U.S. Route 6 runs east-west across Colorado.  From the 1940s into the 1960s it was the main route for skiers going from Denver to Aspen, Vail, or other Colorado ski areas.  For many of us Easterners, Route 6 was our… Continue Reading →

I’m accelerating down the in-run of a natural terrain jump – a “kicker” in today’s parlance.  It’s in the sparse trees, skier’s right of the cliffs above Mid-Vail.  I’m nervous because I’ve never taken this jump before – hell, I’ve… Continue Reading →

If you’re a regular reader of this column, chances are you learned to ski based on the Arlberg technique.  Even if you didn’t get specific instruction from a ski instructor, the way you learned was still influenced by the technique…. Continue Reading →

Popsicle® sticks and duct tape!  If you were skiing in 1969 or 1970, you may have seen some skiers (usually teenage boys) with a crude extension attached to the back of their ski boots made of, you guessed it, Popsicle®… Continue Reading →

The archives of the National Museum of American History in Washington D.C. contain a significant collection of Howard Head’s papers.  Part of that collection is the “Honeycomb Ski” journal which documents Head’s development work from May 1947 to March 1948. … Continue Reading →