Category Columns

So who won that first official ski race on Mount Mansfield? Bob Stewart was the first to correctly identify Dick Durrance. And Bob knew it right off the top of his head! Tom Hubbs also identified Durrance as the winner… Continue Reading →

“On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me” a copy of Retro-Ski: A Nostalgic Look Back at Skiing! Actually on Saturday, January 4th , I’m hosting a book signing/celebration at the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum… Continue Reading →

Chin Clip, National, Nose Dive, Perry Merrill, and Smugglers are familiar trail names to those who ski Stowe regularly. Four out of the five names appeared on a 1941 trail map, but which one did not exist in 1941? Mike… Continue Reading →

The 1964 Winter Olympics held in Innsbruck Austria helped make Stowe’s Billy Kidd a well-known name in the United States. But that wasn’t the only US name that benefitted from the 1964 Olympic spotlight. The US contingent was outfitted in… Continue Reading →

The big news this week is that my book is now available! I compiled some fifty of my columns from the past three years into a book called Retro-Ski: A Nostalgic Look Back at Skiing. The book is available in… Continue Reading →

Until Jean-Claude Killy came along, Stein Eriksen was the most recognizable and influential figure in skiing. Those of us who learned to ski in the 1950s and early 1960s tried to copy his style: skis locked together, exaggerated counter-rotation of… Continue Reading →

I was a senior in college in November, 1967.  One of my skiing buddies asked if I’d be willing to drive into Boston to see a ski movie.  I was up for anything but studying so I said sure! It… Continue Reading →

Are you a Retro-Skier?  In other words, are you a skier who has shared some of the memories included in this column?  Here’s a pop quiz to see how you rate as a Retro-Skier. Yes, I know, once a teacher… Continue Reading →

RetroSki is back for its fourth ski season!  This is going to be an exciting year with more trivia and memories from skiing’s past.  Also this year will include the release of Retro-Ski, the book!  That’s right, I’m publishing a… Continue Reading →

Spring skiing triggers memories from springs past.  This week I’d like to share one that has no particular historical value, but provides a personal example.  Hopefully it will trigger some spring memories for you as well. The first ski season… Continue Reading →