mark and Jeff Cain, sons of one of the owners, Roy Cain.  In early 2012, I found out Mark's son was racing at Ausblick, a little ski hill near my house.  We had exchanged a few e-mails so I stopped by to meet him as well.  He shared some great stories about growing up at Pink Panther with me.  This is the summary of those stories that I wrote in 2012 and put on the old PP web page.

His Impressions after First Seeing the 2006 Photos:  "It was strange to see how many of the old structures are still there. I helped shingle the A-Frame when I was really young. My dad paid me in matchbox cars. The A-Frame was the original ski lodge until it proved too small. That’s when the “Rathskeller” was built. We were very much a family business, so I had a hand in building all of those structures. I also spent many hours as a “lifty” in those tow shacks and of course countless additional hours on those slopes in summer and winter."

Clearing up the Mystery of the Pond between the Bunny Hill and T-Bar in the 2006 Photos:  "The river at the bottom of the Bunny Hill used to run through a culvert so you would not have noticed it, especially in the winter. It was also damned up in the area between the bottom of the headwall and the bottom of the bunny hill to create a pond for snow making, so it wasn’t nearly as wide."

The Rope Tows:  I had shared a remembrance of the cords that were supposed to stop them if a skier got caught.  I was never sure if they would perform as advertised, but Mark assured me they were on top if it.  "That cord was connected to a solenoid that released the brakes if the cord was tripped. I tripped it many times. We used to do it on purpose at the start of each day to test it and at the end of the day to shut everything down. We also used to keep a ladder and a big pair of scissors in each tow shack to cut scarves & mittens, and yes even long hair to free skiers who frequently somehow got caught in the rope. I remember having to untangle one girl’s hair because she refused to let me cut it! She was literally hanging by her hair because on slushy days the rope didn’t stop as quickly. A couple of skiers held her up while I untangled her while standing on the ladder."

On Injuries:  "We also got pretty good at splinting broken legs and arms. In the old days of crappy bindings we averaged about a break a week. In fact we would need to run over to Bellin and St. Vincent’s to pick up our splints when we ran low."

The T-Bar:  "The T-Bar was from somewhere in Colorado. My dad and uncle somehow borrowed a semi and trucked it back to Wisconsin.  I made the T’s in the wood shop at East DePere High, and my brother and I spent a good part of the summer painting all of the I-beams."

The Fourth Run:  "In looking at your map, you may be interested to know that there used to be a run that went from the top of the bunny hill to the bottom of the headwall. It was in many ways steeper than the headwall, and there wasn’t a lot of room to stop before landing in the creek. The biggest problem was that it faced south and it was tough to keep snow on it. Once the t-bar was finished that run was abandoned (except by the occasional daredevil)."

The Terrain:  I asked Mark if the hill was built on natural terrain or if they had to move a lot of dirt.  "The natural terrain was a valley with a small creek running through it. The bunny hill and the T-bar run were cut lengthwise on opposing sides of the valley. The headwall was naturally occurring for the most part, as were the 'trails'."

Here's my favorite:  "Have I told you about the night I fell asleep making snow and the rest of the season there was a huge mound on the headwall?"  I think I do remember one year when there was a big mound on one side of the headwall!

Winter Carnival:  This one is from Eric Smet, a family friend of the Cain's, whose father, Ron helped design and build some of the structures at the hill.  "They used to have a winter carnival in the early years once a season. Everyone dressed in costume. Don & Roy would hide florescent painted balls out on the hill to find like a Easter egg hunt. You would bring them in and redeem for trinkets and prizes. They had a caricature artist from the St. Norbert Abbey, a priest I believe, that would sketch you in pastels. Very colorful, very wonderful."

Lots of Details in One Picture (from Mark Cain)

The picture below was included in a gallery of pictures sent to me by Heidi Cain (daughter of owner Don Cain) a few years ago.  When I showed it to Mark Cain (son of owner Roy Cain), he sent me a few notes about what he saw there.  Quite a few details from a small picture from over forty years ago.

From a July 6, 2018 e-mail to Eric Elfner from Mark Cain:

"I really enjoyed the picture of the slalom course.  As you know, both of my boys raced in high school.  What a difference!  First, they wouldn’t even be allowed in the course without a helmet.  Second, now they aim for the gates.  Those old gates were bamboo poles.  Not only did they hurt if you hit them, but the next kid would be mad because it would probably fall over or break and he would have to wait for you to climb up and fix it.

"That picture was from the heyday!  A few things to note.  First, the rope tow track is down to the mud, so that lift is not running (probably from the sun shining on it).  We used to call that run the “intermediate” run.  Second, note that there is a second rope tow on the Headwall, skier’s left.  That wasn’t there for very long, but really helped when it was crowded.  Third, note the extra run that cut over from the top of the intermediate run, skiers right.  It ran from there to the bottom of the Bunny Hill.  At that time, you could ride either side of the Bunny Hill rope tow, and many of us got pretty good at switching from side to side on the way up the hill."


That is good stuff from Mark.  I never knew about the second tow on the Headwall or the South facing run from the top of the Bunny until I met him a couple years ago.  I also note in this photo that things seem very well in order with the snow fence keeping the Bunny HIll skiers on the Bunny and routing the skiers either down to the headwall or around and back to the bunny.

1960s/70s Photos from Heidi Cain - On the Hill

I've had some great photos sent to me by Heidi Cain, daughter of Pink Panther owner, Don Cain, for some time now.  I wanted to move the Pink Panther Ski Area page to a more modern site before I added them, so here they are now.

These color shots give a great overview of the terrain that was Pink Panther.  23 acres and 150' vertical, but a lot of fun for the youth of Green Bay.  Lots of us learned to ski at the Press Gazette Ski School pictured.  Click the link below the picture for the entire gallery.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/pLEEHKyZ9Jo6Byhw8

I'm putting the photos in google photo galleries and creating a shared link.  When you get into the photos, make sure the little "i" in the upper right corner is turned on so you see my description on the right.  You should be able to post comments if you like.  I always love to hear what people recognize or get new photos or other artifacts we can share here.

I created a Photo Gallery page at the right where I will keep all these links as well.

1960s/70s Photos from Heidi Cain - In the A-Frame

I've had some great photos sent to me by Heidi Cain, daughter of Pink Panther owner, Don Cain, for some time now.  I wanted to move the Pink Panther Ski Area page to a more modern site before I added them, so here they are now.

This looks to be a party or Carnival Day in the late 60s or early 70s.  There are balloons, a band and an artist with all the people in the A-Frame Chalet, and Bart and Cherry Starr stopped by for a visit.  Click the link below the picture for the entire gallery.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/As5QNDxNBAr649LQ8

I'm putting the photos in google photo galleries and creating a shared link.  When you get into the photos, make sure the little "i" in the upper right corner is turned on so you see my description on the right.  You should be able to post comments if you like.  I always love to hear what people recognize or get new photos or other artifacts we can share here.

I created a Photo Gallery page at the right where I will keep all these links as well.

Welcome to the Pink Panther Ski Area!

Welcome to the Pink Panther Ski Area!

Pink Panther was a little ski area in DePere, WI that operated from the late 60s into the early 80s.  In 2006, I visited the site, took some pictures and made a little html web page to show them to friends.

A few other people found the page and sent me stories and pictures, so I added those.  I met Mark Cain, son of owner Roy Cain, and he gave me some more history, so I added that.

Now in 2018, it's been pretty static for a few years.  The link to the old page is to the right.  Heidi Cain, daughter of owner Don Cain, sent me some pictures and I ran across a few others in the Abbot Pennings High School Archives.  Plus it looks like a late 90s/early 00s web page, so it is time for an update.

This blogspot is a work in progress.  Hopefully I'll roll it out just before the 2018-19 ski season this fall.  Stay tuned!