Turns Through Time – A Ski Story Spanning 90 Years
Photo by Lori Roux
Editors Note: This article comes from special contributor Lori Z. Roux.
With the sun reflecting off the white peaks, Francoise felt the familiar pull of the mountains, a reminder that age is just a number on a perfect day like this. At nearly 93, she was meeting her two great-grandchildren, who also live in Jackson Hole, for a ski date. One five and the other eight, nearly nine decades separate them, but they share a passion for the mountains, and the enduring joy of skiing.
Born and bred in Geneva, Switzerland, my mother-in-law began skiing in the Alps as a kid, skinning up Verbier before there were lifts. It seemed normal to her, incorporating her passions for both fitness and skiing. After moving to the United States in 1959 with her husband and children, they went on ski adventures both on the East coast and in the mountains of the West.
They came to love Aspen, but on a trip to Yellowstone in 1965, she urged husband Jacques to set down roots in a new place that was being built, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. They bought land and built a small house which they used for vacations until Jacques, a physician, took a job in town as the local OB/GYN. This transformed their lives, making Jackson Hole the heart of their family story.
Today, Francoise’s vision for a life in Jackson Hole has come full circle. Her son Laurent (my husband) lives and works here, as I do. Her grandson Vincent and his wife, Lauren, are living and raising their children here. The great grandkids embrace the mountain lifestyle as their Grandmama does, learning to make turns before they could walk and hiking from infancy. The other kids, grandkids and great grandkids make regular visits to the extended family in Jackson.
On this day, a lively group of Roux’s occupy a Sweetwater Gondola heading to Casper. From the gondola car, Camden, the eight-year-old points. “Let’s do that one first!” We all head up the Casper chair to Wide Open, and the group slaloms down, together. Francoise’s youngest son, Eric, has bought his first season pass at 65, and takes off, making turns that mimic his mother’s legendary smooth style.
She has practiced since her youth and is more comfortable on skis than in shoes, and it shows. The little ones are halfway down the trail before they stop to make sure that everyone stays together. They take off again, this time, into moguls dwarfing them in size.
On the chairlift, Camden stresses that he wants to explore the mountain. So off we go to hit Casper once more, then on to the Teton Lift, before heading back down to the Gondola. “I think I’m better than the other five-year-old’s on the mountain,” says Harlow, with sure confidence. “I can handle it,” she adds when we advise her of a particularly steep pitch.
We leave Grandmama at the bottom, her knee reminding her of decades of ski adventures. We all share hugs before making our way back up. To see Francoise, a ski pioneer in Jackson Hole, sharing her passion with the fourth generation, made this a truly unforgettable day.
Actually, any day that four generations ski together is a truly unforgettable day.
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Wonderful story; thank you for sharing it. Years ago, skiing at Mont Tremblant with our young children, we noticed three and four generation families and hoped to do that someday. That day arrived several years ago and I enjoy skiing my children and grandchildren. What a joy!
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love this story! I just turned 70 and was able to share my love for skiing with my 3 year old grandson this year in Steamboat. I can only imagine being in my 90’s and being able to take the great grandkids to the mountain! What a blessing.