Category Columns

This week’s column was supposed to begin: “Greetings from Whistler, British Columbia!”  But due to unfortunate circumstances our trip had to be delayed. Alta Lake was the original name for what we now call Whistler and it became a summer… Continue Reading →

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 →

Last Saturday I was loading my skis into the rack on one of the gondola cars and in the slot next to mine was this pair of long, skinny skis.  I thought for a minute that someone was on cross… Continue Reading →

When I was a kid, every time I wanted to go outside on an extra cold day my mother would insist that I wear an extra pair of socks.  This even applied to skiing.  And we’re talking those thick, ribbed… Continue Reading →

What was the most memorable ski you ever owned?  And I mean “memorable” in a positive sense.  I’m hoping you’ll share your most memorable skis by posting a comment! Let me start things off by sharing my most memorable ski:… Continue Reading →

What do a fan-type snow gun, Lange-Flo, and Hanson ski boots have in common?  They were all invented by the same person: Alden Hanson!  Hanson was the chief scientist for Dow Chemical and a prolific inventor.  He patented the initial… Continue Reading →