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ISHA Awards, 2021: Honoring the best histories published in 2020
INTERNATIONAL SKIING HISTORY ASSOC. HONORS 14 OF THE BEST HISTORICAL BOOKS AND FILMS OF 2020 MANCHESTER CENTER, VT (Feb. 8, 2021) – The International Skiing History Association (ISHA), the nonprofit...
99 years of timed slalom racing
1921 was an important year in the history of ski racing. In 1920 the British ski racing pioneer Arnold Lunn, then age 32, became chairman of the Federal Council of British Ski Clubs and thus...
HOW’S YOUR AIM?
Bota bags could be having a moment. These holdovers from skiing’s golden age laugh at today’s need for social distancing. What will skiing, riding and cross-county look like in 2020-2021? Will...
WEST MOUNTAIN
For six decades, West Mountain in upstate New York has been bringing skiers—and racers—into the sport. By Paul Post Spencer and Sara Montgomery moved east to West Mountain, where they’re pursuing...
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
From her home base in Monaco, Pernilla Wiberg, Sweden’s all-time top female alpine racer, is a TV commentator, advocate for World Cup racer safety, entrepreneur, and homeschooling mom. When you’re a...
RESORTS THEN AND NOW
Just a few miles from glitzy St. Moritz, the cultural heart of this Swiss ski region beats quietly in Pontresina. The history of the Swiss resort town of Pontresina is inextricably linked to its...
The Man Who Skied on Rocks
When snow is unavailable, skiers will glide on anything: grass, pine needles, sawdust, sand dunes, volcanic ash, carpet, plastic mat, soap flakes, powdered mica and soda crystals. In 1958, German...
Ski Bum: The Warren Miller Story now on Prime
"Ski Bum: The Warren Miller Story," is now showing on Amazon Prime. The 90-minute film, produced by Patrick Creadon and Christine O'Malley, is based largely on archival footage provided by Warren...
Pandemic takes French resort back to the future
(photo: Architects Charlotte Perriand, Pierre Facheux and Jean Prouve at Les Arcs, fifty years ago.) When Les Arcs closed down last spring, senior managers reflected on the very purpose of ski...
Animators Go Looney Over Skiing
When cartoons take a run at skiing, mayhem ensues. By Jeff Blumenfeld What is quickly learned from total immersion into the golden age of animation, roughly the 1930s through the 1970s, is that when...
Canada’s Forgotten Ski Center
When it opened in 1930, the Seigniory Club was the largest ski resort in Canada...and possibly in North America. By Joseph Graham and Pierre Dumas The historic Le Château Montebello, 50 miles east...
The Cross-Country Caldwells
From Olympic racing to elite coaching, this once-and-future family has had a powerful impact on the sport. By Peter Oliver The Caldwells are America’s first family of cross-country skiers. As elite...
Winter Park Ski Train on Covid-19 Hold
The Winter Park Express ski train, which has hauled Denver skiers through the Moffat Tunnel on and off since 1940, takes another hiatus for the 2020-21 winter season. According to a Winter Park press...
Japan's Lost Ski Areas
Japan’s skiing history is rich and varied. People had long used simple homemade skis to get around, but then in the 1930s the great pioneer Hannes Schneider arrived from the Arlberg to introduce his...
Peter Dodge and the Rebirth of NCAA Racing
A former World Cup and pro racer, Dartmouth’s men’s alpine coach has led the return to relevance of U.S. college racing. By Edith Thys Morgan Although few ski racers have been able to take to the...
A Short History of Catastrophes
When it snows, skiers ski, even amid calamity. That could change with Covid-19. By Andy Bigford Skiers and the industry have confronted and overcome a variety of disasters—wars, gas shortages,...
Commentary: Pandemic and Diversity
By Seth Masia We’ve all heard that ski resorts will operate this coming winter under social-distancing rules. That means limited cafeteria space, restrooms, chairlift seating, lift-line queues and...