Ski Heroes Archives - Page 2 of 2

Senior Skier Profiles: Two Kings Of The Hill

June 5, 2017/1 Comment/in Ski Heroes/by Harriet Wallis

These Octogenarians Are High Spirited Role Models.

Some skiers slow down as they get older. But Bud Temple (84) and Paul Jacobsen (89) pick up steam. Each has skied for more than 70 years. They each learned on primitive equipment in a city park.

Meet Bud Temple

Bud’s been skiing for 70 years.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Bud launched into skiing in an unusual way. While a student at the University of Utah, he took a ski course offered by Bill Lash, a founder of PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America). Bud excelled, and he earned a ski teaching certificate—one of the very earliest. But then he was drafted.

No problem. He entered the U.S. Army with two unusual documents: his ski teaching certificate and a personal letter from Bill Lash to the Commandant at Camp Carson where special troops were trained.

After basic training when assignments were made, Bud presented his two documents to the assignment officials.

“The Army didn’t know what to do with me,” Bud said. “They’d never seen such documents.”

So the officials left the room, called the Commandant, and returned saying: “The Commandant is expecting you.”

Bud taught special troops how to ski, and he also taught survival, mountaineering, and climbing to special forces in all branches of the military.

Bud showing a some form.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

And then he continued to teach and coach. He coached World Cup alpine champion Tamara McKinney, created a ski school at a small mountain that didn’t have a ski school, and taught internationally at eight resorts.

Last year, Bud was clocked at 48 mph.

On land, Bud hobbles because of chronic leg problems. But skis give flight to this retired mining and metals professional. He swoops smoothly down the slopes.

Bud’s advice for older skiers:

“Accept that you’re not as agile as you once were. Slow down,” says speedster Bud. Then he adds: “I guess I should take my own advice!”

Meet Paul Jacobsen

So has Paul.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Paul holds a 25 year record for skiing every day of the season at Brighton. He’s known as First Chair Paul because he’s always first in line when the lifts open.

Agile and mobile at 89, this retired architect skis daily. Then, for après ski, he goes to most of the University of Utah’s home football and basketball games

Skiing has always meant freedom for him. As a kid he skied for the first time when someone brought a simple pair of slats to the sledding hill. He was hooked.

As a teen he worked in his dad’s grocery store, and he drove to the wholesale produce market daily to buy fresh produce for the store. When his job was done, he was free to ski.

For years, Paul skied with a Japanese fish kite flying from his helmet. But it blew away this winter, and everyone misses seeing it. When skiers dress silly in spring, he wears a tutu.

Paul’s advice for older skiers:

“Enjoy what you’re doing,” says Paul. “Don’t be a couch potato.”

Paul in his tutu. He skis every day, but not always in a tutu. Sometimes he tows a kite from his helmet.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

George Jedenoff, 99-1/2, Skis Like A Teenager

February 21, 2017/3 Comments/in Ski Heroes/by Harriet Wallis

Powder Is His Passion, And His Daily Workout Keeps Him Fit. Let’s Grow Up Like Him.

George at Alta this February. He’s an inspiration to us all.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

George is an inspiration. Watch him ski and you’d never know he’s over 99. He skis Alta or Snowbird every day when he’s in Utah, and he has a knack for finding patches of untracked powder days after a storm.

George came to Utah in 1960 to be the general manager of the thriving Geneva Steel Plant. He was athletic, and he thought he should take up skiing. He learned from the best: Alta’s legendary Alf Engen, Snowbird’s iconic Junior Bonous, and Earl Miller, the granddaddy of release bindings.

“While buying my first pair of skis, I met Earl Miller who offered to teach me how to ski. Of course, I used Miller bindings—the only safe bindings available at that time. We used the rope tow at Alta Lodge for my first lesson.”

Miller demonstrated how his bindings released by showing photos of himself making some sensational falls. But George’s falls were even more spectacular, and Miller complimented him saying: “You know, George, you’ve made some falls that I’ve never seen before!”

George grew to love Alta’s powder with and without falls.

When he was transferred to Indiana in 1967, community leaders honored him for his community service and gave him a gift to lure him back.

“They presented me with a Lifetime Season Pass to Alta,” George said. “I have made good use of this wonderful present.”

But how does a 99 year old stay in shape? He has five fitness machines in his home’s basement, and he works out every morning before breakfast. He’s motivated by his love of skiing.

“I know I’ve got to stay in shape, or I won’t be able to ski,” he says.

He calls it his philosophy of powder: Stay strong, never give up, enjoy whatever the snow conditions are, and, above all appreciate, every day to the fullest.

Ski Utah, the state’s ski industry organization, has produced a video of George skiing for each of the last 5 years. Click here to see my favorite video when he was 95.

He’s the oldest skiing member among Alta’s Wild Old Bunch, the group of senior skiers who enjoys skiing and socializing together.

George Jedenoff still shredding at 99 1/2 at Alta this February.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Stein Eriksen Honored

January 4, 2017/2 Comments/in Ski Heroes/by Tamsin Venn

Pioneer of Modern Skiing and Beloved Park City Community Member Remembered.

Stein thrilled visitors to Park City with his aerial flips. He was a gymnast by training, and his graceful moves influenced several generations of free stylers.
Credit: Park City

Stein Eriksen’s kind demeanor and passion for alpine skiing defined him in equal measure. An accomplished gymnast, Stein transformed skiing by integrating aerials and other acrobatics into the sport. Stein proudly represented his home country of Norway in the 1952 Oslo Olympic Winter Games, winning gold in giant slalom and silver in slalom. In 1954 Stein became the first alpine skier to win “Triple Gold” in the World Championships in Åre, Sweden. As admired as he was for his grace on the slopes, those who knew him personally will attest just as much to his thoughtfulness, generosity and sense of humor.

Stein’s son Bjorn (right) and Cameron Berard at the dedication ceremony.
Credit: David Eden

Stein arrived in Utah in 1969 and resided in Park City until his death in 2015. He proudly served as director of skiing for Deer Valley from the resort’s inception in 1981, working closely with founders Edgar and Polly Stern to fulfill their vision of providing a resort experience unlike any other in the industry. Stein’s desire to develop an internationally-renowned luxury hotel was fulfilled in 1982 with the opening of the now world-famous Stein Eriksen Lodge. His influence in the ski industry and at both Deer Valley and the lodge that bears his name was infinite and his legacy will always be a fundamental aspect of their success.

This plaque was dedicated by Park City’s City Council on December 11, 2016 to honor Stein’s enduring memory and his outstanding contribution to the sport of skiing and the town of Park City. It also officially commemorates December 11 (Stein’s birthday) as Stein Eriksen Day.

Stein Eriksen is remembered for his charm, his infectious passion for skiing, and his enduring love of family. A favorite saying of Stein’s was, “Na har vi det godt igjen.” “Now we have it good again.”

10 Reasons To Go Skiing This Winter: John Christie’s Last Article

December 20, 2016/1 Comment/in Ski Heroes/by seniorsskiing

[Editor Note: We are honored to publish one of John Christie’s last articles about skiing, snow, and the outdoors. John was one of snow sports most ardent supporters, from his days as a college racer to the development and management of major ski resorts in Maine and Vermont. He passed away in the spring, and to us, he was an original ski hero. This article first appeared in Maine Seniors Magazine and re-publish here in its entirety with permission.]

John Christie as a young ski instructor.

With apologies to late night comedians (or, more precisely, to their stable of imaginative writers) I’ve been ruminating recently about all the reasons I love to get out on the slopes, and in the hopes that some of mine might resonate with you, here are my Top Ten, in random sequence:

#10 It’s good for you. Damn good, I’d suggest because it’s one of the handful of ways that you can actually get out and genuinely enjoy cold winter days. Your heart’ll pump a little harder, your skin’ll tingle, and you’ll come in after a chilly day on the slopes and really feel rejuvenated. At least that’s what happens to me. Good for both the body and the soul.

#9 It’s fun. Not to mention, although of course I will, exciting, exhilarating…even mood-altering. I see a lot more smiles than frowns on the lift and even in the line than I see virtually anywhere else in a crowd of a thousand people or more.

#8 It opens up a world of choices and opportunities, pretty close to home for most of us, for a variety of terrain, alpine and Nordic options, big mountain or community area. And the choices include not just the recreational ones. Some of the best brew pubs and dining spots are located at or in close proximity to Maine’s ski facilities, so the variety of ski and apres- ski options are practically limitless.

#7 It’s a great way to spend time, and even reconnect with, your spouse, kids, grandkids and loved ones. Some of the biggest smiles I see behind winter face masks are proud parents and grandparents watching their Bubble Cuffers progress, and kids realizing just how much fun this sport of ours can be. Family ski trips are the stuff of which life-long memories are made, and for good reason.

#6 Conversely, there are times in our stressful and hectic lives that it’s good to just get out in nature alone, on fresh corduroy on the side of a mountain or on a quiet cross country trail through evergreens bowed down by a recent snow. Leave the cell at home and just listen to the sounds of silence.

#5 It’s the perfect way to reconnect with old, like-minded friends with whom you don’t even have to exchange a word as you stop at the bottom of an epic run together. You all know what you’re thinking: “It doesn’t get any better than this!” Somehow, it seems to me, the bond between friends strengthens on a ski slope. I haven’t figured out why… and I don’t need to.

#4 And there’s no better place in Maine in the winter, I’d submit, to make new friends. To begin with, anyone you meet is a kindred spirit, binding the two of you together instantaneously because you share a very important secret: We’re the lucky ones who’ve figured out how to make winter not just tolerable but the best season of the year. The closest, most enduring friendships I enjoy either originated or were strengthened on a ski slope.

#3 It’s a chance to explore a new place, or even a new sport (snowboarding, for example) and broaden your experiential horizon. Maybe this is the year to head north to Quebec for the first time, or try out the new trails and lifts at the Camden Snow Bowl, or trek on skis or snowshoes for an overnight at one of the luxurious huts in the Maine Huts and Trails system.

#2 If you’ve never skied before, this could well be the year that you give it a shot. Trust me, you’re never too old to start. Recent dumps of snow have created some darn fine skiing, with even better to follow in February and March, and modern grooming machinery and techniques have given us surfaces unlike anything we’ve seen in recent memory. Improvements in snowmaking equipment have enabled operators to make more of the white stuff more quickly, and the snow that for years seemed somewhat unnatural, now feels exactly like God intended it.

#1 You’ll be helping Maine’s recreation-based economy. In a state where summer recreation was the elephant in the room, contributing the vast majority of tourism revenues during just a few short summer months, and much of it in the coastal counties, expenditures by skiers like us have helped even out the heretofore seasonal and geographic disparity. Many rural economies depend on us and deserve our support.

John Christie, 1937-2016. Credit: Jamie Walter

Skiing North America: Every Resort, Everywhere

October 31, 2016/8 Comments/in Home Top Box 4, Ski Heroes/by John Nelson

An 85-Year Old Believes Someone Has To Do It; It Might As Well Be Him.

John Andrew points out ski areas he’s skiied on a the wall-sized map in his Renton, Wash., home.
Credit: John Nelson

So many ski areas, so little time.

Yet at age 85, John Andrew is still busily crossing them off his list. Over the past 20 years, Andrew has been on a mission to ski all 700 alpine resorts in North America. He’s currently at 528, and he has several new targets in sight for this winter.

“I’m going to die trying to finish my quest,” says Andrew, a retired Boeing executive from Renton, Wash. “I won’t get it done, but I’m going to keep trying.”

It’s a big project, one that has consumed Andrew’s life since he retired at age 65.

It began innocently enough with a book. Andrew and his wife Jewel were shopping for a vacation home in the mountains using a guidebook of every ski resort in North America. Instead of narrowing the choices, the book opened up possibilities in Andrew’s mind.

“If we were going to buy a ski condo, I didn’t know where I wanted to buy it,” he remembers. Then, leafing through the resort guide, he wondered, “Why don’t we ski them all and find out?”

John Andrew and his wife Jewel on the slopes of Pine Creek Ski Area in Wyoming last February. Photo courtesy of the Andrews

Over the following years, the Andrews embarked on their quest with gusto, sometimes with friends, sometimes with family, always keeping detailed records, grabbing trail maps, souvenirs and taking pictures. Jewel skied with John until 2007, when she quit the slopes after a knee replacement surgery. She still comes along on most trips.

“We are still skiing North America as a team,” he says.

“I think it’s fun,” Jewel says. “It gets you to all these places that you’d never go to—in the dead of winter.”

Their longest road trip covered 13,000 miles across the northern U.S. and Canada, when they hit 45 resorts in 16 states and provinces, including White Hills, the easternmost ski area in North America near St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Other trips took them to California, to New Mexico, to the mid-Atlantic, to the Deep South. They skied Cloudmont in Alabama, Ober Gatlinburg in Tennessee, Hidden Valley in Missouri. It’s all there, detailed on the spreadsheet and on the wall-sized map where Andrew places blue dots for the completed ski areas, red dots for those he has left to do.

Andrew gets the biggest thrill out of skiing places like Sawkill Family Ski Center, N.Y., with its 70 vertical feet, the smallest hill in North America.

When he stopped in at Sawkill, the lifts were closed. Andrew asked at the resort office if he could hike up and ski down, but the friendly general manager offered to drive him to the top in a pickup truck instead.

They roared up, Andrew hopped out, clicked into his skis and another resort bit the dust.

As he ages, Andrew has slowed down a little. Expert runs are a thing of the past—now it’s mostly greens and blues.

“It’s easy to get hurt and I don’t take foolish chances,” he says. “I look at the slope and if I don’t think I can do it, I won’t do it.”

“There’s a lot more to do,” he says as he gazes at his ski map on his living room wall . “But I like a job that’s tough. Even if I don’t get there, it’s something to do.”

John Andrew, 85, skis at Crystal Mountain, Wash., last March, checking another resort off his list.
Credit: Emilio Trampuz

Review: Warren Miller’s Latest Is A Winner!

October 25, 2016/0 Comments/in Ski Heroes/by Jon Weisberg

“Here, There, & Every Where” Brings Out Pre-Season Inner Child.

As he did with so many things, Warren finds his own way to wax. Credit: Warren Miller Personal Archive

Warren Miller has been bringing out my pre-season Inner Child since I was a kid in Troy, NY. Every Fall he presented and narrated his latest film to a full house. For me he conveyed an impossibly aspirational message: Make a life choice that will allow you to ski, whenever and where ever you choose.

Like others, my choices were different, and it wasn’t until later in life that I was able to follow his advice. Over the years I’ve met many people who decided early to spend their lives in the mountains. They chose to work where they lived. Until 57, I chose to live where I worked.

Which brings me to the latest edition in the annual procession of Miller films.

“Here, There, & Every Where,” coincides with the release of Miller’s autobiography, Freedom Found, My Life Story (reviewed a few weeks ago on SeniorsSkiing.com). The book provides a loose plot line for the film, with two young guys reliving Warren and Ward Baker’s very early experience bumming around in a small teardrop trailer and enjoying the mountains.

The film starts with Warren, now 92, reminiscing on camera and over footage of his early days. He explains how, in 1946, after leaving the Navy, he and Ward met surfing in California. That summer he shot surfers with a wind-up 8mm camera. That winter they parked in Sun Valley’s lot and shot people on skis.

It “jump-started what I wanted to do with my life,” he explains. “It’s crazy how the whole thing happened. I couldn’t have orchestrated it.” These lines have typical Warren Miller delivery: after all these years, he seems genuinely surprised with his own life story.

For me and the 2000-plus people at the film’s premier in Salt Lake City, it all rang true. We sang Happy Birthday to this 92 year old ski film pioneer, which was streamed live.

We then entered a world of stunning beauty and of great ski and boarding scenes across the globe. Like all Miller films, this one presents a host of amusing mishaps and crazy stunts by those too young to drive.

Freestyler Jonny Moseley is the superb narrator with a style surprisingly similar to Warren’s classic delivery.

The enthusiastic Salt Lake audience was not as young as I anticipated. A company representative said audiences generally are in the 25-50 range. That said, I saw teenagers, entire families, and very generous representation of those in their 60s and 70s.

Here, There, & Every Where is touring the country and should not be missed. Link here for trailer and schedule.

This is a Warren Miller production at its best. If you ski or board, see it. If you’ve retired from snow, it may be enough to get you out there again.

Warren Miller and Ward Baker living the ski bum life. They went from surfing in the summer to Sun Valley’s parking lot in the winter, shooting movies along the way. Credit: Warren Miller Personal Archive

Warren Miller’s Story: You May Be A Skier Because Of Him

September 28, 2016/3 Comments/in Home Top Box 1, Ski Heroes/by Karen Lorentz

New Autobiography Shows How Miller Created Skiing’s Visual Brand.

Ski Pioneer Film-Maker Warren Miller lacing up at the Matterhorn. His beautiful and fun-filled films brought new people to skiing in the 60s and 70s. The WME company continues to produce over the top visual feasts.

For any senior who’s ever attended a Warren Miller film, Freedom Found, My Life Story will provide an intriguing look at skiing history as well as Miller’s success story. The autobiography is a must-read for anyone with a mindset to dig into the ups-and-downs of skiing—and real life.

Freedom Found is also a candid, moving, and adventurous story of how Miller became America’s most famous and prolific maker of ski and sports films.

As Miller details his journey from childhood deprivation to filmmaker success, he delves into the effects of being an “invisible” child during the Depression. In sharing his dysfunctional family life—alcoholic father doesn’t work, mother incarcerated, embezzlements—he shows how parental neglect led to his own drive to work hard.

He also acknowledges the saving grace of grandparents who provided attention at just the right times—an inventor grandfather who teaches him skills in his workshop and pays him for work; a grandmother whose gifts (bicycle, roller skates, Scout uniform) provide the attention and help needed. Living with them for two years while his mother was “away,” Miller finds the support that “changed my life” and gets to join the Boy Scouts in 1936 at age 12, another life-changing event.

Loving the outdoors, he enjoys hiking and learning to ski with his troop. By taking Scout trip photos with his 39-cent Univex camera and selling a print, he discovers the profit motive, commenting, “This was the kernel of the idea that taking pictures of great places would be a good way to make a living.”

It was skiing and surfing—he lived in Hollywood near the ocean and a teacher helped him make his first surfboard—that provided an escape to a world of delight and freedom. Miller graduated to even more freedom with his driver’s license, and soon his filmmaking turns into a career, starting with Surfing Daze in 1949 and Deep and Light in 1950.

An “original ski bum,” Miller lived out of a trailer and cooked over a camp stove to afford his ski habit and to make films. Marketing his ski features as fundraisers—for ski shops, clubs, organizations—he built his touring business into a huge success by personally narrating the showings (narration tracks came later). He entertained us with wry humor and comedic ski scenes—frustrating rope tow struggles, awkward situations (splitting stretch pants, etc.), crazy crashes—and inspired us to ski with his thrilling action shots and gorgeous scenery.

Warren’s success helped build skier participation and was a major contributor to the 1960s and 1970s ski boom. I saw that firsthand after showing The Sound of Winter (1970) to two high school assemblies and at an evening fundraiser: several non-skiing students joined our ski club and parents came forth to chaperone! The proceeds paid for the bus to Whiteface and made possible a $70 six-day trip (skiing, lessons, lodging, meals). To say thousands took up skiing because they enjoyed his films is an understatement.

Warren sold his film company in 2004, but the Warren Miller Entertainment (WME) film tour lives on. This year’s feature Here, There, and Everywhere (reviewed here by Seniorsskiing.com co-publisher Jon Weisberg) weaves the Warren story into several segments.

The just-published, 444-page biography, written with collaborator Andy Bigford whose 35 years in publishing include SKI Magazine and WME, is available at bookstores, w arrenmiller.net, and via online outlets. Suggested retail price is $29.95.

Order Freedom Found by Warren Miller from Amazon, WME or at your bookstore.

Alaska Spine Skiing: A Virtual, Visceral, Vicarious Experience

August 31, 2016/0 Comments/in Ski Heroes/by mikemaginn

While We All Await The Snow To Fly, This Might Give You A Rush.

Now this is hard skiing. Alaska spine with jumps.
Credit: Richard Permin

Pro skier and extreme athlete Richard Permin rips down a spine ridge in Alaska somewhere. While we aren’t advocating this kind of skiing, we do appreciate the skill and courage it takes to even try it. Note Richard’s heavy breathing as he negotiates some knarly steepness and major, major jumps.

A special thanks to Snowbrains for originally posting this. Here’s a link to the original, complete with narrative about Richard. It appears he did this…stunt…only months after recovering from a really bad broken ankle. Richard, you da man. Almost as gutsy as the great classic daredevil Dick Buek or Toni “Straight Down” Matt. Click here for another story of gutsy skiing from SeniorsSkiing.com.

Stein Eriksen: Secret Tales Of His Life

July 27, 2016/1 Comment/in Ski Heroes/by Harriet Wallis

The Ski Industry Remembers His Humor And Tenderness.

Iconic Stein Eriksen was famous for his stylish and graceful ski turns. Generation of skiers tried to mimic him. “Stein made the turns we all wish we could make,” said Tom Kelly, vice president of communications for the United States Ski and Snowboard Association. “Everyone who met him came away with a life-long experience.” He passed away in December, 2015.

The Alf Engen Ski Museum in Park City opened the Stein Eriksen exhibit this month.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Stein was honored by ski industry leaders on Wednesday at the unveiling of the Stein Eriksen exhibit at the Alf Engen Ski Museum in Park City, Utah. And they told secret tales of his life.

Stein was dedicated to his family and to the community, said Bob Wheaton, president and CEO of Deer Valley Resort. “If you needed a hand, Stein was right there.” And he had a whacky sense of humor.

We were at a party that was a bit stale, Wheaton said. Stein went to the food table, scooped up a dollop of whipped cream and put it on his nose. Then he went around the room meeting people – with the glop of white on his nose.

Wheaton recalls more of Stein’s humor. He would often introduce himself saying, “Hi. I’m Stein. It’s so nice for You to meet Me!”

Russ Olsen, CEO of the five-star Stein Eriksen Lodge, recalled Stein. “I skied with Stein once. Actually, I rode up the lift with him.” We got off the lift, he took off, and I never saw him again the whole day. He could ski anything at 90 miles per hour, without a hat, and when it was 40 below.

And he really could ski anything. With his athleticism to spun and flip, he became a father of freestyle skiing.

Stein’s skis and and racing bibs from the 1954 Olympics are on exhibit.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Stein enjoyed the meeting the guests at the Stein Eriksen Lodge, which was also his home. He would go from table to table in the dining room and personally welcome the guests. He loved doing that. Solemnly, near the end of his life, Stein had hopes of returning to the Lodge and told Olsen to let guests know he would be back.

The exhibit includes a video of Stein skiing and his skis and bibs from the 1954 Winter Olympics where he earned three medals. His trophies and medals are on exhibit in the lobby of the Stein Eriksen Lodge.

………………………………..

About the Alf Engen Ski Museum. It’s an interactive museum where you can take a selfie in a bobsled, try your luck in a slalom race game, learn about snow and avalanches, see ancient skis and glimpse ski pioneers. The museum is free, and there are free self guided tours of the Olympic Park.

The Olympic Park was the 2002 Winter Olympics venue for ski jumping and it continues as a premier training facility. During the summer there are youth camps and you can watch kids learn the sport. They soar off the actual Olympic jumps and land in a pool of bubbling water to soften the impact.

In addition, for a fee, there are freestyle shows, bobsled rides, extreme summer tubing, an alpine slide, a zip line, and a ropes and adventure course and so much more.

The Olympic Park and the Alf Engen Ski Museum are “must sees” when you’re in Park City.

Stein was a graceful athlete throughout his life and the father of Freestyle Skiing.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Cross-Country Legend Sven Wiik, 95

July 7, 2016/0 Comments/in Ski Heroes/by mikemaginn

Olympic Ski Coach, X-C Pioneer, Hotel Owner Was A Major Contributor To Growth Of The Sport.

Sven Wiik, a Swedish native who helped promote cross-country skiing in North America through coaching and promoting the sport, has died at 95 in Steamboat Springs, CO. Wiik is known as a pioneer in the sport, creating the design for the American Birkebeiner trail in 1973, boosting a tremendous growth spurt for Nordic skiing. The American Birkebeiner Race attracts over 10,000 racers every year.

For more in Wiik’s life and achievements, please click here.

Inspiring “Powder Philosophy”: George Jedenoff, 98

March 2, 2016/2 Comments/in Ski Heroes/by seniorsskiing

George Says Make The Most Of What You’ve Got.

SeniorsSkiing.com salutes George Jedenoff on his 98th birthday.
Credit: Ski Utah

“It’s a pleasure by itself to be in the great, fresh cold air that seems to uncloud your brain…It’s a chance to reflect on your own life…[Skiing] is an opportunity to reflect on the wonderful things you can do…The plusses far outweigh the minuses…Take time to appreciate the positives.”

Thanks to Ski Utah for sending along this message from a ski legend, George Jedenoff, who has been skiing in the Wasatch for the past 56 years.

Bebe Wood: Approaching 90 And Going Strong

February 9, 2016/15 Comments/in Home Top Box 4, Ski Heroes/by Joan Wallen

Skiing Since The 30s, She Has Seen Lots Of Changes.

In 1949, 23 year old Bebe Wood left her job at Dartmouth College and traveled to Idaho seeking adventure as a ski bum in Sun Valley. By then, she had already been skiing for about 10 years! Thus began her long association with the ski industry. Today, approaching her 90^th birthday, she remains actively involved as a Host at Ragged Mountain in New Hampshire.

As a youngster in Marblehead, MA, she and her siblings taught themselves how to ski at a nearby golf course. By the late 1930’s her sister, five years her senior, had a driver’s license so they started going up to Cranmore in North Conway, NH. It was there that she became immersed in the sport.

Bebe Wood was an original ski bum in Sun Valley in 1950. Credit: Bebe Wood

Bebe Wood was an original ski bum in Sun Valley in 1949-50.
Credit: Bebe Wood

Following graduation from college, she went to work at Dartmouth as medical secretary. She and her friend Jean Adams joined the Dartmouth Outing Club which was an opportunity for travel around Northern New Hampshire and Vermont—Stowe, Cranmore and Suicide Six. They also skied locally at the Oak Hill rope tow in Hanover. “The DOC was a wonderful experience”, says Bebe. “We all loved to ski, yodel and sing. We had a great time.”

In the winter of 1949-50 Bebe and Jean Adams headed west to be ski bums in Sun Valley. They worked as waitresses and had plenty of time for skiing during the day. Bebe also had time to be a Sun Valley model for a Life Magazine shoot there and appeared in a February 1950 issue. “We had the best time there,” Bebe says. “Dartmouth was connected to Sun Valley back then and we were able to ski with some top notch eastern skiers.”

During the following ten years or so there was not much skiing in her life as she and her new husband were starting a family and moving around. But in 1963 they moved to Bristol, NH. And that move heralded her return to skiing in a big way.

In 1964 she began her long tenure at Ragged Mountain where she directed the junior program for school kids. She continued in this role until the mid 1980s when Ragged closed. During the next few years, Bebe taught at nearby King Ridge in New London, NH where she was part of the ski school until Ragged reopened in 1989.

All along the way Bebe found time to become PSIA certified, a first aid instructor, make two trips to the Alps skiing in Switzerland, Austria an Italy and a return trip to Sun Valley.

Bebe learned snowboarding at 70.
Credit: Bebe Wood

Bebe retired from instructing in 2007 but continued as head the Courtesy Patrol until it was phased out a few years ago. Not wanting to be idle, however, she remains active at the resort today as a mountain host. You can find her in the base lodge greeting skiers and boarders, chatting with folks as come in for a break, checking with patrol on the latest conditions and dispensing all kinds of local knowledge and information about the resort and the general area.

Bebe stopped skiing five years ago at the age of 85. “Not because I can’t ski,” she says, “but because I’m now too afraid of getting hurt. I have no one to take care of me if I were to get injured. I do miss it, though.”

Bebe sees the evolution of equipment and technique as a positive thing that has made the sport much easier to learn and continue. “Sometimes the technical details get confusing but if the continued development of new equipment and technique makes the sport easier that’s good for its growth,” she said. When asked about other changes she’s seen, she said that in the old days skiers were just one big happy family. They sat around the fireplaces in old ski lodges and never complained about rope tows that wore out ski gloves or conditions that were less than ideal. Now she says, skiers want everything to be perfect. And there are so many people you have to be a little more careful.

According to Bebe, “It’s still a wonderful sport. It should be available in all schools free of charge so all kids have a chance to experience it.” She thinks there are more seniors skiing now than ever before. “New and better equipment keeps people going longer,” she says, and hopes that “more people being on the hill does not discourage older skiers.” She knows some seniors in their late 70s and early 80s who still ski, including some 10^th Mountain veterans. “But the group is dwindling.”

What keeps her coming back? Why does she continue to work even though she no longer gets out on the hill? Love of the outdoors, a desire to keep up with the sport and the people in it, the opportunity to meet new people with similar passions are just a few of the reasons. “You don’t have to be young to enjoy it. It brings family and friends together.” Of teaching she says, “I can still look at skiers and tell what they’re doing wrong. I can tell who has had lessons and who hasn’t.”

Bebe Wood today. Tuckerman’s Ravine was a favorite spot. Credit: Joan Wallen

Approaching her 90 th birthday in a few months and summing up her lifetime involvement in a sport she loves, Bebe states, “I wouldn’t have changed a thing.” Including, or perhaps especially, her ski bumming year in Sun Valley. “If young people have a chance to be a ski bum, they should go for it. It’s an experience to always remember.”

Remembering Stein

January 5, 2016/1 Comment/in Ski Heroes/by Jon Weisberg

SeniorsSkiing.com Co-Publisher Jon Weisberg Remembers His Encounter With The Ski Legend.

Several years ago, Jon Weisberg shared a chair lift ride with Stein and later on a dinner table. Here are his recollections as published in Huff 50.

Stein Eriksen, one of the first ski celebrities, was a pioneer in acrobatics.
Credit: Park City

Stein Eriksen, 1927-2015

December 28, 2015/3 Comments/in Ski Heroes/by seniorsskiing

A Legend Moves To The Other Side Of The Mountain.

An elegant skier, Stein Eriksen was an Olympian, instructor, skiing ambassador and charming personality.
Credit: Deer Valley

Read his obituary from the Salt Lake Tribune here.

Ski History Gala Awards Top Honors

November 17, 2015/0 Comments/in Features, Ski Heroes/by Harriet Wallis

And SeniorsSkiing.com Makes A Contribution.

Ski Archives glittering gala was held on Nov. 5 at the Grand America Hotel, Salt Lake City.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

The country’s largest ski history and research organization, Ski Archives, held its annual gala and fundraiser that helps support its mission. And SeniorSkiing.com contributed four gifts to the silent fund raising auction.

SeniorsSkiing.com contributed a gift bag to the Silent Auction Credit: Harriet Wallis

SeniorsSkiing.com contributed four gift bags to the Silent Auction.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Each SeniorSkiing gift included ski socks by Darn Tough of Vermont, a GripPro hand strength trainer, and a Boot Horn that slides your foot easily into ski boots.

The Ski Archives gala event honors individuals and organizations that set the high mark for their influence on the ski industry.

This year, the late Dick Bass, the co-founder of Snowbird, unstoppable outdoor enthusiast, and the first person to climb the highest point on each of the seven continents, was posthumously awarded the S. J. Quinney Award for his contributions to the ski industry. Bass died in July.

“He had a life long love affair with Mother Nature,” said his son who accepted the award.

And Ski Utah earned the state’s top ski industry award—the J. Willard Marriott Library History-Maker Award—that’s presented for extraordinary accomplishments in winter sports.

For 40 years Ski Utah, the state’s non-profit trade organization, has been promoting Utah’s fabulous snow that pumps $1.3 billion annually into the state’s economy. It markets come-to-Utah tourism worldwide, and it fosters winter recreation for in-staters.

The late and legendary Dick Bass, co-founder of Snowbird, was honored for his contributions to the ski industry.
Credit: Snowbird

In a nutshell, Ski Utah promotes the ski industry and the Ski Archives preserves the history of it.

The Ski Archives was founded about two decades ago by ski enthusiasts and visionaries who realized that historic ski photos and manuscripts should be collected to assure they wouldn’t be lost in dusty attics and that old albums wouldn’t be tossed out. The resulting collection is housed in Salt Lake City on the University of Utah campus in the J. Willard Marriott Library, and it’s called the Ski Archives. It has grown to be the largest cache of skiing and snow sports history in the country, it’s a prime research collection, and it’s open to the public. This year’s event was held November 5 at Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City.

Happy 90th Junior Bounous!

August 25, 2015/3 Comments/in Ski Heroes, West/by seniorsskiing

Still Doing Pow And Inspiring The Rest of Us

As Junior Bounous celebrates his ninth decade, we salute his love of the sport and his motivation. His message to the rest of us is simple: “Keep moving!” Check. Thanks, Junior and have a great birthday.

Here’s a short documentary produced by Snowbird that chronicles Junior’s trip down the Pipeline at age 80.

Credit: Snowbird Resort

Remembering Dick Bass: “The Big Mouth Bass”

July 29, 2015/0 Comments/in Ski Heroes/by Harriet Wallis

SeniorsSkiing.com Correspondent Harriet Wallis Recalls Dick’s Uniqueness

Dick Bass' oriental rugs were hung in the Snowbird lodge by mountain climbers. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Climbers hang rugs on 11-story Atrium wall.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Dick Bass was always enthusiastic about everything. He was witty and lively, and he always seemed to be in a jovial

Snowbird founder Dick Bass inspects some of his fabulous collection of Oriental rugs
Credit: Snowbird

mood. He often spent time at his loved Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, and you could always tell when he was there because he’d be in the center of a group and he’d keep them laughing. He loved to indulge anyone who would listen to his tales and insights. Because of his talkative nature he called himself “the big mouth Bass.”

He loved art and literature, and he had an incredible Oriental rug collection that he displayed at Snowbird. The huge, colorful rugs carpeted many floors in the Cliff Lodge. Skiers probably had no idea they were walking on a fabulous collection. For other rugs, he hired rock climbers to scale the massive 11-story tall concrete walls in the lodge’s Atrium and hang them there for display.

Dick Bass seemed to function on only one speed: full speed ahead. We’ll miss him.

Dick Bass, Skiing Visionary, Dies At 85

July 29, 2015/0 Comments/in Features, Ski Heroes/by seniorsskiing

Breaking News From The Salt Lake Tribune. Click to read more.

Straight Down: Cody Townsend and Gravity

December 17, 2014/0 Comments/in Features, Ski Heroes/by mikemaginn

Now This Should Tighten You Up.

Cody Townsend, professional free skier and athlete, takes on the most improbable ski run we’ve ever seen. The scene is a near vertical chute in Alaska’s Tordrillo Mountains, more like a elevator shaft than a ski run. This scene is a clip from Red Bull’s documentary, “Days of My Youth.” We are certain that the legendary Dick Buek, winner of the 1952 Olympics downhill and probably the original extreme skier, would approve. This stunt is reminiscent of Dick’s daredevil runs; he was the first person to schuss Exhibition at Sun Valley, something that French skiing pioneer Emile Allais said could never be done. And, of course, there’s another legend Toni Matt whose run down the Headwall at Tuckerman’s Ravine to win the 1939 Inferno Race still echoes through the White Mountains. All of these guys like to go straight down. Fearless.

Cody, you’re following some pretty impressive skiing heroes. Be careful out there. Or is that not the point?

Snowbird’s Pipeline Conquered By Junior Bounous at 80 (Taken March 8, 2014)

March 14, 2014/1 Comment/in Destinations, Features, Ski Heroes, West/by seniorsskiing

Snowbird’s Pipeline (the top to bottom ravine in center of picture) : One of North America’s toughest ski routes, descends from Twin peaks above Snowbird. First skied by Junior Bounous in the early 70s. He skied it again during his 80th year. Junior is an inspiration to senior skiers everywhere.
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Skiing Super Heroes!!

March 14, 2014/0 Comments/in Ski Heroes, West/by Jon Weisberg

Why not ski in costume?
Credit: Jon Weisberg

Spidey and Cap’n America, Skiing’s Super Heroes, about to save the day at the top of Snowbird tram. Senior Skiers, do you ski in costume? If you could choose one, what would it be?