The biggest pioneer in eastern skiing

[skidmarks]

Don't forget Les Otten

American Ski Company and Father of the 1/4 Share!! How this guy went on to become a minority partner in the Red Sox after the mess he created I'll never know.

 

[drjeff]

American Ski Company and Father of the 1/4 Share!! How this guy went on to become a minority partner in the Red Sox after the mess he created I'll never know.

I think that Les Otten is one that you wouldn't include in the pioneer in Eastern Skiing, but more of the pioneer of MODERN Eastern Skiing, or maybe even more appropriate a pioneer of MODERN skiing. Love or hate Les, there are very few, if any people that have changed the ski industry as much in the last 20 odd years as he has.

 

[skidmarks]

More Otten

I think that Les Otten is one that you wouldn't include in the pioneer in Eastern Skiing, but more of the pioneer of MODERN Eastern Skiing, or maybe even more appropriate a pioneer of MODERN skiing. Love or hate Les, there are very few, if any people that have changed the ski industry as much in the last 20 odd years as he has.

Still I think Otten is a pioneer in Eastern Skiing. The scale of the Grand Summits were never seen before in the east and the landscape has been changed forever. For good or bad people used to hang out in ski lodges, B&Bs, Inns and socialize over schnapps. Now everyone hangs out in their very own Condo. The skiing vibe has changed over the years, perhaps not for the better.

 

[Big Game]

Fred Pabst. Blue Ribbon and southern exposures.

 

[2knees]

Fred Pabst. Blue Ribbon and southern exposures.

was Pabst part of the creation of bromley or did he come in later?

 

[drjeff]

was Pabst part of the creation of bromley or did he come in later?

If I remember correctly, Fred Pabst had more to do with the $$ behind the creation of Bromley than the actual physical creation of the ski area.

 

[djspookman]

Perry Merrill

+3. He is the man, the myth, the legend.......

 

[Glenn]

My vote goes to Walter Schoenknecht.

My vote as well.

Thanks for posting; you saved me from googling how to spell his last name.

 

[andyzee]

Oops, almost forgot, Highway Star, true visionary and legend in his own mind. If only the fools would listen to him.

 

[skiadikt]

i'm surprised no one mentioned pres smith. his vision shaped killington through the glory years. leader in snowmaking and teaching methods. only mistake was selling to otten ...

 

[frozencorn]

Hannes Schneider is an pretty easy mention when you talk East skiing.

As far as Otten is concerned....he's in the discussion as much as we may hate to admit it.

 

[2knees]

cases could certainly be made for Preston Smith and the Slutzkys.

i'm surprised no one mentioned pres smith. his vision shaped killington through the glory years. leader in snowmaking and teaching methods. only mistake was selling to otten ...

i gave him some props right off the bat. agreed, he was instrumental in the development of killington. he has to be mentioned considering how dominant killington was for so many years in the eastern skiing market.

 

[andyzee]

i gave him some props right off the bat. agreed, he was instrumental in the development of killington. he has to be mentioned considering how dominant killington was for so many years in the eastern skiing market.

Perry Merrell pointed Pres to Killington.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Jake Burton is up there..if it wasn't for snowboarding alot of resorts would fail..

 

[boston_e]

Amos Winter

 

[Philpug]

Betsy Pratt, banned snowboarders from MRG. She also bucked the trend, not selling MRG to the highest bidder, but took millions less by selling it to the co-op.

 

[Phildozer]

What about the 10th Mountain Division.....old school baby

Huah!

+1

 

[catskills]

Another vote for the Slutsky brothers and Karl Plattner.

The Slutsky's and Karl Plattner were way a head of their time when it came to snowmaking. Where would the Northeast be without snowmaking.

I have a video interview of Orville and Karl. They talked about a road trip to Mt Snow where they explained their snow making process. On the drive back they had a good laugh over the fact Mt Snow's comment was "Iam glad we are so far north and don't need snowmaking. Karl and Orville said, "at that time Mt Snow didn't have a clue "

Hunter Mountain also did a lot to promote the sport of skiing in the media. Slutsky's trucked in snow into a ramp built on the NY City streets to demo skiing which was shown on a number of TV shows. Johnny Carson had someone from Hunter Mountain on his show. Johnny joked about stopping by jamming the ski pole through the ski. Hunter Mountain had those skis on the wall where Johnny jammed them with a ski pole. Robert Redford flew in a helicopter to Hunter Mtn that landed in the parking lot. Over 90 buses would bring kids out of NY City and Long Island to ski at Hunter on weekends. Skiing out west I always run into folks that learned to ski at Hunter.

 

[aveski2000]

Amos Winter

For those of you who don't recognize the name.
http://www.familyskitrips.com/Pages/Sugarloaf50.htm

 

[Philpug]

Lets not forget Stu Campbell.