igging into Northwest skiing history has given me some delightful surprises. Like 20-year-old Miss Olga Bolstad (left) who became the first ski champion of the Northwest in 1917. Recreational skiing in the Washington Cascades is older than most people think. The sport marked its 100th anniversary on Mount Rainier last winter. A group of friends joined me at Paradise in March 2009 to celebrate the centennial, wearing tweedy clothing and the oldest ski gear we could find. With woolen clothes and wooden skis, we hoped to conjure the spirit of skiing a century earlier. As I shuffled along the trail toward Sluiskin Falls with toe-strap bindings, edgeless skis, and a long bamboo pole for balance, my imagination transported me back in time.