Passion and Community
Northwest legends born at Steven Pass
By Amber Bird
Before Highway 2, Tye Mill, Skyline and 7th Heaven, came Don Adams and Bruce Kehr. Adams and Kehr had a simple idea: to share their love of the mountains with the people of the Pacific Northwest. In 1937, they opened a single rope tow on Stevens Pass with nothing but a Forest Service permit, a Ford V8 and $600 in materials.
The people came, hiking in six miles from the west side and from the east side by bus — all to ski that single tow.
Later joined by friend and business partner John Caley, they pushed up Cowboy Mountain and into the hearts of a growing family of skiers from Leavenworth to Seattle, Wenatchee to Everett and beyond. From 47 rope tows to a handful of high-speed quads, they moved into Mill Valley, embracing snowboarding when it emerged in the ‘80s. And from Lou Whittaker to Jim Jack to Robbie Capell, Matt Goodwill to Monty Hayes to Kurt Jenson, Northwest legends were born upon its slopes.
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Stevens Pass has expanded and changed over the years, but the sense of community remains the same. Our special recipe of passion is what drives us; it’s what gives us a kind of magic that just can’t be found anywhere else.
We celebrate our history every time we step foot on the summit, and we are also preparing for the future, passing this haven of adventure and beauty onto the many generations to come.
