|
pre
1300
|
Overview
of early history: In prehistoric times (dates before 1300 A.D.
are prehistoric) Nordic peoples invent skis. Norse legends include
Ull and Skade (or Skada or Skadi), the god and goddess of skiing.
The Viking Sagas include the first writings about skiing. |
| -5000 |
Primitive
native carves the Rodoy petroglyphs in a cave, depicting a skier
on two skis with one pole. Europe. 5000 B.C. |
|
| -2500 |
Oldest
ski extant is made by a Scandinavian hunter, to be later unearthed
in a peat bog near Hoting Sweden, now known as the Hoting ski. |
| -400 |
First written note
of skis made by Greek historian Xenophon. |
| 1000 |
Canada. Norseman Leif Ericsson
discovers the Western Hemisphere when storms drive him westward
while he tries to return to Norway from Greenland. Landing on the
coast of what later will be either Newfoundland or Nova Scotia,
Canada -- most likely Nova Scotia? Legend holds that skis possibly
first come to North America with Leif Eriksson and company. This
is probably apocryphal, and such should be noted. |
| 1206 |
Norwegian military skiers carry
king's baby Haakon Haakonson to safety over mountains during Civil
War, thus creating one of the most famous legends in backcountry
skiing history. |
| 1555 |
Oldest lengthy written description
of skis and climbing skins written
by Olaus Magnus. |
| 1689 |
Austrian Valasavor publishes Die
Ehre des Herzogtumes Krain. He writes of skiers near Adriatic
using short (5-foot) skis to turn on steep slopes. This may well
be the first time downhill skiing (rather than touring) was promulgated. |
| 1716 |
Messenger on skis warns Norwegian
General of a Swedish attack. With warning, Norwegians surprise Swedes
and drive them from Norway. Success inspires Norwegians to list
all officers in the army who know how to ski. Use of skis in war
ensues. |
| 1739 |
U.S., Colorado, French explorers
Pierre and Paul Mallet reach the headwaters of the Arkansas River
and sight the Rocky Mountains for the first time. |
| 1800 |
Europe, 1800's, Norwegians begin
skiing to the Alps, where skiing had only been done in isolated
areas and not as recreation.Norway, Nordic military ski patrols
organize competitions. This is the foundation of modern Nordic ski
racing, and the origin of skinny skis, which were designed for light
weight and glide on packed racing trails. |
| 1820 |
Pikes Peak, Colorado, U.S., first
Anglo ascent, Edwin James, June. |
| 1827 |
U.S., California, Sierra Nevada
mountains, first non-native crossing, mountain man Jedediah Strong
Smith, May, near Ebbetts Pass. |
| 1830 |
Two ski poles instead of one in
general use in Finland, but not popular elsewhere. |
| 1835 |
Sondre Norheim and friends begin
to refine the skidded stop turns and the telemark turn, named for
Norheim's home region, Telemark. Norheim and associates apply these
turns to to downhill skiing as sport. See 1850 for more Norheim
details. |
| 1841 |
First recorded
use of skis in U.S., Beloit Wisconsin. |
| 1841 |
Time marker: Orizaba volcano,
Mexico, first ascent by soldiers led by William F. Reynolds. |
| 1849 |
California U.S., gold rush, Norwegian
'49ers bring Norwegian snowshoes to California's Sierra mountains.
Most famous Norwegian skier is John 'Snowshoe' Thompson. |
| 1850 |
Sondre Norheim of Morgedal, Telemark,
makes a binding heel strap out of a twisted willow root, thus
allowing
more lateral control, and allowing his group of skiers from Telemark
Norway to make powerful turns with both stem (Christiania) and
telemark
technique. Pop culture tends to credit Norheim with only
telemark technique, reality is that he and his contemps used whatever
worked, including stem turns. (Source: Skiing
Heritage,
Winter 1996, and numerous other references.) |
| 1854 |
Alfred Wills makes early ascent
of Wetterhorn (Switzerland), and begins golden age of European mountaineering,
many first ascents follow in European Alps. |
| 1854 |
Mount Adams, Cascade Mountains,
U.S., first ascent of peak by A.G. Aiken, E.J. Allen, A.J. Burge,
B.F. Shaw. |
| 1856 |
Snowshoe Thompson skis 118 miles
round trip, between Genoa and Placerville California, to begin
his
20 year career as mail carrier on skis. |
| 1857 |
The Alpine Club formed in London,
England. This club drives the development of recreational mountaineering. |
| 1857 |
Guide Jim Baker carves skis with
knife & tries to lead starving Marcy military expedition to
safety in Colorado, U.S., first documented use of skis in Colorado.
(Baker fails, Mexican guide Miguel Alogna saves party, leads them
over Cochetopa Pass). |
| 1859 |
Colorado, U.S., gold rush, many
miners bring knowledge of skiing to state. |
| 1860 |
First ski (then known as snowshoe)
races in California, U.S. |
| 1861 |
Sondre Norheim begins experiments
with ski side-cut -- skis begin the evolution from transport devices
to turning tools. |
| 1863 |
Colorado U.S., mail carrier John
Armstrong dies in avalanche on Mosquito Pass near Leadville Colorado.
He was probably on skis. |
| 1864 |
Methodist minister
John Father Dyer contracted to carry mail across Mosquito Pass,
near Leadville Colorado. Dyer uses skis, is Colorado version of
Snowshoe Thompson. |
| 1865 |
British mountain-climbing party
led by Edward Whymper makes the first ascent of the Matterhorn in
the Alps. Four members fall to their deaths while doing the descent. |
| 1865 |
Most recent volcanic eruption of
Mount Hood, Oregon, USA. |
| 1865 |
Time reference: end of U.S. Civil
War. |
| 1866 |
Sondre Norheim and other skiers from the Telemark region of Norway
demonstrate the Christiania skidded stop turn (could be called
a "parallel" turn), and what is later called the telemark
turn, in an exhibition competition. In regard to backcountry skiing,
it's important to note that both the Christiania turn and the
Telemark turn were used and developed at the time, contrary to
the myth that the Telemark is the original ski turn. ("Christiania"
is the name then of the Norwegian capital, now Oslo. "Telemark"
is a county-like region in Norway.) (Skiing Heritage, Winter
1996.)
|
| 1867 |
First ski club in U.S. formed,
La Porte California, Alturas Snowshoe Club. Alturas Club organizes
annual tournament, perhaps North Americas first downhill ski championships. |
| 1868 |
Public debate in Norway because
telemark and parallel turns are used in competition. |
| 1868 |
Sondre Norheim amazes spectators
at Christiania (Oslo) with his skill and ski gear. |
| 1868 |
Mount Baker, Washington, U.S.,
1st ascent by Edmund T. Coleman, David Ogilvy and another. Ogilvy
wrote: "The party traveled up the Lummi and Nootsac Rivers
by canoe 80 miles, then 20 miles through a desperate country to...the
foot of the mountain" |
| 1870 |
Mount Rainier, Washington, U.S.,
first ascent. |
| 1873 |
February, first record of skiing
in Southern California, in Joseph B. Tyler diary (From Riverside
Community College ski timeline) |
| 1873 |
Mount Whitney, California, U.S.,
first ascent of Mountaineers Route by John Muir. He stated: 'soft,
succulent people should go the mule way,' in those days his route
was a fairly hard snow climb -- these days its most elegant use
is as a ski descent. |
| 1876 |
Snowshoe Thompson dies two years
after the railroad replaced him in U.S., California, Sierra. For
20 years he'd carried the mail twice a month. |
| 1876 |
34 climbers start the Appalachian
Mountain Club (AMC) and publish the first Appalachia, the
club publication. At end of year AMC has 92 members. New England,
U.S. |
| 1881 |
Rogers Pass, Canada, discovered
by Major A. B. Rogers (railway built through pass in 1885, and road
completed in 1962). |
| 1882 |
First eastern ski club in U.S.
formed, Berlin New Hampshire, later named Nansen Ski Club after
Fridtjof Nansen. |
| 1883 |
Silverton, Colorado, mail carrier
Swan Nilson dies in avalanche while on skis. |
| 1884 |
Two Norwegians & two Englishmen
make the first recorded intentional ski ascent of a European mountain:
the Brocken in Germany. |
| 1886 |
Ski races held in Crested Butte,
Colorado, U.S, according to _Outing_ magazine of the next year.
These may have been the first documented ski races held in North
America. |
| 1888 |
Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen
completes 310 mile ski crossing of Greenland using skis and dragging
sleds, interest in skiing is stimulated by Nansen's expedition. |
| 1890 |
Fridtjof Nansen's The First
Crossing of Greenland (Paa Ski Over Grønland), published.
book is popular; adds greatly to the sport. Nansen also promulgates
skiing as a deeper devotion, 'something that develops not only the
body but also the soul...'. |
| 1890 |
Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Locals prove
that Teton Pass works as mail route by carrying the mail on skis
for a season. |
| 1892 |
Inspired by Nansen's book, Austrian
'hermit' Mathias Zadarsky takes up skiing, starts first ski school
in Europe teaching his own method called the Lilienfield technique,
(after his town of Lilienfield). |
| 1892 |
John Muir, enamored to the beauty
and spirituality of the Sierra "'range of light" founds
the Sierra Club, U.S. |
| 1892 |
F.A. Merriam mentions Utah miner's
use of skis in her book, My Summer in a Mormon Village. |
| 1893 |
Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen,
32, tries drift across the polar basin in icebound ship Fram. (also
see 1888). He will drift 18 months in Fram. He'll then travel with
companion by skis across ice to farthest north point to date. |
| 1893 |
America the Beautiful by
Wellesley College professor Katharine Lee Bates, 36, will be set
to the music of Samuel A. Ward's 'Materna' in 1895 and become unofficial
national anthem. Climb up Pike's Peak, Colorado, 1893, inspired
Bates to write poem. |
| 1894 |
Mount Hood, Oregon, U.S., Mazamas
mountain club formed at first meeting at summit of Mount Hood. 105
sign in at summit to become charter members. First of the great
North American alpine clubs. |
| 1894 |
'Toe irons,' the precursors to
modern ski bindings, produced by Fritz Huitfledt, allow greater
control of skis. |
| 1894 |
Arthur Conan Doyle makes second
traverse on ski from Davos to Grindelwald over Furka Pass, writes
widely read article, An Alpine Pass On Ski, that's become
somewhat of an anthem for the present day backcountry crowd. |
| 1895 |
First ski race in Western Canada
at Red Mountain, Rossland, B.C., organized and won by Olaus Jeldness. |
| 1896 |
First recorded fatalities in "modern"
North American mountaineering. Mount Hood, Oregon, U.S., Fredric
Kirn is swept over cliff by rockslide, July 12. Philip Abbot falls
on Mount Lefroy, Canadian Rockies, August 3. |
| 1896 |
Demonetization of silver in the
United States. Mining towns such as Alta, Utah and Aspen, Colorado
go bust, eventually become ski areas because of mountain terrain,
existing infrastructure, and locals desperate for business. |
| 1896 |
Mathias Zdarsky's Lilienfelder
Skilauf Technik book published in Austria, Europe. Documents
his method of control on steep snow using stemming and wedging with
a single pole for turning and braking. (Book may be called Lillienfeld
Skilaufer Technik.) |
| 1897 |
First true alpine ski traverse
in Europe, Wilhelm Paulke crosses the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland.
This was a seminal event that started modern ski mountaineering
as we know it. |
| 1898 |
Grand Teton, Wyoming, U.S., most
likely first ascent of peak by Spaulding and Owen. Some controversy. |
| 1899 |
First recorded use of skis on Mt.
Washington, U.S., by Dr. Wiskott of Breslau, Germany.
(from New England Ski Museum
timeline). |
| 1899 |
Canadian Railway Company brings
two Swiss Guides to Glacier House, Eduard Feuz and Christain Hasler,
climbing in Canada enters a 'new era.' |
| 1899 |
First European ski mountaineers
killed in an avalanche, North American mail carriers on skis had
died previously (see 1863 & 1905). |
| 1901 |
Arlberg ski club founded at St.
Christoph, Europe. |
| 1902 |
First ascent Mount Columbia, Canada,
James Outram & Christain Kaufmann, July. |
| 1902 |
American Alpine Club founded in
U.S., spun off from AMC, does not cover ski mountaineering in other
than minimal fashion. |
| 1904 |
Carter Notch Hut built by AMC,
New Hampshire U.S., perhaps oldest all-season mountaineering hut
still in use in U.S. (Hardly a hut, more of a lean-to shelter.)
Source: AMC Outdoors, November 1994 |
| 1904 |
Hermit Hut built, Canadian Rocky
Mountains, Canada, built by Swiss Guides & owned by Glacier
National Park. |
| 1905 |
First English ski how-to book published.
The Winter Sport of Skeeing. ??? |
| 1905 |
First recorded fatal North American
avalanche triggered by skiers. Two die at Irene Mine, Silverton
Colorado, U.S. (mail carrier avalanche deaths may pre-date this
-- we'll never know if they triggered the avalanches that killed
them). |
| 1906 |
The Mountaineers (Seattle U.S.)
mountaineering club official start. They promote much early skiing. |
| 1906 |
Alpine Club of Canada (ACC), inaugural
meeting and start, Winnipeg, March 27. ACC is spun off of American
Alpine club, which was spun off of Appalachian Mountain Club. ACC
will do much to support and report ski mountaineering. |
| 1906 |
The world's first ski course is
laid out in Europe by Vorarlberg skier Viktor Sohm whose pupils
include Hannes Schneider. |
| 1907 |
Irving Langmuir (Nobel Prize, chemistry ,1932)
skis Northeastern U.S. mountains winter of 1906/1907, including
The Wittenberg (Feb. 23) and Slide Mountain in the Catskill Mountains
of New York State, and Mount Greylock in Taconic Mountains, Massachusetts.
Langmuir was the first 'mountain' skier in North America. He had
attended graduate school in Germany where he presumably had improved
his ski skills to European standards. (Sources: Various publications,
and email conversations with historians.) |
| 1907 |
Alexander Addison "A.A."
McCoubrey moves to Winnipeg Canada and begins to ski. He becomes
one of the most influential ski mountaineers in the formative period
of Canadian ski alpinisim, when skiing was virtually unknown to
most Canadians. |
| 1907 |
World's first permanent ski school
opens at St. Anton, Austrian Arlberg, European Alps. Under direction
of Hannes Schneider, who will develop one system for teaching
tourists and one for future instructors who will then evangelize "Arlberg
Technique." |
| 1907 |
First AMC White Mountain Guide
& first Appalachia Bulletin (now AMC Outdoors)
published, New England, U.S. |
| 1907 |
Mount Greylock, U.S., first ski
ascent and descent by Irving Langmuir. New England, Taconic Range
of Appalachian Mtns. |
| 1908 |
Hannes (Johannes) Schneider begins
refining the 'Christiania' (stem christy) turn, possibly a better
technique for handling unwieldy wooden skis on steep terrain. St.
Anton, Austria, Europe. This is the continued founding of the Arlberg
Technique (see 1907). |
| 1909 |
Fred Harris and 60 other Dartmouth
College students form the Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC), with emphasis
on winter sports. Harris may have been influenced by a winter carnival
already held in Montreal. Some sources give this date as 1910,
which
is perhaps simply the confusion of winter overlapping years. (Sources:
New England Ski Museum Timeline,
book Forest and Crag says first meeting was in January of
1910.) |
| 1909 |
Using two ski poles instead of
one has achieved universal acceptance by this year. |
| 1909 |
Shackelton (1874-1922) does not
use skis while attempting the South Pole, he fails as a result. |
| 1910 |
Largest avalanche accident in North
America, 96 people die when train is hit by avalanche, Stevens Pass,
Washington, U.S. |
| 1910 |
Brighton, Utah, U.S., lineman E.R.
Wright has job of skiing power lines to check for problems. |
| 1910 |
Swiss downhill ski championships
at Grindelwald. Hannes Schneider competes for his first time in
a form of giant slalom. All but Schneider still using telemark turns.
Schneider uses fall-line stem-christie turn and beats everyone by
several seconds. |
| 1911 |
Stem christy turn described
in writing by Carl Luther. U.S.??? |
| 1911 |
Mountaineer and Guide Conrad Kain
founds a ski club in Banff, Canada, and makes the longest jump
of
50 feet. (Source: Where The Clouds
Can Go, Conrad Cain, American
Alpine Club, 1935.) |
| 1911 |
Enos Mills (Colorado, U.S.) publishes
account of racing an avalanche on skis. |
| 1911 |
John S. Apperson skis Killington
Mountain, VT, at the time the highest mountain in Vermont. A resurvey
of the Green Mountains subsequently reveals that Mount Mansfield
is higher. Apperson plans to ski Mansfield, but it never
comes to fruition. (Sources: email with historian Dick Tucker.) |
| 1911 |
Mount Marcy, Adirondack Mountains,
Northeastern U.S., first ski ascent and descent, John Apperson,
Jean Canivet and one other mountaineer. |
| 1911 |
First car reaches Paradise area
on Mount Rainier, Washington, U.S. |
| 1911 |
Amundsen uses skis on the first
expedition to reach the South Pole. |
| 1912 |
First ski ascent of
Mt. Moosilauk, White Mountains, New Hampshire, by Carl Shumway and
Eric Foster. |
| 1912 |
Utah, U.S., Directed by Brigham
Young University coach Charles T. Stoney, several friends and his
two sons start creating a casual group of people to focus on outdoor
recreation. This was the start of the Wasatch Mountain Club. |
| 1912 |
Colorado Mountain Club (CMC) founded,
U.S. |
| 1913 |
Possible first ski descent, Mount
Washington, New Hampshire, U.S., March 10, (Road used for ascent
and presumably
most of descent, this group may not have taken skis to and from
the summit, and thus may NOT be the first ski descent.), Fred Harris
with Dartmouth Outing Club group, including Carl E.
Shumway
and
Joseph
Y. Cheney.
(Sources: book Forest and Crag, email
with historians Mort Lund and Dick Tucker.) |
| 1913 |
First ski lift in U.S., Truckee
Calif (was not a chair lift, see Sun Valley for first chair lift.) |
| 1913 |
First skiing of record in Tuckerman Ravine
on Mt. Washington, U.S., 9 March: Plans for climbing Mount Washington
(by the Dartmouth Outing
Club,
actually
Carl E.
Shumway)
were delayed
by a furious storm raging on the mountain. Prudence dictated an
alternate plan: a safer excursion into Tuckerman Ravine instead.
Therefore, a large Dartmouth Outing Club party of snowshoers and
skiers hiked and skied into Tuckermans Ravine. Those on skis were
Carl E. Shumway, Joseph Y. Cheney, E.S. Bidwell, G. L. 'Eric' Foster
, F.H. Weed, and G.M. Rundlett. (Source
and Reference: Research reported by Dick Tucker via email., Tucker,
Richard E., "Skis in Tuckerman Ravine," Journal of the
New England Ski Museum, No. 57, Winter '02-03, pp. 1, 4-15, 32.) |
| 1914 |
Early skiing in Tuckerman
Ravine on Mt. Washington, U.S., March 8, John S. Apperson, Irving
Langmuir, and Fred Harris lead a group of DOC members into Tuckerman
Ravine. Among the DOC on skis were Dartmouth students and alumni:
Harold Goddard Rugg, '06, Dartmouth librarian; Joseph L. (Larry)
Day, '14, president of DOC; Philip Durant Smith, '15, vice-president
of DOC; Arthur J. Conley, '16, Class Treasurer; and Charles H.
Dudley, '16. (History books call this the 'first' ski tour
in Tuckermans, but research shows it was at least the
second, see first above.) (Source
and Reference: Research reported by Dick Tucker via email., Tucker,
Richard
E., "Skis
in Tuckerman Ravine," Journal of the New England Ski Museum,
No. 57, Winter '02-03, pp. 1, 4-15, 32.)
|
| 1914 |
Probable true first ski descent of Mount Washington
U.S., March 9, John Apperson and Irving Langmuir. Judging from
the fact that Apperson and Langmuir were incredibly accomplished
skiers (Langmuir having learned ski mountaineering in Europe and
by this time with at least 7 years of ski mountaineering in the
Northeastern U.S.) it's likely that both men took their skis to
the summit and
skied back down.) (Source and Reference:
Research reported by Dick Tucker via email. Tucker, Richard
E., "Skis
in Tuckerman Ravine," Journal of the New England Ski Museum,
No. 57, Winter '02-03, pp. 1, 4-15, 32.) |
| 1914 |
World War 1 begins in Europe,
lasts until 1918. During war years, ski mountaineering was relatively
dormant in North America. |
| 1914 |
Mount Mansfield, U.S., Northeast,
first ski by Nat Goodrich. |
| 1915 |
Informal 'Rough Neck Ski Club,'
a group of college and high-school students from Salt Lake City,
Utah, U.S., make headlines with their ski adventures in the Brighton
area. |
| 1917 |
Wasatch Mountain Club organized,
ski trips scheduled in foothills near Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. |
| 1920 |
By now Hannes Schneider has created
a formalized instructional system based on the stem turn (christy)
turn, subsequently known as the Arlburg technique. Schneider advocates
not using the telemark turn. |
| 1920 |
Skiers in Lake Placid Club, New
York state, New England, U.S., form Sno-birds ski club. By 1922
have 500 members. |
| 1921 |
Pikes Peak, Colorado, U.S., first
ski descent, Grame McGowan. |
| 1921 |
First 'ski movie' made by German
Filmmaker Dr. Arnold Fanck, _The Ski Chase_, featuring Hannes Schneider
and his buddies in Austria's Arlberg, Europe. |
| 1922 |
Haystack Mountain, Adirondack Mountains,
U.S., first ski ascent and descent Jackrabbit Johannsen & John
Apperson. February 26. Reference from R. Tucker email: "From
records found in the John S. Apperson Papers at the Adirondack Research
Library here in Schenectady [N.Y.], I have discovered that the trip
was organized by John Apperson, Irving Langmuir and Fred Stone.
Along with their friends, Claude Huston, L.D. Jones and F.S. Bennett,
all of Schenectady, they recruited H. Smith-Johannsen of the Lake
Placid Club to come along with them. In the event, only Johannsen,
Apperson, Huston, Jones and Bennett summitted." This event
is dated wrong in Wild Snow, both editions, due to the book
Forest and Crag promulgating the 1920 date. |
| 1922 |
In Europe, Arnold Lunn organizes
world's first timed slalom ski race with international flavor. |
| 1922 |
Mexico, Club de Exploraciones de
Mexico A.C. founded (CEMAC). |
| 1922 |
California, U.S., Mount Shasta,
Shasta Alpine Lodge built by Sierra Club. |
| 1922 |
Southern California, Mt. San Antonio
(Mt. Baldy), first ski ascent, George O. Bauwens (from Riverside
Community College ski history timeline) |
| 1922 |
Mount Rainier, first winter ascent,
Jacques Bergues, Jean & Jacques Landry. Skis used to just below
Anvil Rock on Muir Snowfield. |
| 1923 |
Carl Blaurock and William Ervin
first men to climb all Colorado fourteeners (counted as 46 at that
time). |
| 1924 |
First Winter Olympics, Chamonix
France, Europe, nordic ski events only. |
| 1924 |
First skiing in the Pacific Northwest,
U.S., again by Norwegian immigrants. |
| 1924 |
Possible first use of train by
organized skiers: Wasatch Mountain Club, Utah, U.S., starts
regular organized ski trips via train through Parley's Canyon out
of Salt Lake City, where riders debark at Parleys Summit and backcountry
ski, snow play, etc. This was not a specially chartered train (but
rather a regular scheduled run used by skiers), so may not count
as the first North American "ski train." (Source: Skiing
in Utah , by Alexis Kelner. Page 20, Chapter 1.) |
| 1925 |
The Wonders of Skiing
(Wunder des Schneeschuhs) published by Hannes Schneider and
a Dr. Frank, book sells upwards of 100,000 copies on release, is
perhaps best selling skiing book ever, translated into English in
1931. |
| 1925 |
Mount Logan, Canada, first ascent
by Captain A.H. MacCarthy & party. |
| 1925 |
John Hart's _Fourteen Thousand
Feet_ published, guide to Colorado Fourteeners (Hart was a past
president of American Alpine Club). |
| 1926 |
Katahdin, Maine, U.S., first ski
ascent by Arthur Comey, with Robert Underhill on crampons. Unknown
if Comey skied from exact summit, he certainly skied down most of
the peak and thus can lay claim to the first ski of Baxter Peak/Katahdin.
New England. |
| 1927 |
Second 'ski train' in North American
run by Canadian Pacific Railroad, transports ski enthusiasts from
Montreal to the Laurentian Mtns. (See 1924 for first ski train). |
| 1927 |
Bend, Oregon, U.S., Skyliners ski
club formed, lodge built at Windy Ridge on McKenzie Highway. |
| 1927 |
Mountains of Youth published
by Arnold Lunn, describes joys of ski mountaineering. 'You glory
in the sense of control...,' he wrote, '...You are playing with
gravity. You are master of snow.' |
| 1928 |
Rudolph Lettner invents and patents
the steel edge, Salzburg Austria. Europe. |
| 1928 |
Englishmen Lord Roberts and Arnold
Lunn challenge Hannes Schneider and the Arlberg club to ski race,
perhaps first modern organized races. |
1928 |
First alumnium ski was likely developed this
year. According to email from ski historian Seth Masia: "In looking
over the collection of the Musee Dauphinois in Grenoble, I see
they have an aluminum ski dating from 1928, and a more sophisticated
aluminum ski, designed for randonee, manufactured in 1934 by M.
Vicky. The Vicky ski has a pattern of gripper wedges milled
into the bare metal base, to serve as a sort of prehistoric waxless
kicker pattern." |
| 1928 |
Erling Strom and the Marquis d'Albizi
lead a group to Mount Assiniboine near Banff and innugurate backcountry
ski touring in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. |
| 1928 |
Orland Bartholomew solo skis 200+
mile Muir Trail through Sierra Nevada, California. Route not repeated
until 1970. During trip, Bartholomew makes near summit ski descent
of Mount Whitney (from 14,000-foot level), plus Mount Tyndall and
Mt. Langley. |
| 1929 |
First skiing on Canada's Columbia
Icefield, Joe Weiss, winter. |
| 1930 |
Skoki Lodge built in Canadian Rockies,
completed in September, first guests arrive in Spring of 1931. |
| 1929 |
Auburn Ski Club formed in Tahoe
California area, club is influential in promoting skiing of all
sorts. |
| 1930 |
First winter ascent, Mount Resplendent,
British Columbia, Canada, Pete L. Parsons. Skis used for most of
route. |
| 1930 |
Invention of Cougar Milk drink
causes burst of Canadian ski exploration. |
| 1930 |
Utah, U.S., Wasatch Mountain Club
completes the Wasatch Mountain Club Lodge at Brighton. Lodge is
underused due to access problems and the economics of the depression
erra. Popularity increases in 1938. |
| 1930 |
Birth of ski exploration in Coast
Mountains, Canada, Mr. & Mrs. Don Munday report in Canadian
Alpine Journal on 'Ski-climbs in the Coast Range.' Including first
ski ascent of Mount Munday. This CAJ (1930) is first Journal to
cover ski mountaineering. |
| 1930 |
200 mile ski traverse from Jasper
to Lake Louise, January. Canada, Canadian Rocky Mountains. F. Burstrom,
V. Jeffery, A. L. Withers, D. Jeffery, J.A. Weiss. 15 days. This
represents birth of ski exploration in Rockies. |
| 1930 |
Don and Phyllis Munday make ski
climb of Mount Munday, Canadian Coast Mountains. |
| 1930 |
First ski ascent/descent, Mount
Baker, Cascades, U.S., Ed Loness, Robert Sperlin (May). |
| 1931 |
Mount Washington,
U.S., Tuckerman Ravine, first descent of headwall, Charles N. Proctor
and John Carleton. |
| 1931 |
Snow Dome, Columbia Icefield, Canada,
First ski ascent and descent, Joe Weiss, Clifford White, Russell
Bennett, March 19. |
| 1931 |
'Ski Section' added to table of
contents in 1931 Canadian Alpine Journal. Small amounts of skiing
covered before then. |
| 1931 |
First (non summit)
ski ascent/descent of Mount Hood, Oregon, Andre Roch, Hjalmar Hvam,
Arne Stene, April 26. While there is little probablity that the
three men skied down from the summit, their ascent/descent set
the speed record for the day, 8 hours and 49 minutes from downtown
Portland, Oregon, round-trip. The group drove from Portland to
a point near the mountain. (From various sources, including book Mount
Hood, A Complete History.) |
| 1931 |
2nd edition of John Jerome Hart's
Fourteen Thousand Feet, guide to the Colorado 14,000 foot
peaks, published by the Colorado Mountain Club, combined with
Elinor Kingery's Climber's guide to the High Colorado Peaks. |
| 1931 |
Northern Presidential Range ski
traverse (White Mountains, New Hampshire, U.S.), by Fritz Wiessner
and Milana Jank, a female German alpinist, January. |
| 1932 |
Zealand Falls Hut, New Hampshire,U.S.,
built (one of only several ski huts in New England). |
| 1932 |
Mount Resplendent, Canadian Rocky
Mountains, U.S., first ski descent, Rex Gibson & Joe Weiss.
See Parsons in 1930 for first winter ascent and partial ski descent. |
| 1932 |
Winter Olympics, Lake Placid N.Y.,
U.S., radio narration by Lowell Thomas makes skiing a fad that lasts.
New England. |
| 1932 |
Erling Strom leads successful
ski expedition on Mt. McKinley, Muldrow Glacier, Alaska, U.S.
(Source: The Ski Book, edited by Morten Lund, has a complete
account written by Strom) |
| 1932 |
Alan Carpe and Theodore Koven die
in crevasse fall on Mt. Mckinley, accident discovered by Erling
Strom. Carpe falls in crevasse unroped, Koven falls in with skis
attached, breaks his skis, survives and climbs out, but dies of
exposure without skis for travel. |
| 1932 |
First ski exploration of the Wapta
Icefields, British Columbia, Canada, Alex A. McCoubrey, Roger Neave,
Ferris Neave, Campbell Secord. |
| 1932 |
First ski exploration of Yoho Valley,
British Columbia, Canada, A. A. McCoubrey, Roger Neave, Major H.
Westmorland. |
| 1932 |
First rope tow in N.A., Shawbridge
Quebeck, Canada, opens Jan. 2. Proletariat engineering uses an automobile
for power, the design is easily imitated. Once people got a taste
of skiing without climbing up, they wanted more. |
| 1932 |
Fred Brown 'Tarzan of the Tetons'
and Allyn Hanks make the first known backcountry ski trip in Grand
Teton National Park. |
| 1932 |
Mount Adams, Cascades, U.S., First
ski ascent/descent, Hans-Otto Giese, Hans Grage, Otto Strizek, Walter
Mosauer, Sandy Lyons. |
| 1933 |
United States Civilian
Conservation Core (CCC) created by President Franklin Roosevelt.
CCC employs 3 million people in public works projects. Work included
cutting hundreds of ski trails through the timber and brush of the
Northeastern U.S., New England. |
| 1933 |
Mount St. Helens, Cascade Mountain,
U.S., earliest ski ascent and likely ski descent of record, Hans-Otto
Giese, Otto Strizek, June. (Source: Lowell Skoog correspondence
reference to Mountaineers Monthly Bulletin.) |
| 1933 |
'I suppose we could have been called
ski bums, but we tried not to behave like... bums,' explained Ted
Ryan about the rowdy crew of American ski racers he traveled with
in the early 1930s, including Dick Durrance. (Source, video.) |
| 1934 |
Coast Range, Canada, first crossing
of Waddington Range on skis, Sir Norman Watson, E.B.King, Clifford
White, guide Camille Couttet, and Beauman. Trip covered in book
Round Mystery Mountain. |
| 1934 |
Carl Blaurock and companions ski
Mount Bierstadt, Colorado, U.S., starting from Guanella Pass, Jan
1. |
1934 |
Possibly first dedicated aluminum randonnee
ski made in Europe. According to ski historian Seth Masia: "In
looking over the collection of the Musee Dauphinois in Grenoble,
I see they have...aluminum ski, designed for randonee, manufactured
in 1934 by M. Vicky. The Vicky
ski has a pattern of gripper wedges milled into the bare metal
base, to serve as a sort of prehistoric waxless kicker pattern." |
| 1934 |
First rope tow in U.S. at Suicide
Six, Vermont. Beginning of split between resort skiing and backcountry
skiing, helped along by the fact that you didn't have to climb for
your turns anymore. |
| 1934 |
November 7, Ski Mountaineers Section,
Sierra Club, formed by Walter Mosauer. He and thirteen others
make up the charter group that includes ski and mountaineering
legands such as Glen Dawson, who went on to be with the 10th Mountain
Division and skied the Trooper
Traverse from Leadville to Aspen, Colorado. (Source: Riverside
Community College, Southern California Ski History timeline).
|
| 1935 |
Wasatch Mountain Club completes
construction of lodge at Brighton, Utah, U.S., which becomes 'ski
center of Utah.' |
| 1935 |
Grand Teton, Wyoming, U.S., first
winter ascent by Fred Brown, Paul Petzoldt, Eldon Petzoldt. |
| 1935 |
Amstadt springs invented; these
attached skiers heel to ski, but allowed a lifted heel under tension.
Skier could achieve a forward position (verlage). In essence this
was a precursor to modern fixed heel boots with articulated cuffs. |
| 1936 |
Andre Roch and Dr. Guenther Langes
come to Aspen at the behest of the Highland Bavarian corporation.
They survey ski potential, and Roch makes the first ski descent
of Ski Hayden (which he names), and skis it three times that winter
(in 1937). Colorado. |
| 1936 |
Otto Eugen Schniebs makes major
trip to Colorado's Elk Mountains, spends a month skiing peaks between
Aspen and Crested Butte, uses original Tagert Hut. Publishes adventure
in subsequent book American Skiing. |
| 1936 |
First Alpine Club of Canada Ski
Camp held at Lake O'Hara in the Canadian Rockies. These ski camps
are influential in teaching ski skills and promoting the sport. |
| 1936 |
Winter Olympics include downhill
ski events for the first time. American Dick Durrance is 8th in
slalom and 10th in downhill. Norwegian Berger Ruid (spelling?) wins
jumping and downhill, he uses christiania/arlberg technique to win
downhill.With downhill skiing in the Olympics, downhill equipment
begins to diverge from previous designs that worked well for both
turning and downhill. This change is hastened by the proliferation
of rope tows and ski lifts. |
| 1936 |
Sun Valley Lodge ski resort opens
near Ketchum, Idaho, where Union Pacific chairman W. Averell Harriman
has built it to compete with the Canadian Pacific's Banff-Lake Louise
resorts. First chairlift in the world built at Sun Valley. |
| 1936 |
San Antonio Ski Hut built, San
Gabriel Mountains, California, U.S., by pioneer Walter Mosauer with
backcountry ski chapter of Sierra Club. Subsequently burns and is
rebuilt in 1937. |
| 1937 |
Mount Field, Yoho Natonal Park,
Canada, first ski ascent and descent (partial) by A.A. McCoubrey
& Norman Brewster. |
| 1937 |
Timberline Lodge dedicated by President
Franklin Roosevelt, Mount Hood, Oregon, USA. Disgruntled reactionary
skier/mountaineer attempts to steal the President's toilet seat,
so he can 'frame a picture of the President.' |
| 1937 |
Otto Steiner ski traverses California
Sierras, U.S., from west to Mount Whitney then back to Mineral King,
in 10 days. |
| 1937 |
WPA workers make Badger Pass in
California an all-season road, area becomes center for California
skiing, with much backcountry activity. |
| 1937 |
WPA workers, led by Ab Coleman
and Charles Lot, cut 'Toll Road' ski trails on Mount Mansfield,
Vermont, U.S. New England. |
| 1937 |
Coast Range, Canada, first ascent
of Mount Sir Richard, Franklin Glacier region, including ski ascent
and descent. W.A. Don Munday, Mrs. Don Munday, Philip H.G. Brock. |
| 1937 |
Ketchum, Idaho, U.S., Pioneer Cabin
ski touring center built by Union Pacific Railroad (UP Board Chairman
Averell Harriman). Instructors Florian Haemmerle, Andy Hennig and
Victor Gottschalk pioneer hundreds of ski routes. (see 1948). |
| 1938 |
First Canadian chair lift, Mont
Tremblant, Quebec. |
| 1938 |
Alta, Utah, U.S., ski lift built
and operated. First in Utah, soon followed by rope tows at Brighton
and Parleys Canyon. |
| 1938 |
United States National Ski Patrol
established, Minot 'Minny' Dole first chairman. |
| 1938 |
First ski ascent/descent, North
Star Mountain, Cascade Mountains, US; Ralph Eskenazi, Sigurd Hall,
Dwight Watson, via Phelps Creek Basin (Reference: Beckey Alpine
Guide.) |
| 1938 |
Brighton Utah, U.S., Wasatch Mountain
Club Lodge popularity increases. 'Anyone who skis is welcome to
make our lodge his headquarters,' states Mountain Club president
Charles Pfeiffer. |
| 1938 |
Southern California.
In March of 1938, after Walter Mosauer’s death at an early
age from plant poisoning, the Sierra Club Ski Mountaineers (founded
by Mosaur) sought approval from the Forest Service to construct
a hut on the slopes of San Gorgonio. When it was realized that approval
would not be granted for construction on San Gorgonio, the funds
were used to build the Keller Peak Ski Hut. The hut was completed
that same year. |
| 1938 |
Norway, Thor Thorgeson invents
the aluminum ski, but his marketing is not successful. (see 1944
for false claim of first). |
| 1938 |
First ski ascent/descent Glacier
Peak, Cascades, Canada, via Kennedy Glacier, Sigurd Hall, Dwight
Watson (July). |
| 1939 |
World War II begins in Poland,
September 1. |
| 1939 |
Hannes Schneider, inventor of Arlberg
technique, comes to New Hampshire Feb 9. Is welcomed with a gleeful
ceremony. |
| 1939 |
Toni Matt shusses Tuckermans
Ravine during third and last American Inferno ski race organized
by Joe Dodge. |
| 1939 |
Otto Schniebs' American Skiing
published. Includes chapters on high mountain backcountry skiing
in Elk Mountains, Colorado. |
| 1939 |
Europe, Andre' Tournier, famous
French mountaineer, makes ski descent of the Aiguille Argentiere
glacier; cutting edge for the gear and standards of the day. |
| 1939 |
First safety binding with mechanical
release, 'Safe-Ski' bindings designed and marketed by Hjalmar Hvam
of U.S., Beaverton Oregon. Binding used a cable for heel hold, and
thus allowed either a free-heel or fixed heel use. |
| 1940 |
Yosemite, California, U.S., Ostrander
ski hut completed October 26 near Badger Pass. Hut built by Civilian
Conservation Corps as part of an experimental hut & trail system. |
| 1940 |
Alta, Utah, U.S., Dick Durrance
devises "double dipsy" powder turn. This quick heel thrust
turn with independent leg action works better for Alta's steep trees
and chutes, is basically the invention of modern powder skiing. |
| 1940 |
Primitive Lake Louise/Jasper road
opens in Canada (replaces pack trail). |
| 1940 |
Ruth Mountain, Cascades, U.S.,
early ski ascent/descent by Fred Beckey and 3 others. |
| 1940 |
Eldorado Peak, Cascades, U.S.,
early ski descent by Fred Beckey, Lloyd Anderson & Dwight Watson. |
| 1940 |
Frenchman Emile Allais' powerful
'parallel' ski technique gains popularity, is based on unweighting
and using no no stem. The technique required a solid boot/ski connection,
and the long-thong heel lashing system ensued, as did steeper skiing. |
| 1940 |
Emile Allais & Etienne Livacic
ski north face of Dome du Gouter on Mount Blanc, France, Europe;
this is a pioneer extreme descent. |
| 1941 |
Start of the war years of WWII
for the United States, (Canada had declared war along with Britain
and the rest of the Commonwealth in September 1939. Japanese attack
Pearl Harbor, December 7. |
| 1941 |
Fort Lewis, Washington, U.S., 87th
Mountain Regiment is formed, will become 10th Mountain Division. |
| 1941 |
James Laughlin of Alta Utah proposes
ski huts to Forest Service. 'Until we have them, ... American skiers
will never know what it means to tour ... touring is the real cream
of skiing.' Fourteen huts are planned, three are built (in 1948). |
| 1941 |
Utah U.S., first avalanche death
of ski tourer in that state, January 1. |
| 1941 |
Minot Dole appointed to work with
the U.S. Army to create ski troops. |
| 1941 |
November 15, 1941, the 87th Mountain
Regiment created to specialize in mountain and cold weather warfare.
The tyro infantry begins training at Fort Lewis, Washington. They
do several trips on Mount Rainier and in Olympic Mountains. |
| 1942 |
87th Mountain Infantry (to become
10th Mountain Division) moves to Camp Hale (Pando), Colorado. U.S. |
| 1942 |
Manual of Ski Mountaineering
published by University of California Press. This is first North
American how-to book on back country skiing. U.S. Mostly written
by David Brower. |
| 1942 |
Fred Beckey and partners make summer
ski traverse from Mount Waddington to Tiedemann Glacier, Canada.
'Our teen-age success was shocking news to the Canadians.' wrote
Beckey about making the second ascent of Waddington just after his
ski trip. |
| 1943 |
Canadian mountain troops train
in Canada, trips are done on the Columbia Icefield, first winter
ascents made of Mt. Kitchener, Mount Andromeda, and Nigel Peak.
Many men were trained in mountain skiing. American Army instructors
from Camp Hale help. |
| 1943 |
Mount Elbert (14,433 feet), Colorado,
U.S., Colorado's highest peak, first ski descent by John Ambler
and friends. |
| 1943 |
Volunteers from Canadian Division
of 8th Army use skis to carry supplies to snow-stranded soliders
in Europe. |
| 1944 |
Trooper
Traverse from Pando to Aspen, Colorado, U.S., by 10th Mountain
Division soldiers. (Source: Denver Public Library and Dawson archive.) |
| 1944 |
10th Mountain Division moves from
Colorado to Camp Swift, Texas, June 22. U.S. |
| 1944 |
The Lovat Scouts (Scottish Troops)
train for winter warfare in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. |
| 1944 |
Early (have been claimed to be
first, but see 1928 and 1938) all metal skis made at Dow Chemical,
Northeast, U.S., by M.M. Moyle and tested by Sepp Ruschp at Stowe,
Vermont and at several other ski areas. |
| 1945 |
Circa 1945, Utah, Norwegian ski
jumpers and racers Alf and Sverre Engen refine Durrance's single
dipsy (see above) powder turn and use both skis as a solid platform,
it's called the "double dipsey" and is simliar to technique
used by most modern powder skiers. |
| 1945 |
10th Mountain Division of U.S.
Army ships to Italy, battles of Riva Ridge, Belvedere, Po River
offensive, 10% casualties in heroic combat. Skis used for several
patrols around and on Riva Ridge and other areas of Apennine Mountains.
Europe. Skis never used in combat. |
| 1945 |
Japanese surrender Sept. 2., End
of World War II. |
| 1946 |
10th Mountain vet Fritz Benedict
and Jay Laughlin fix up John Stubaggr's old dam tender's cabin
above Ashcroft, Colorad. Hut burns several years later and
is rebuilt as Tagert Hut. U.S. |
| 1946 |
Birth of first hippie that would
eventually telemark. |
| 1946 |
Jackrabbit Johannsen (Shawbridge
Mass.) ghost writes new edition of the Sweet
Caporal Skier's Books, a series of 80 booklet
guides to skiing in the Laurentian
mountains and possibly areas in the Northeastern
U.S., sponsored by Sweet Caporal cigarettes. |
| 1947 |
Skiing above Aspen Colorado, first
is inspired by community and is taken over by Walter Paepcke when
he forms the Aspen Skiing Corporation. Corporate skiing initially
benefits the community, then drives the devolution of Aspen. |
| 1947 |
Alpine Club of Canada builds log
'A. O. Wheeler Hut' on Rogers Pass, Canada, near Glacier train station.
Skiers use hut, but not in great numbers until Trans-Canada highway
is built through the pass in 1962. |
| 1947 |
Howard Head makes his first metal
composite (combination of plastic and metal) ski. 'They all broke
that winter at Stowe,' he said. |
| 1947 |
Mount Shasta, California, U.S.,
first documented summit ski descent by Fletcher Hoyte and 4 other
men, December 30. |
| 1947 |
Last adult x-c races for two decades
held in Utah, winter of 1947/1950. Citizens races at Park city
started
again in 1970's. This is an interesting marker that validates the
common wisdom that x-c skiing went through a stagnant period in
the 1950's. |
| 1947 |
Vic Hasher (Nordic and alpine ski
champion) and others log 1,168 miles backcountry skiing exploring
Mineral King California area, survey for ski resorts, winter 1947/48
and 48/49. Hasher lived in Forest Service cabin below Mineral King
Village. U.S. |
| 1948 |
Mount Rainier, Washington, U.S.,
first ski descent of peak. Route used is Northeast Side, Emmons
Glacier and Glacier Basin. Kermit Bengtson, Dave Roberts, Cliff
Schmidtke, Charles E. Welsh. |
| 1948 |
Wasatch Mountains, Utah, U.S.,
three backcountry ski huts completed, only one (Point Supreme hut)
currently exists. Aparently, these were huts when huts weren't cool. |
| 1948 |
Vic and Bea Hasher host notables
such as Otto Steiner, Lowell Thomas, and Andre Roch at their Mineral
King cabin in California. |
| 1948 |
Idaho, Sun Valley, _Sun Valley
Ski Guide_ published by Andy Hennig, is complete guide to alpine
tour skiing in the greater Sun Valley area (Pioneer & Smoky
Mountains). This is North America's first guidebook for high mountain
ski touring. |
| 1949 |
Mad River Glen ski area, Vermont,
U.S., established by Roland Palmedo, remains one of few lift served
areas in U.S. with a preponderance of natural snow. |
| 1949 |
Alta, Utah, U.S., Norwegians Alf
and Sverre Engen refine powder skiing using both skis as one platform
in the fall-line. |
| 1949 |
Steve Bradly (director of Winter
Park ski resort, Colorado, U.S.) invents the Bradly Packer Grader
(a gravity powered slope groomer) and the demise of natural snow
begins. |
| 1950 |
Howard Head invents functional
metal/wood sandwich ski, U.S. Skis are tested at Tuckerman Ravine.
'I wound up making 39 unsuccessful models... the fortieth was the
one. So in spring of 1950 I went into production...it really was
a success...' |
| 1950 |
Cubco spring-loaded latched-heel
binding introduced. First release binding with semi step-in; precursor
to modern step-in bindings. Invented/manufactured in U.S. New Jersey.
Followed a few years later by the Miller step-in binding. |
| 1951 |
Artifical snow making patented
by Milton Pierce. |
| 1951 |
First stretch ski pants by Bogner
of Germany. 'Back in the early days, my pants were baggy and my
face was smooth, and now my pants are smooth and my face is baggy,'
says Fred Iselin a few years later. |
| 1951 |
Mount Blanc, France, July 21. First
ski descent by American Bil Dunaway and well known French mountaineer
& guide Lionell Terray. This was a pivotal event in the history
of ski mountaineering and extreme skiing. |
| 1951 |
Colin Wyatt's Call of the Mountains
published, covers worldwide backcountry ski odyssey. |
| 1952 |
Sun Valley, Idaho, U.S., backcountry
ski pioneer and guide Victor Gottschalk killed in avalanche on Lookout
Bowl. Avalanche on Bromaghin Peak destroys Owl Creek sk cabin. These
events end the operation of the Sun Valley ski touring school. |
| 1952 |
Sir Arnold Lunn knighted by Queen
for 'services to British skiing and Anglo-Swiss relations (on Jul.
8). First knighthood for anything related to skiing or mountaineering. |
| 1955 |
_Summit Magazine_ begins publication
in Bishop California. First widely distributed North American mountaineering
magazine, has ski mountaineering articles. |
| 1955 |
First buckle boot, Henke Speedfit.
First skis with modern plastic bases. |
| 1955 |
New ski technology allows tighter
continuous turns in the fall line, known as 'wedlin.' The wedlin
becomes popular and is taught by most ski schools; is another powerful
technique that helps backcountry skiers to gracefully handle difficult
snow. |
| 1956 |
Mount Whitney, California, U.S.,
first ski descent from summit. Paul Arthur and Larry Yout. |
| 1957 |
John Herman is killed while making
the most famous avalanche footage ever filmed, Berthod Pass, Colorado,
U.S., Dam Slide. |
| 1957 |
Bob Lange, U.S., introduces the
first plastic ski boots, soon to be known as 'plastiques fantastiques,'
by appreciative French ski racers. |
| 1958 |
Bugaboos to Rogers Pass, Canada,
ski traverse completed by Bill Briggs, Bob French, Sterling Neale,
Barry Corbet. |
| 1959 |
First fiberglass ski designed,
built, and tested by Fred Lagendorf. Rave reviews by testers, but
didn't go to market until 1966. |
| 1959 |
Mountain Club of Alaska members
Lois Willard, Tony Bockstahler & Helga Bading make ski climb
of 'Peak behind the Ski Bowl.' (Rendezvous Peak?). Alaska, U.S. |
| 1960 |
Hans Gmoser leads group on Canadian
Continental Divide Traverse from Kickinghorse Pass Columbia Icefield
(1/2 the trip to Jasper). |
| 1960 |
'If you remember the 60's you weren't
there,' said comedian Robin Williams many years later. |
| 1960 |
Anchorage, Alaska, U.S., ski descent
of Flattop Peak by MCOA members Chuck Metzger, Helga Bading, Paul
Crews, Andy Brauchli. |
| 1960 |
Metal sandwich skis become popular
with racers, allow French to develop 'Christiania leger,' a more
natural style with the body square over the skis, precursor to efficient
style used by today's ski mountaineers. |
| 1960 |
Squaw Valley Olympic Winter Games
exposes skiing to North America. |
| 1961 |
Paved and redesigned Icefields
Parkway opens, Canada, Aug. 3. Highway yields access to the heart
of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. |
| 1961 |
Hans Gmoser writes article in 1961
CAJ, about 1960 ski traverse, inspires more backcountry skiing.
Canada. |
| 1961 |
Austrians Gerhart Winter and Herbert
Zacharias ski Couloir Pallavicini on the Grossglockner, July 7.
Europe. |
| 1961 |
Ingraham Glacier, Mount Rainier,
first ski descent of Ingraham Glacier, connects to upper Emmons
Glacier, June 18; John Ahern, Bill Briggs, Roger Brown, Gordie Butterfield,
Joe Marillac, Roger Paris, Jim & Lou Whittaker. |
| 1961 |
Buck Mountain, Wyoming, Teton Range,
U.S., first ski descent by Barry Corbet, Sita Culman and Elliot
Goss, May 29. 'Barry didn't think much of the descent...having skied
it with his boots unbuckled,' writes Tom Turiano in Teton Skiing. |
| 1961 |
Ski Club of Great Britain publishes
Handbook of Ski-Touring & Glacier Skiing, 2nd edition,
this is first modern promulgation of the body of knowledge for ski
mountaineering. |
| 1962 |
Rogers Pass, Canada, Trans-Canada
Highway is completed and pass becomes destination for backcountry
skiing. |
| 1962 |
Mount McKinley, Alaska, U.S., first
skied to summit by Helmut Tschaffert and Willi Schmidt, they ski
from summit down to 16,400 feet. They did not do ski descent of
complete peak and do not claim it. Nonetheless, by today's standards
they may have. |
| 1963 |
Great Cairn Hut, Columbia Mountains,
Canada, built by Bill Putnam, Ben Ferris, family, friends. |
| 1963 |
First snowboard of record made
by Tom Sims for eigth grade project in New Jersey, U.S., he called
it a "skiboard." |
| 1963 |
Heini Holzer (South Tyrol,Europe)
becomes famous extreme skier in Alps, later falls to his death in
1977 skiing Piz Rosegg north face in Switzerland, an easy descent
he'd done many times. (Legend holds he tripped on a ski pole.) |
| 1964 |
First high-level ski traverse in
the Canadian Coast Mountains, Bert Port's trip takes a horseshoe
route through the Spearhead Range, May. Three others on trip |
| 1964 |
Fritz Stammberger, of Aspen, Colorado,
U.S., skis from 24,000 feet on Cho Oyu, Himalaya, April 21. This
is world's highest ski descent at the time, and the first Himalaya
expedition to include an emphasis on skiing. |
| 1964 |
U.S. Congress passes Wilderness
Act, thus possibly preserving much backcountry ski terrain,
but in turn making access difficult. |
| 1965 |
Fairy Meadow hut built, Columbia
Mountains, Canada. |
| 1965 |
Balfour hut built, first of huts
on Wapta Icefields, Canadian Rocky Mountains, project led by Peter
Fuhrmann. |
| 1965 |
First helicopter ski trip in Canadian
Bugaboos led by Hans Gmoser. |
| 1965 |
First ski ascent and probable
descent of record, Silver Star Mountain, Cascades, U.S., Fred Beckey
& Michael Borghoff. |
| 1965 |
First modern backcountry ski guide
service in U.S., Utah, part of Alf Engen Ski School at Alta directed
by guidebook author Alexis Kelner. Brochure lists 'Alta Ski-tours'
the Alta-Brighton-Alta trip. |
| 1965 |
First ski descent, Whymper Couloir,
Aiguille Verte, Sylvain Saudan. Europe. |
| 1965 |
First complete ski traverse of
the Alps (from Innsbruck to Grenoble) 600 miles, 22 days. |
| 1965 |
Anchorage, Alaska, U.S., in mid
1960's MCOA members ski mountaineer many times from the top of Alyeska
resort lifts to summit of Mt. Alyeska. |
| 1966 |
Fiberlass alpine skis go on market.
'I fought it, of course, because I didn't want to believe that anybody's
ski was as good as mine, but it turned out to be better,' said Howard
Head. |
| 1967 |
Sylvain Saudan skis Spenser Couloir,
Aiguille de Blaitiere, (average 51 degrees with 55 degree sections)
Chamonix France, as self proclaimed 'skier of the impossible,' he
spearheads evolution of extreme skiing, becomes an infamous self
promoter. Europe. |
| 1967 |
Coast Mountains, Canada, first
British Columbia Mountaineering Club (BCMC) ski trip uses a ski
plane to access the Manatee areas near the Lillooet Glacier. |
| 1967 |
Canada, first Great Divide Traverse,
an expedition style route covering 190 miles of high ground from
Lake Louise to Jasper. (Don Gardner, Neil Liske, Charlie Locke,
Chic Scott.) |
| 1967 |
Spring ski tours from Jackson Hole
ski lifts start to gain popularity. |
| 1968 |
Mount Moran, Wyoming, Teton Range,
U.S., first ski descent of peak via Skillet Glacier, Bill Briggs,
June 2. |
| 1968 |
_Northwest Ski Trails_ by Ted Mueller,
published; is first comprehensive guide to alpine ski tours in Washington,
U.S., and perhaps second backcountry ski guidebook in U.S. (see
1948 for first). |
| 1968 |
Bow Hut constructed, Wapta Icefields,
British Columbia, Canada (replaced in 1989 by improved hut). |
| 1968 |
Bugaboo Lodge built, the first
building of the Canadian heliski empire that was backcountry skiing
-- but then again was not... |
| 1968 |
Hotlum Glacier, Mount Shasta, U.S.,
first ski descent by Fletcher Hoyt, Alan Steck, Gorden Thomas. |
| 1968 |
Diller Canyon, Mount Shasta, U.S.,
first ski descent by Gordon Thomas, Kirt Brown, Phil Holecek. |
| 1969 |
Sierra Club plays major roll in
refusal of huge Mineral King ski resort, California, U.S.; beginning
of movement to limit ski area expansion. |
| 1970 |
In 1970's, Alpine touring equipment
is heavy and functions poorly since simple cable bindings have fallen
out of favor. This makes way for use of Nordic equipment for ski
alpinism, especially for tours with more emphasis on mileage. Canada
& U.S. |
| 1970 |
Yuichorio Miura stages the most
famous clown act in ski mountaineering history when he skis from
near the South Col on Mount Everest, tries to stop by deploying
a parachute, then falls most of the way down his chosen run, May
7. |
| 1970 |
First ski descent of peak, Mount
McKinley, West Buttress, Tsuyoshi Ueki, July 5. |
| 1970 |
Wilson & Lederer publish _The
Complete Cross Country Skiing and Ski Touring_ (out of print). This
book sells well, and portends the re-birth of backcountry skiing
in North America. |
| 1970 |
Heini Holzer dies skiing Pitz Roseg.
Europe. (Legend holds he tripped over a ski pole.) |
| 1970 |
Climbing Magazine, North America's
first 'commercial' mountaineering magazine, first issue published
by Harvy Carter and Bil Dunaway, May. |
| 1970 |
Doug Robinson and Carl 'Peanut'
McCoy repeat the Muir Trail ski traverse first done in 1928, Sierra
Nevada, California. |
| 1971 |
First public sales of Skadi avalanche
rescue transceiver, created in 1968 by a research team headed by
John Lawton, at Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory in Buffalo, New
York. Original idea for Skadi should be credited to Ed LaChapelle.
See Skadi article on this website. (Note: first Skadi sale might
have been 1970.) |
| 1971 |
First ski descent, Mount Hood East
Cliffs, "Wy'east route," Oregon, U.S., Sylvain Saudan,
Mar 1. |
| 1971 |
First ski descent of peak, Grand
Teton, Wyoming, U.S., Bill Briggs. Same effect as Stammberger's
North Maroon descent (see below), but influence is perhaps less
widespread (June 15). |
| 1971 |
First ski ski descent, North Maroon
Peak, Colorado, U.S., Fritz Stammberger, June 24. This impresses
Colorado mountaineers and starts spate of extreme descents. Is covered
in magazines and newspapers. |
| 1971 |
Dimitrije Milkovich granted a patent
for snowboard design. He does not enforce patent. |
| 1971 |
Lito Tejada-Flores' Wilderness
Skiing published, emphasizes use of skins over wax, includes
information about extreme skiing. |
| 1971 |
Teewinot Peak, Wyoming, Teton Range,
U.S., first ski descent of peak, route used is East Face; Dean Moore
and Jim Bellamy, spring. |
| 1971 |
H.J. Burhenne and Norm Wilson publish
Sierra Spring Ski-Touring. This is North America's first
modern guide to true ski mountaineering descents. |
| 1971 |
Mount Logan, Canada. First ski
descent of peak (from exact summit), Arno Dennig, Gerwalt Pichler,
Bruno Kraker, Hanns Schell. |
| 1971 |
Early reference to snowmobile assisted
backcountry skiing, in Canadian Alpine Journal 1971, pp 69, 'a snowmobile
took us the last seven miles to that beautiful (Diamond Head) lodge.' |
| 1972 |
Fischer ski company imports Fischer
Europa aluminum sandwich nordic backcountry ski with sidecut and
aluminum edges. Backcountry skiers struggling with wooden skis embrace
the new technology. Using the telemark turn for backcountry skiing
begins to gain popularity in United States. |
| 1972 |
First ski crossing of Ellesmere
Island in the Canadian Arctic. Don Gardner, Chris Devries, John
Calvert, Chris Shank. (all from Calgary). 400 miles. |
| 1972 |
Denali, Messner Couloir, first
descent by Sylvain Saudan. He claimed to have skied from the summit,
which was untrue, and thus tainted an otherwise fine descent. |
| 1973 |
Ski traverse from Denver, Colorado,
U.S., to Aspen Colorado, Jim Ward, Lars Larson, Gus Gustafsen, Roger
Pickel, Trish Nice, Dick Arnold, Steve Kentz. |
| 1973 |
Powder Magazine, U.S., first issue
published: _Powder 72/73 -- Annual Portfolio of the Other Ski Experience_.
Powder's 1st issue included a backcountry ski article _Touring_
by Frank Cutler. Describes a kinky ski tour, with simulated sex
on skis. |
| 1973 |
Coast Mountains, Canada, John Clarke
does huge three week solo ski traverse of Klinaklini icefields,
largest icefield in Coast Mountains. |
| 1973 |
Rick Sylvester
ski jumps off El Capitan, Yosemite, U.S., and parachutes to the
base of the cliff. Did he one-up Miura's stunt on Everest? |
| 1975 |
Fritz Stammberger (Colorado alpinist
and ski mountaineer, see 1971) dies while attempting a solo climb
of Tirich Mir in Pakistan; his body is never found. Rumours persist
that he was actually working for the CIA or involved in some other
covert activity. |
| 1975 |
Ski traverse from Crested Butte
to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, 3 weeks, Bill Frame, Randall Udall,
Jerry Roberts. (this is second time this route is done, see Sibley). |
| 1976 |
Kelner & Hanscom's Wasatch
Tours published, covers high ski routes in Utah, U.S. |
| 1976 |
First production Ramer alpine touring
binding sold by Paul Ramer of Boulder Colorado, U.S., with features
such as heel-lift and light weight eventually copied by Europeans. |
| 1976 |
Baffin Island, Denny Hogan and
Randall Udall ski traverse for 5 weeks, 200 miles from Broughton
Island to Pangnirtung on Baffin Island. They encounter polar bear
tracks the size of dinner plates, and spend the whole trip "scared
shitless," said Udall. |
| 1976 |
Jackson Hole, Wyoming, U.S., Victor
Gerdin skis 'Once is Enough' exteme run in Cody Bowl, southwest
of the main ski resort. |
| 1977 |
Mount of the Holy Cross, Colorado,
U.S., first ski descent of Cross Couloir, Tom and Jim Carr. (Source:
Interview with Tom Carr, and article in Vail Trail newspaper.) |
| 1977 |
Fischer ski company imports Europa
77 ski to North America, first fiberlass Nordic backcountry ski,
has aluminum edges and a grey ABS base. These lightweight but strong
skis allow backcountry skiers to pioneer longer and higher ski routes. |
| 1977 |
Winter of 1976/77 is the great
western U.S. snow drought. |
| 1977 |
First ski descent, Pikes Peak North
Face (Colorado, U.S.) via Railroad Couloir, Brian B |
