Putting a name to my dreams

As a kid growing up in the 70’s, in the UK, my monthly fix of SKI Magazine was about the only thing that kept me going. I’d spend hours reading about kit I could never afford, places I could only dream about visiting and gazing at ski photos of people living life to the full but the thing that lives with me to this day is the beauty of the names …

Steamboat, Jackson Hole, Sugarloaf, Aspen, Big Sky, Lake Tahoe, Keystone, Purgatory, Snowbird, Kimberley, Sundown, Kicking Horse, Taos and the incomparably named Heavenly

Just typing those names conjures up a whole world of fantasy skiing and evokes some very powerful and emotive feelings.

On a number of occasions I’ve considered booking a one way flight and visiting all those faraway, magical places but so far have resisted the temptation because deep down I am afraid that they wouldn’t be able to live up to the billing I’ve been giving them for the last 30 odd years …

This got me thinking about European resort names. Naturally, and with a few notable exceptions, the resorts are not “named” but just use the geographic location name and somehow that seems right and proper. At the same time the names also seem less “inspirational” and I certainly don’t remember building a mental list of dream resorts from Europe, with one exception and that’s Grindelwald for some reason it just sounds right …

So, does anyone else have ski resort names that conjure up magic? And if you’ve been there how did the PR match the reality ??

Jan

Oh, and the first person to mention Pontypool, Swadlingcote, Milton Keynes or any anagrams of “The Snowdome” gets a Chinese Burn :shock:

:P

Yes but the european resorts, some of them at least, have names sounding reassuringly classy, expensive and glamourous like Courchevel, Davos, Val d'Isere, St. Anton, Lech, verbier, Méribel, les Trois Vallees, and Saas-Fee just to name a few.

Isola 2000 could do with one of these romantic names..

Mine was always Switzerland from about the age of six. My favourite book then was Heidi, I so wanted to be her.
Have never been to Switzerland but hope to next year.

snowmass

Ha,,dreams and ski resorts.

Here is a story of dreams, a special ski resort and happiness.

I come from a country where my family were all shot. It took great courage to go back to settle some issues after many years and while there in July I took a drive to the mountains.
An old world Spa village appeared from the Austro-Hungarian Empire with an old rusty lift to the top of the mountains.
On a chance I took this lift up and found myself in a plateau with snow and there skiing were some young skiers from what loked like a Nationa B team! Lots of energy but little effective technique.

I watched for 30 minutes and then I could not hold myself back. I needed to ski like them.

But what could I do! I was dressed like a typical tourist. No ski shop in area. Just those young skiers.

Casually I walked up to one young lad who seemed my size. He was resting from all the heavy skiing on that warm slushy snow! I could not speak "their" language,,but I communicated with my hands, body and "the" dollar.

We exchanged those pre-70's boots, those post-leather boots, and with rolled up pants, rolled up shirt sleeve I rode up the 1900s T-bar!

Going up,,I could see the lad speakng to his friends as he waved his new $100 bill! I could sense their amazement at the "crazy" tourist! Soon the team all stopped training. The wanted to see this "westerner" break his leg or better still die ( it was during the cold war and "we" were the enemy)!

Now before I continue,,you must understand that as some of you know, I am a ski fanatic,,so my equipment ,at home is the latest and to go back to ski boots from the 70s and to have 210 cm. skis with Look Nevada 19s is well,,,,,, a slight change.

I had to make a point. This was more than a casual ski down any ski resort! This was a ski "resort" near my home. Near where my family was executed. It was family pride.

So in memory of the past I pushed off. Yes the first turn was horrendous,,ok so was the second turn. But as I gathered speed,,my brain reached into its data bank of memories and found that long lost file, "old school ski technique"!

By the 5th turn it did not matter what skis I had or how soft the ski boots were,,I skied my heart out! At the bottom I did not even look at the others now even more interested.
Up the slow T-bar.

Again down the run,,but this time I knew where the "speed" spots were. I knew where the flats were, and I knew the snow.
This time it was faster,,more daring and easier.

I did not dare stop at the bottom to "meet" the group since I was not sure what the $100 bill allowed me to do. One run?
2 runs? So I just hurried to T-bar and grabbed the old wooden T! Then I realized,,I had not even paid for lift!
The lift attendant, an old man sitting with a pipe just smiled. He was enjoying watching this "other old man" demonstrating to the youngsters how to ski! A wink from him told me that!

I was really getting into these skis! Yes old but there is something special to skiing with "longer wooden skis"! The new skis are all plastic, carbon and metal layers. The old skis had "character",uniqueness. They have a softer flex and like a good,,no great violin the skis have "character"! You find that "character" and they will let you soar!

There was a course with bamboo poles and some tree branches and it seemed inviting.I looked down at the silent group ,,who now could read my mind!

Their looks all said the same thing, "ok so you look good in the easy stuff,,free skiing! So,,try our tough course! We dare you!" It was clear to all! As I casually drifted to the top of the course,,,I could now see one older man,,,the coach slowly get up from his log and speak to his team!
Now there was really silence. Just the flapping of the torn old ribbons on each pole.

This run was going to be for my family. This run was going to be for what never happened or what could of happened! This run was to say goodbye in honor since the last time I said goodbye it was dark wet and silent!

Jan,,this resort and this run will remain close to my heart all my life. It was a old, short, ski resort,,but that last run allowed me to let out my demons!

And they came out like fire eating dragons. I let those wooden skis sing,,like that famous movie "The Red Violin" the skis let out sweat music! They understood my passion and desire and every gate ,, every turn was superb!
I was in a "fractal geometric dimension" where there was no straight lines,,yet those curves were faster than a straight line !

At the bottom,,silence. I took off the boots, handed them to the lad and kissed the skis! The boy,,who was going to throw these skis away,,looked at them in wonderment!Then he looked at me and I saw that the cold look he had given me, when he took the $100 bill before was gone. Instead now we were skiers together. Suddenly a bottle of Slivovich was found and we sat together drinking it. Not one word was understood,,yet I was able to convey to the coach this new technique with the up hill edge!

In one ski run enemies became friends.That is what skiing does. I was one of them since I had "lived" up to their standards.

I left that ski resort, a freer man. Free of my demons of the past.It was then that I realized that it is not men who divide it is systems,mouvements, cults!

The name of that resort?

I have no idea,

Innsbruck 1976, Franz Klammer gold medal run. Watch the vid.


uk.youtube.com/watch?v=DtB5SW7HYyY&feature=related