History

Desert Alpine Club was founded in 1962

Desert Alpine Club Lodge. 1967.

by people with a passion for jolly good snow times and who were not afraid to get their hands dirty in the process. Here is a photo of the original lodge in 1967, before the wet entry and bunkroom extensions were done.

The best way to get a feel for the history of our club is through stories from people who lived through it, here are a few words submitted by one of the original members:

“Attached some old photos of DAC. One shows pouring the foundations for the wet entry. The first photo shows getting the trenches all ready, then the first barrow load of concrete going in, then it snowed and it snowed and it snowed !!! We got it all done in one day but we had all the fires and stoves going flat out all day boiling water to melt the snow in the trenches so we could pour the concrete in. Hot water was the only way you could get the snow out of the steel reinforcing cage in the trench. This was on March 17th 1980. We just used the local scoria and cement for the concrete, nothing else. These photos show the “Do it yourself” pioneering spirit on which the whole of DAC was built. We never just “Paid our money and went skiing” and the satisfaction of helping to build the place is something that stays with you all your life. This is what you should try and emphasize on your web site that the camaraderie and fellowship of helping to build and run the place is far more lasting and enjoyable for the whole family, particularly the kids, than just paying the money and having everything done for you…”

DA’s first truck known as “Miss Maidenform” 1967

“…The truck photo is also 1967 and is the first truck the club owned, an old GM with a machine gun hatch in the roof of the cab. This was in the days before bulldozers to clear the road and before everybody owned a 4WD. The truck stayed at the half way car park and everyone met there at a given time and went up in the truck with lots of shovels on board to dig through the deep snow drifts and sometimes you just had to walk so you never took any more stuff than what you could carry on your back. Bit of a contrast from today when everyone arrives with a whole wagon load of all the home comforts.”

Thank you Brian! We’ll never be able to match the effort, as you fellas and ladies did all the hard yaka, but we’ll certainly do our best to keep the legacy going and pass it on to the next generation!

If you want to find out more about history of our club you would just have to come and hang out in our lodge and enjoy a conversation over a beverage or three.