Skiing Heritage News

If you have bound volumes or collections of old ski magazines, please consider donating them to ISHA for inclusion in our reference libraries. A tax-deductible donation or bequest will help us produce a better, more useful, more entertaining magazine. Email seth@masia.org to arrange for a pick-up.

SKIING HERITAGE: A quarterly journal

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Second Issue 2009, June, Vol 21 #2 Villars-Bretaye poster

Cover: In the 1930s, the Simplon rail line commissioned this poster to promote the Villars-Bretaye resort in Switzerland. Available from the Mammoth Ski Museum (760) 934-6592.

How Ski Racers Have Changed by Hank McKee
Ski racers are older, bigger and stronger than they were 40 years ago. They start younger and compete longer. The question is, why? One reason: The money. Racing is a profession now, worth training for over decades.

Ralph Miller by Seth Masia
He grew up on the Dartmouth campus, raced for Walter Prager, and was National Downhill Champ. Unofficially, he was the first man to ski over 100 mph. Miller went on to a distinguished career teaching and practicing medicine. After a life-threatening hang-glider accident at age 76, he's finally retired -- to return to skiing.

Dartmouth's Lasting Legacy to U.S. Skiing by Tom West
A skiing powerhouse since 1910, the New Hampshire college leads the list of honorees named to the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame.

1965: A Fantasy of the Future by John Fry; art by Graeme Ross
Imagining what a Playboy ski resort might look like, and a Disney resort too, a Canadian artist created memorably fanciful full-page drawings. The resorts, alas, never materialized.

Remembering Dick Barrymore by Dick Dorworth
A personal memoir of one of the most generously colorful lives in skiing.

Hunter Mountain via Central Casting by Dinah Witchel
50 years ago, Broadway celebrities flocked to a new winter playground. Early investors included Jimmy Hammerstein, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, Kim Novak, Morey Amsterdam, and Christopher Plummer. Opera star Patrice Munsel, the Kennedys, John Lindsay and Johnny Carson helped promote the Catskills ski hill.

A Magic Mammoth Mountain Experience by Dean Ericson
At the end of April, 60 ISHA members and 70 ski historians from around the world gathered at Mammoth for Skiing Heritage Week. Here's a full report, with photos.

Plumas Ski Club's Longboard Revival by Morten Lund; photos by Bonnie Colgan
Longboard racing is alive and well in the Northern Sierra, thanks to the Plumas Ski Club in Quincy, Calif. The club revived the sport with a regular race series, beginning in 1993. During Skiing Heritage Week, the club gave ISHA members a lesson in living history.

2009 Ski History Congress: 12 Countries Strong by E. John B. Allen
A record 56 papers were presented on key developments in the history of skiing. Here's a summary of highlights.

Skiing in the Shadow of Genghis Khan by Morten Lund
Nils Larsen and Naheed Henderson, backcountry skiers from Washington's Cascades, travelled to China's remote Altai Mountains to film a Mongol skiing culture at least 1500 years old. The result is an eye-opening, award-winning DVD.

Historic Gray Rocks Closes by Guy Thibeaudeau
A Laurentian legend, founded in 1905, shut its lifts for the last time at the end of March. Gray Rocks was the cradle of the Learn-to-Ski Week.

Cold Bullets, Hot Borders: The Shooting War that Russia Won by W.D. Frank
Biathlon, a sport requiring speed, strength, endurance and accuracy, was just what was needed to spark Soviet pride. After redefining its sense of nationalism in the crucible of winter warfare, the nation came to dominate international competition through the second half of the 20th century.

Skier's Bookshelf by Morten Lund
A History of Skiing in Colorado by Abbott Fay: 196 pages isn't enough to pack in the full history of skiing in the state. Author Fay tried, but some of the facts are shaky. $11.96 through Amazon.com.
Lost Ski Areas of the White Mountains by Jeremy Davis. The founder of the New England Lost Ski Area Project (nelsap.org) looks at 70 small New Hampshire ski areas, with then-and-now photos. 126 pages, $20 at skimuseum.org
A Mountain Love Affair: The Story of Mad River Glen by Mary Kerr. Roland Palmedo wanted a skier's mountain. That's what he built, that that's what Mad River remains, 60 years later. Here's the whole story. 215 pages, $49 at skimuseum.org
Skiing in Southern California by Ingrid Wicken. A collection of antique photographs to accompany the author's earlier book, Pray for Snow, which recounted the long history of skiing in Southern California. Spectacular photos with lively captions. 126 pages, $19. Call 888-313-2665.

Remembering: Andrea Mead Lawrence, Wolfgang Lert, Bud Phillips, Hannah Locke Carter, Jim Temple and Emo Henrich.

Chairman's Letter: Meet Our Editorial Board by Barry Stone

Long Thongs: Smitten by Iglook by Martie Sterling
First in a series of adventures adapted from the 1984 book Days of Stein and Roses.

Index of Back Issues

JOURNAL OF ISHA, THE INTERNATIONAL SKIING HISTORY ASSOCIATION
The International Skiing History Association is a not-for-profit corporation, whose mission is to preserve and advance the knowledge of ski history and to increase public awareness of the sport's heritage.

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