Explore: Articles
A minefield of moguls for investors
Skiing has always been a perilous journey for public companies. By SETH MASIA If you had put $1,000 into Vail Resorts stock in 2004, your investment would have grown to $14,000 by August 2018. Vail...
Stenmark vs. Vonn: Who was best?
In a poll of Skiing History readers, 59 percent put Stenmark first. Lindsey Vonn’s decision at the beginning of February 2019 to retire, four victories short of Ingemar Stenmark’s 86 World Cup wins,...
The He-and-She Stick
The cover of New Love Magazine (February 1948) celebrated the intimacy of riding uphill on the relatively new T-bar, famously known as a He-and-She Stick Artist: Gloria Stoll Karn. By John Fry Skiing...
Vail CEO Rob Katz on leadership
In a talk to Park City's annual forum on leadership, Vail chairman/CEO Rob Katz explained his take on running North America's largest ski resort enterprise. Katz is an impressive guy, but his take on...
Skijoring’s Wild History
Getting dragged across the snow by horses, planes, reindeer and dogs is a unique sport that’s at least 1,000 years old. By Jay Cowan Skijoring, one of skiing’s oldest activities, has become one of...
The end of the single pole
The sport underwent a revolution more than a century ago, when skiers gradually shifted from a single shaft to holding a pair of poles. By Luzi Hitz with Seth Masia At a military cross country race...
Manhattan Project Skiers: Los Alamos Ski Club Celebrates 75 Years
In 1943, Manhattan Project scientists took to the snow. They’ve never quit. By Seth Masia In July 2018, newspapers around the American Southwest noted the 75th anniversary of the founding of Los...
First Ski Boots Without Laces
Who made the first ski boots without laces? Henke in 1955, right? Wrong. In the postwar years, Joseph Mauron, a 21-year-old Swiss shoemaker, had had it with frozen laces on double-laced boots. He...
Skiing and Surfing: Separated at Birth
Two of the world’s most popular adventure sports have inspired and influenced each other for more than half a century. By Jay Cowan LIFE magazine was likely the first national publication to...
The impact of soaring season pass sales on ski and snowboard participation rates.
By John Fry For 35 years, the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) has reliably measured the volume of winter visits at U.S. areas. The statistic—one skier or snowboarder on the slopes for one day...
Tomm Murstad and the World’s First Ski School for Kids
Tomm Murstad (1915–2001) was an outstanding multi-discipline skier, but is principally remembered in his native Norway as the founder of the first ski school for kids—possibly the first such program...
The Slim Look: Before Bogner’s stretch pants, streamlined skiwear was already in vogue.
The sleek modern skiwear look, it’s typically thought, originated suddenly in 1952 with the Bavarian designer Maria Bogner’s use of Helanca-modified nylon and wool blend to create the first durable...
Man on the White Charger: In January 1968, Skiing Magazine ran this profile, written by John Jerome, of Ed Scott, founder of Scott USA.
Ed Scott may be the most humorous man I’ve ever met. Yet I don’t believe I ever saw him really break up in laughter. Rather, he’ll pursue a line of conversation in a direction that amuses him, and he...
How Has TV Treated Skiing? Not Well.
Skiing was a handy punching bag when television searched for laughs. By Jeff Blumenfeld It was one of the most famous broken legs in modern American history. When comedian Lucille Ball suffered a...
How Many U.S. Skiers and Snowboarders Are There?
Just how many of us are there? That’s a controversial question. By John fry How many people ski in the USA? Or ski and snowboard? Neither of the industry estimates that are typically and most...
A Sport Once White
Photo above: The Rivers Triplets of Long Island are U12 racers who train at Windham Mountain, New York. Left to right: Helaina D. Rivers, Henri D.L. Rivers IV, and Henniyah D. Rivers. By Jay Cowan In...
How Ski Trails Got Their Names
When it comes to trail monikers, no lions and tigers, but plenty of bears—not to mention resort founders, historic events and death threats. By Jeff Blumenfeld I remember December 1973 like it was...
NORTH AMERICA’S FIRST ALL-FEMALE SKI CLUB
Penguin Power! One of North America’s first and most successful ski clubs was created in Quebec entirely by, and for, women. By Cara Armstrong and Lori Knowles Ski clubs have played an important...