Sand Skiing at Sand Mountain

For much of the 20th century, Polk County was THE place for water skiing. Thanks to Dick Pope Jr., Polk and its beautiful lakes - especially Lake Eloise in Winter Haven, home to Cypress Gardens - were promoted far and wide as the water ski capital of the world. Even today, the county is home to the Water Ski Hall of Fame in Polk City.

But if things had worked out for Pope, Polk could also have been known as the sand skiing capital of the world. And the manmade mountains that once dotted its phosphate district may have become a skiing Mecca.

Most of the attention focused on a single mound: "Sand Mountain." Located two miles south of Fort Meade and owned by Swift and Co., it was started in 1948 and consisted of sand washed from phosphate rock, Freddie Wright wrote for the Polk County Historical Quarterly in June 1981. Within a short time the pile had grown to 200 feet tall and covered several acres. In fact, the sand pile was so high that Sand Mountain was actually taller than Bok Tower's perch, Iron Mountain, in Lake Wales.

Polk Countians embraced their new landmark.

"Sand Mountain was a favorite recreation spot for many years," wrote Wright, whose father-in-law helped build the mountain. "Parents took children on excursions to climb to the top and slide down. Young people found it an ideal spot for picnics."

It also turned out to be just the right powdery consistency for skiing. Pope decided the mountain was ripe for sporting events, so he created one.

Pope didn't invent sand skiing, though. Newspaper archives show sand skiing had gained traction in a number of communities in Canada, Massachusetts and California as early as the 1930s. Skiers found that metal skis on sand performed very similarly to traditional snow skis, allowing them to race downhill or slalom. They even used the same ski poles to propel themselves.

What Pope, ever the showman, sought to do was take sand skiing to the next level. He organized the Florida Downhill Sand-Skiing Association in Winter Haven. Then he used his marketing savvy to promote Sand Mountain as the perfect sand skiing destination. National publications such as Popular Mechanics and the Christian Science Monitor ran stories about Sand Mountain and its skiers.

"Never has (Sand Mountain) been host to a more unusual group than the Aquamaniacs water ski club of Treasure Island," The St. Petersburg Times reported as late as 1963. "Recently a score of Aquamaniacs, wives and children pitted their skiing skill against the huge heap, racing down its slopes on water skis."

The pinnacle came in 1951 and 1952 when thousands of people from around the world converged on Sand Mountain for the International Sand Ski Tournament. Pope and his partner, Fort Meade Chamber of Commerce Secretary W.E. Fitch, brought in championship teams from several countries, including Norway, Belgium, France, Holland, Denmark and Switzerland, Canter Brown Jr. wrote in "None Can Have Richer Memories."

Sand Mountain, however, remained the property of the phosphate mines. By 1964, new technology made it possible for more phosphate to be extracted from piled sand. Mineral Company Corp., managed by O.H. Wright, leveled the mountain, his wife, Freddie, wrote in the historical quarterly. Sand skiing in Polk was no more.

Sand skiing still exists, however. It's now a niche sport in various parts of the world. To see modern sand skiers in action, simply visit www.youtube.com and search for "sand skiing."

[ Cinnamon Bair, a Polk County native, can be reached at cinbar@hotmail.com. ]

**My family and I frequented Sand Mountain in the 50’s and early 60’s. It was THE place to go to enjoy a fun-filled Saturday. (William Royce McDonald)