(From the collection of Marcia Myers, photographer unknown, Wrightwood Museum files)
Ah, the early days of skiing, when tricks were cleaner and smoother. It was the winter of 1946 on the slopes of Blue Ridge Ski Area, when this skier unofficially made the records books by making the first complete front somersault on skis! His name was Russ Saunders, and it's was said that his trick was flawless and fluid...it actually took your breath away. This wasn't Mr. Saunders's first front somersault. He did it once before in Winnipeg, Canada in 1938. He did it off a 100 foot ski jump. This time he didn't need no stinkin' ski jump. And he was perfect! Saunders became a stuntman for motion pictures, but his skill with skies was nothing compared to what Jim Few could do. Jim Few was just a strong skier who showed up one day from who knows where. His many tricks and spills dazzled many on the Blue Ridge slopes. Too bad no photo exists of this hotdog on the hill, whose skills still bring the smiles and laugher from Marcia Myers as she remembers...even after forty years.
(From the collection of Marica Myers, photographer unknown; Wrightwood Museum files)
This was the main lift at old Holiday Hill in the early 1960's, which is now present day Mountain High East. A time where skiing was peaceful, and the place so quiet that you can hear ski edges slicing through the snow as skiers made graceful parallel turns down the slopes. A place of competitive cheers and laugher as downhill courses were set on the slopes and helmeted young racers tucked in their inside elbows and made their turn around the proper gate. Under a snow laden tree a skier opens a sack lunch, while some with red faces-caused either by the weather exposure or substance from a well used boda bag- stands in the lift line. It was a place of helpfulness, where a fellow skier would crisscross their skies above a fallen skier. One reason was to protect the victim from getting hit from other skiers, the other reason was to attract the location to ski patrol in the area. It was also a place of miracles. Notice the old split ski chairs. They swung apart, or separated more as they reached the end of the lift to allow safe dismount. One year a chair lift cable slipped from a turnstile and the ski lift chair sent its only passenger on a very dangerous journey to a tower! Holiday Hill owner Heinz Steinmann called what happened next a miracle. The lone skier had no change to jump off as the chair was about to make its unscheduled stop against an iron hard tower. Just before impact, the chair spread and the skier dropped to the snow covered slope uninjured!
Set to ski and Blue Ridge
(Photo from Wrightwood bulletin, April 1952, Vol. 1 no. 9)
Just another group of kids? Not really. These children were perhaps the first that started a tradition that lasted way over fifty-five years. The group is learning how to ski under the direction of Sepp Benedikter, one of the most popular instructors of southern California at the time. But, Mr. Benedikter was more than that. Having contributed greatly to the operations of both old Holiday Hill Ski and Blue Ridge, he was also a world class skier who played an important role in the United States as an instructor, ski tour promoter and ski area developer. A competitive skier from the age of 6 he received over 200 trophies and was a member of the Austrian national team at the 1931 F.I.S. World Championships. He held a Class A competitor's license in all of the skiing disciplines. After moving to the United States he headed up the instructional program in many ski areas. In 1977 he was inducted into the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame. At the age of 71, he died in 1982 and still remains a legend today. As for the little tikes in the photo, no doubt they are still around. You see, the photo was taken on "ski day", and being part of Wrightwood Elementary School, they enjoyed the lesson as well as the free ski time afterwards. After fifty-five years, Wrightwood Elementary School's ski day is still going strong with the same enjoyment that had existed since yesteryear.
(Photo from Wrightwood bulletin, April 1952, Vol. 1 no. 9)
During snow season, getting around town depended on this little machine. Big Pines had their own snow plows that handled the really deep stuff; the village had Amos Robinette, and it was enough. Amos had lived in Wrightwood since 1927, since that time, and up to the 1960's, every Christmas he started cleaning Wrightwood streets of it's snows and continued until the season was over. In the winter of 1951 he spent over 172 hours doing it! Considering the equipment that he was furnished for the job, he did great. Over the decades, methods and equipment in cleaning the village's road had improved. However, today a resident is surprised if the snowplows respect the driveway...especially if you're standing in it working hard with the snow shovel. Mr. Robinette, bless his soul, ignored not a one.
(Photo provided from Mary Sutherland, Terry Graham collection_
On the tractor is Amos Robinette, plowing through almost four feet of snow in front of Acorn Lodge. The man in back with his coat unbuttoned is Acorn Lodge's creator William Bristow.
