Category Columns

First some additional input on Gordon Lipe and his Release Check. Bill Kornrumpf is a Stowe Host and a member of the Schenectady Wintersports Club (SWC). He recalls that when he joined in 1967 the club had a Lipe Release… Continue Reading →

Toni Matt was a victim of the most common skiing injury during the early days of organized skiing. Granted Matt’s was a severe case, but broken legs were a common occurrence. Before World War II, it is estimated that the… Continue Reading →

Last week I wrote about how an injury motivated Carroll Reed to establish a ski school. But most people associate the Carroll Reed name with ski shops and clothing. It turns out that during his recovery from the broken back,… Continue Reading →

In the early 1930s the Eastern Slope region of New Hampshire was seeing the same growing interest in skiing as Stowe. And also similar to Stowe, skiing accidents would inspire organizations that would stand the test of time. Carroll Reed… Continue Reading →

Organized skiing in the United States began in the 1930s. Here in Stowe that was driven by Roland Palmedo and the Amateur Ski Club of New York. As I wrote last week, falling in those days was an integral part… Continue Reading →

“Know the Code!” Around most ski areas today you’ll see signs that define a Code of Conduct for skiers and riders. But even before there was lift-served skiing there was a Code of Conduct for skiers. Some of the elements… Continue Reading →

Last week I talked about the challenges of winter driving in the RetroSki era and the merits of the much-maligned Corvair. I received more Corvair responses after the paper’s deadline last week as Larry Heath and Bill Kornrumpf joined the… Continue Reading →

Powder days and first tracks are a skier’s dream. Getting to the ski area on a powder day can be a skier’s nightmare! Generally the same weather that produces a good powder day also produces miserable driving conditions. Add into… Continue Reading →

I have written previously about the impact stretch pants had on skiing. In the 1960s they made skiing fashionable and became an integral part of the skiing “uniform”. There were other warmer alternatives, but many of us felt that we… Continue Reading →

The first ski area I skied after moving to Vermont was Sugarbush. That was in early November 1968 and the whole mountain wasn’t open just the lower lifts. You can tell by the date I mean the original Sugarbush. It… Continue Reading →