Remembering the ‘superstars’ of ski directors

By John HitchcockPrint Story | Email Story
Stein Eriksen “paints” a masterpiece in Deer Valley Powder. (Photo Courtesy of John Hitchcock)
Superstars Doug Lewis and John Egan are the new ski school directors at Sugarbush, in happy return to the days when big names were the fashion. Business school graduates and sharp administrators have prevailed in recent years when the bottom line became more important than a carved turn. Lewis, for years among the top three in U.S. Ski Team’s roster of downhill racers, has been involved in Sugarbush competitions and promotions for years and has appeared on national TV screens as the voice and image of fast skiing. Egan, with his brother Dan, has starred in many Warren Miller ski productions, and they are billed as “The Extreme Team.” John also runs a popular après-ski hangout in Waitsfield. Dan, former executive director of SKI New Hampshire, is manager of Tenney Mountain in that state, which opened Oct. 4, thanks to Snow Magic’s Infinite Crystals Snowmaking technology. The Lewis-Egan approach will “combine the discipline of racing and the energy of adventure skiing and snowboarding to build the skills needed to ski or ride anything, safely and well.” Lewis, who won the Bronze Medal in the World Championship downhill in Italy some 15 years ago, was an Olympic teammate of Wild Bill Johnson in the former Yugoslavia in 1984. Lewis and Egan are on the slopes every day in contrast to many desk-bound ski school directors. In early days, most major resorts featured well-known and popular ski school directors who set the tone for the area and drew gasps of admiration from the paying skiers as they flew down the slopes, always stopping in a swirl of powder or even ice shavings. Stein Eriksen epitomized the super ski stars and was hired to boost business at several resorts, including Sugarbush in the ’70s. Stein won two Gold Medals in the Oslo Olympics in 1952 and turned pro soon afterwards. His first stop was at then little known Boyne Mountain, Mich. I saw Stein in action at the 1948 Winter Games at St. Moritz and grew to know him quite well during a promotional tour in 1957 for TWA’s package tours to the Alps. “I figured out what it would take to satisfy me at Boyne Mountain and then doubled it,” Stein told me. Owner Everett Kirchner happily agreed to the deal, which Stein has followed ever since. Among his stops were Heavenly Valley in California, Aspen Highlands in Colorado, Sugarbush and finally exclusive Deer Valley in Utah, where he is exalted as the director of skiing and the gracious host at the Stein Eriksen Lodge, where rooms start at $500 a night. For a few summers, he headed the ski school at Portillo in Chile, where he demonstrated his technique to me several afternoons after regular classes in 1958. Why? Because I was on assignment for Sports Illustrated, and Stein always went all the way for the press. Last weekend, he presided over the annual Merrill Lynch Celebrity Ski Classic where Pittsfield’s own Heidi Voelker competed as Deer Valley’s ambassador of skiing, a post the former Olympic racer has held for several years. The last time I saw Stein ski was at a Deer Valley Classic around 10 years ago, when he still competed in the pro class. He was in the dual gates facing Pepi Steigler, ski school director at Jackson Hole, Wyo., and a Gold Medal winner at the 1964 Olympics in his native Austria. They put on a great display. and a Deer Valley instructor exclaimed, “Those old-timers race like kids.” Stein is still the classiest skier around on the cruisers — skis and legs locked together, his wavy hair flowing, as he has never been photographed with any form of head gear. He was the first name skier to win worldwide AP coverage, when he performed a well-publicized somersault. Now a routine somersault is considered less than routine as freestylers and even 10-year-olds perform amazing gyrations, both on prepared jumps and free-skiing in the back country. But visitors to Deer Valley always ask if Stein is skiing that day, and he usually is. Doug Lewis and John Egan will bring back that mystique to the new Sugarbush, with new owners bringing back the luster of earlier days. Bromley’s Neil Robinson was perhaps the last flamboyant ski school director in these parts, and the extremely competent Pete Robertson now heads the Bromley Learning Center, where a host of PSIA instructors concentrate on turning out future all-stars. The Berkshires’ most renowned ski school director was Court McDermott, who retired a few years ago after some 40 years on the job at the historic Bousquet Resort in Pittsfield. Current director John Koch is carrying on Court’s traditions, after a long stint at the former Brodie Mountain Ski resort in New Ashford. Down at Butternut in Great Barrington, Einar Aas is the reigning dean of ski pros. It’s hard to put a good ski area to rest, as in the case of the former Brodie Mountain, which has seen services and programs cut back since it was acquired in the fall of 1999 by Jiminy Peak’s Brian Fairbank and Joe O’Donnell. Last winter, one lift was in operation and that was for snow tubers only. Snowshoeing was also offered. This winter will see only tubing on Harp’s Hump, as few persons took advantage of the snowshoe programs. Tubing could start as early as Saturday and the program has proved to be extremely popular. The Brodie trails are destined to see condos if the proposed sale to Silver Leaf Inc. goes through. But Thursday’s Boston Globe ski section included Brodie among its listing of Massachusetts ski areas and called it the “largest in the state.” That honor clearly goes to Jiminy, which will dedicate its new $5 million Village Center Monday evening. Jiminy was the first ski area to open in Massachusetts, back in mid-October and before Vermont’s Bromley, Mount Snow or Stratton, all now in great shape. With ski lift tickets up to $70 in Vermont and more than $50 at Jiminy, it pays to look carefully for deals. Both resorts sell cards for as low as $10 or as high as $85, which result in reduced daily rates on most days and pay for themselves quickly. Others such as Killington offer reduced rates to members of the armed forces, police, firefighters and EMTs. Killington and Okemo at least have reduced rates on certain days (Dec. 15, Jan. 6 and 21 at Killington) for residents of Vermont, New Hampshire and Quebec. Look around and have fun! John Hitchcock of Williamstown writes frequently about the area sports scene.
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Friends of Great Barrington Libraries Holiday Book Sale

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Friends of Great Barrington Libraries invite the community to shop their annual Holiday Good-as-New Book Sale, happening now through the end of the year at the Mason Library, 231 Main Street. 
 
With hundreds of curated gently used books to choose from—fiction, nonfiction, children's favorites, gift-quality selections, cookbooks, and more—it's the perfect local stop for holiday gifting.
 
This year's sale is an addition to the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce's Holiday Stroll on this Saturday, Dec. 13, 3–8 PM. Visitors can swing by the Mason Library for early parking, browse the sale until 3:00 PM, then meet Pete the Cat on the front lawn before heading downtown for the Stroll's shopping, music, and festive eats.
 
Can't make the Holiday Stroll? The book sale is open during regular Mason Library hours throughout December.
 
Proceeds support free library programming and events for all ages.
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