Famous Skiers: Pioneers & Champions
Famous skiers come in all sorts and varieties: There are those that are famous for their heli skiing achievements, others for winning gold medals in the Olympics, and others for influencing skiing technique. Here are three such famous skiers, who each in their own way have affected the discipline in different forms.
Charles Minot Dole – Ski Patrol Pioneer
Charles Minot Dole, fondly known as “Minnie”, is generally credited with the formation of what we know today as Ski Patrols in our mountain resorts. His story begins with a broken ankle whilst skiing with friends at a Vermont ski area. His friends, with the use of some tin roofing, managed to form a makeshift sled and safely get him off the mountain. Tragically, a few months later, his friend Frank Edson was killed in a ski race. The death could have been avoided had it been for immediate rescue relief. However, this propelled Dole to create the Mount Mansfield volunteer ski patrol, which later, after a visit from Roger F. Langley, president of the National Ski Association, became the National Ski Patrol.
John Jay – Original Ski Film Maker
Warren Miller’s name has become synonymous with ski films the world over. One name you may not have heard about, however, is that of ski film pioneer John Jay. Jay began his filming exploits whilst at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. He would frequently travel to ski at Woodstock, Vermont at the weekends filming with a camera borrowed from his parents. His films can be seen as the start of the true art of ski filmmaking. From here Jay went on to take on the role as the official filmmaker for the New York and New England winter events and festivals. His 1943 film, ‘Ski Patrol’ was perhaps his most famous, and popular, spawning the increase in numbers of recruits to the 10th Mountain Division – interestingly nicknamed “Minnie’s Ski Troops”, after Charles Minot Dole, who lobbied the War Department into creating the group to train troops in mountain and winter warfare.
Bode Miller – The Bad Boy of Skiing
Some skiers make a name for themselves through flawless performances and perfected skiing technique – Bode Miller made his name through winning events in his own courageous form and style. One of the world’s most famous skiers, Miller is a four-time champion in four different skiing disciplines, with 31 World Cup victories. It’s not just his impressive winning record that separated Bode from the crowd however. His often portrayed controversial attitude has given him the title of skiing’s bad boy. How much of this is true, and how much is fabrication through misrepresentation of facts, is something that may never be completely unraveled. What is true is that Bode put all he had into his ski racing. Whilst he may not have always got on with his coaches, he obsessed over learning as much as he could to help him win races, from ski equipment and his own unorthodox technique, to more in depth subtleties of skiing, such as physiology and how the brain works.
Tags: Heli Skiing, Heliskiing, Heli Ski, Heliski, Heli Skiing Tour, Heli Skiing Holiday, Heli Skiing BC, Heli Skiing Resorts, Heli Skiing Lodges