Amidst the usual weekend crowd of skiers and snowboarders at the Dartmouth Skiway, the creators and sponsors of the McLane Family Lodge gathered for a dedication and celebration of the new building.
The new lodge boasts seating for 400 people, a large new food court, restrooms that intend to eliminate long lines and a floor area four times as large as the old lodge.
The mention of the expanded restroom facilities got a big applause from skiers who remembered fondly the hassles of the old lodge.
The building of the lodge was made possible by the McLane family as well as many other alumni. Andy McLane '69, who graduated from Tuck in 1973, spoke for the family. He received a scholarship as a student and said he "now feels a duty to give something back to Dartmouth."
Sixteen members of the McLane family have gone to Dartmouth, and eight have been members of the ski team.
A member of the Board of Trustees in the 1930s, John McLane '07 fought to keep the Skiway open when the College was trying to close it. All five of the children of Judge McLane, who are now in their eighties, were present at the ceremony. A member of the family described the occasion as a "family party."
Dean of the College James Larimore opened the dedication with the comment, that as a Texan, he "never dreamed he would be praying for snow," but that the new lodge and Dartmouth's long skiing history changed his mind.
College President James Wright said, "For 44 years the lodge has been at the heart of skiing at Dartmouth."
"Skiing at Dartmouth is fiercely competitive and joyful," Wright said, adding that he believes it is an integral part of so many Dartmouth students' college experiences.
Wright also mentioned that Dartmouth had produced 95 All-American skiers and eight Olympic skiers. One of these Olympians, Doug Peterson '75, flew in to town from his home in Maui to be present at the dedication.
Emilie Fetscher '03, member of the ski team, thanked the McLane family on behalf of the ski team and the whole student body. She said that Dartmouth is looking forward to hosting its own ski festival this year. The rest of the ski team could not be present as they were competing at the Colby ski festival this weekend.
According to Donald Cutter, the manager of the Skiway, this season's revenues have already exceeded last year's. The next phase in the development of the Skiway, scheduled for next summer, is to improve the snowmaking facilities.
