The biggest pioneer in eastern skiing

[taul]

Dartmouth Outing Club and other clubs that encouraged college students and city dwellers to take up skiing as a sport (e.g., Amateur Ski Club of New York, Hochgebirge Ski Club of Boston and, of course, the Appalachian Mountain Club). The DOC and Dartmouth students stand out in particular because of their role in starting downhill racing in the east in Mt. Moosilaukee, their role in Tuckerman Ravine and initial descents in Stowe and other areas.

Roland Palmedo also helped found the National Ski Patrol.

Fred Harris gets my vote, he was the man behind the foundation of the Dartmouth Outing Club all the way back in 1909, and the first to ski Mt Washington to and from the summit. The newly refurbished ski jump in Brattleboro still bears his name.

The Dartmouth Outing Club was the first place on record where people thought of climbing New England mountains on skis. Harris was the first up a peak on skis, and his fourteen-minute glide down the bottom of the carriage road presaged a future downhill ski movement that would one day change the economy and spirit of north country winters.

Forest and Crag by Laura & Guy Waterman

If snowshoeing be the prose, then skiing is the poetry of winter sports.

Fred Harris

 

[JD]

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.

I heard the true story behind this event BTW, as I work with one of the two snowboards involved in the incident. The comment that sent her over the edge at the end of a long conversation about why they should be let on the single was, "being a snowboarder around here is like being black in the 50s!" She banned them on the spot. I hear the vote to allow snowboards is close to 50-50 these days.....