Stein Eriksen Revisited

Last week’s trivia asked what do Deer Valley and Sugarbush have in common. The answer I was looking for was that both have a trail named after Stein Eriksen!

Sugarbush has Stein’s Run and Deer Valley has Stein’s Way. Both of those trail names reflect a time when with just a mention of the name “Stein,” everyone knew you meant Stein Eriksen. Stein died some 9 years ago at the age of 88. And I think there are less and less people who appreciate the effect Stein Eriksen had on skiing in the United States and around the world for that matter. So I feel a duty to occasionally revisit Stein to remind everyone.

Stein was born in Oslo Norway on December 11, 1927. His father Marius was an accomplished skier and involved in making skis and bindings. Marius is credited with designing the first bear-trap bindings which at the time were an advance over earlier bindings. Marius was also an Olympic gymnast and Stein trained under him.

Stein’s classic flip had its beginnings during WWII when Stein was a teenager. Norway was occupied by Germany and the Germans banned any skiing competitions among the Norwegians. As a substitute for racing, Stein and his friends began to experiment with doing flips on skis. They would build kickers on remote hills where the Germans wouldn’t find them and keep trying flips until they succeeded. Stein had been in a gymnastics program so it gave him some advantages in performing the aerial maneuvers.

Stein achieved Olympic success in 1952 winning a gold in the GS and a silver in the slalom. Two years later in the World Championships he would take gold in both the GS and slalom.

Stein then decided to turn his growing fame into some money. Everett Kircher, owner of Boyne Mountain in Michigan, offered Stein $5000 to come to the United States and head up the Boyne ski school. Stein said “I’ll accept if you double the offer!” Kircher did double the offer and Stein went to Boyne. That would begin a progression of career moves around the United States. He would direct ski schools at Heavenly Valley (1956), Aspen Highlands (1958), Sugarbush (1964), Snowmass (1967), Park City (1971), and Deer Valley (1981).

Part of Stein’s contract at all those areas was to perform his flips. Every Sunday at 1:00 crowds would gather and Stein would perform. He is credited with helping start the freestyle movement that would thrive in the 1970s.

 The alleged story behind Stein’s Run at Sugarbush is that Stein was riding up the gondola with General Manager Jack Murphy and commented that Sugarbush was a “funny mountain” in terms of trail layout. Murphy responded by challenging Stein to layout his own trail. The result was his namesake trail that still challenges skiers today and has become Sugarbush’s signature spring bump trail.

Stein Eriksen became the director of skiing at Deer Valley when it opened in 1981, a position he would hold until his death in 2015. The elegant 5-star resort was a good match for Stein’s elegant style. The Stein Eriksen Lodge at Deer Valley bears his name although he did not own the lodge. If you’re ever at Deer Valley, it’s a must visit! There’s a lot of Stein pictures and memorabilia. And you can ski to it! We’ve stopped for lunch there on a ski day. Chuck and Jann Perkins say the lodge’s breakfast is outstanding and they take advantage of it any time they’re in Park City.

Unlike Sugarbush, Stein’s Way at Deer Valley is a cruiser. That surprised me a little, but then Stein was getting older. It is a black diamond, but groomed regularly. And Stein liked to cruise! When he was at Snowmass in Aspen, you could join him atop Sam’s Knob at a designated time for a run. We found out this was not a tour! We lost sight of him quickly as he flew down the mountain non-stop!