Born and bred Parkite Mel Fletcher was an integral figure in developing Park City’s early skiing ventures. He started out jumping at Creole Hill above Old Town and then at Ecker Hill as a member of the Snow Park Ski Club (a.k.a. The Broken Hearts Club).
The nickname came from the club’s logo, where the patch featured a heart with a ski run carving through it. Ultimately, it looked like a broken heart, but the nickname also had legs because many Parkite girls considered the members to be heartthrobs, and therefore capable of breaking plenty of girls’ hearts.
Creole Hill was a locals’ spot where kids learned to jump and amateur jumpers could spend the day, while Ecker Hill – near present-day Pinebrook – was more geared toward semi-pro and professional jumpers. For Creole Hill and other smaller jumps that Mel took off from throughout his life, he liked to use barrel stave skis – skis that used repurposed planks from barrels. These skis were a bit shorter, so they had more maneuverability and would be better for smaller jumps and tricks.
But Mel also enjoyed traditional ski jumping, which he could do just down the road at Ecker Hill. Built in 1928, the jump at Ecker Hill hosted many state, regional, national, and international competitions, trials, and tryouts throughout the 1930s and 1940s, culminating with the U.S. National Championships in 1949. Alf Engen also set several world records at Ecker Hill in the early to mid-1930s.
In a 1993 interview, Fletcher related the hardships of early ski jumping in Park City, noting skis at that time were made from pine, so ends would sometimes snap off amidst a fall or hard landing, saying “there’s many a time that I was skiing on one six-foot ski and one five-foot ski.” He mentioned that kids would often wait until someone else broke a ski and then trade to re-complete the set.
Credit: Park City Historical Society & Museum, Mel Fletcher Collection
Mel obtained his ski-instructor certification around 1951, founded the Snow Park Ski School, and spent twelve years as its director. After Treasure Mountains opened in 1963, Fletcher became the director of their ski patrol, serving in that role through 1978. He then ran the patrol program at Parley’s Summit, which used to be called Gorgoza Park, from 1979 to 1981. That site is where Woodward Park City is today. In dedication to Mel and his service to the resort, Mel’s Alley, an intermediate run at Park City Mountain Resort (Treasure Mountains’ evolution), is named after him.
Other skiing ventures included working with the Summit County Sheriff to found Summit County Search and Rescue and membership in or with the Wasatch Mountain Club, U.S. Ski Patrol Association, Utah Ski Archives, Alf Engen Museum, and Park City Historical Society & Museum.
Outside of skiing, Mel was plenty busy around town. He was a volunteer fireman for sixty years, served as a commander of American Legion Post 14, and served as Exalted Ruler of the Park City Elks Club. Fletcher, also a founding member of the Glenwood Cemetery Association (now part of the Museum), passed away June 21, 2010.
In a story on Fletcher’s death, another well-known and respected Parkite, Richard Martinez told the Park Record: “He was a legend. Everybody knows that. I think of what he accomplished in the skiing part of (his life) is what made him a legend in Park City.”
This year’s annual holiday ornament from the Park City Museum features Mel and ski jumping in Park City. The ornament is available to Museum members only through Thanksgiving and goes on sale for everyone on Black Friday.
