SKI TOWN JOBS
Early Day Jackson Hole Skiers PEPI STIEGLER
Ski School Director, Jackson Hole Ski Area, 1965-1995
Family Tree “My two children, Resi and Seppi, are Jackson Hole Skiers, born and raised. Resi is on the U.S. Ski Team and Seppi was on Ski America, a privately funded ski team, until it dissolved this year. Now he is coaching on Snow King for the Jackson Hole Ski Club.”
Ski Stats 1960 Olympics, Squaw Valley, California – silver medal in giant slalom 1964 Olympics, Innsbruck, Austria – gold medal in slalom, bronze medal in GS
Pepi Stiegler, 1988
What Skiing Means To Me “That’s pretty easy: It means everything in my life. It has meant elevation to a higher level of existence. “I have to give Othmar Schneider (Austrian Olympic ski champion and Stiegler’s coach) a great amount of credit, God bless him. He helped me to achieve a very good life. Paul McCollis-
ter offered the ski school directorship first to Buddy Werner (U.S. Olympian and World Cup ski champion). But Buddy Werner got killed (in an avalanche in St. Moritz). Then he offered it to Othmar. But Othmar already had a very good job in Boyne Mt, Michigan. So Paul asked Othmar, ‘Who do you recommend?’ and Othmar said, ‘I recommend Pepi Stiegler.’” Stories “Here is a funny story about ski racing. The key word in this story is rhythm. If you want to win a slalom race, you have to have rhythm when you go through the course. You have to waltz through the slalom. The French don’t know how to dance the waltz. They don’t have a clue about the rhythm of the waltz. And Stiegler came down waltzing, and he had the fastest time. The French were sort of at a loss. They tried to make a waltz and ran off the course, missed a gate, et cetera. The French were very hot, but they didn’t anticipate that there was a waltz involved.”
Bob Woodall
# Years a JH Skier A Jackson Hole Skier for 50 years and counting.
MIKE MCCOLLISTER
# Years a JH Skier “I skied Jackson Hole every year since its inception, except for an eight-year hiatus (temporary loss of interest, too much of a good thing?).”
Family Tree “My Dad, Paul, was ahead of his time. We lived in Northern California and he became enamored with skiing around 1950. My first skiing experience was at a little area in the Sierras called Dodge Ridge. I was 5. I remember the bindings were ‘Bear traps’ and I twisted my ankle. That is the only ski injury I ever had, just lucky I guess. “Our family moved permanently to the Valley in 1957. We lived in a log cabin way out on Antelope Flats and skied Teton Pass in the fall until Snow King opened for the season. “Several years after moving to Wyoming, Dad decided to expand on the skiing opportunities in Jackson Hole. His vision and foresight, along with mostly borrowed money, made the Jackson Hole Ski Area a reality. As the co-founder and driving force, Dad kept the area afloat through sheer willpower and tenacity. It was always a tremendous financial struggle.”
106
J AC KS O N H O L E S K I E R 2 0 1 6
By the Numbers “I skied Jackson Hole 42 years. For many of those, I was on the mountain every day of the season. It never occurred to me to keep track of vertical, but it must be many millions. One perfect winter day, as a lark, my young son Chris and I did 16 trams. We had a great time.”
Stories “I have very fond memories of spending time with Dad as he assessed the viability of his dream. We spent several days riding all over the mountain on horseback. One night we camped at a relatively flat spot, mid-mountain. That is how the run “Campground” got its name. “Another amazing story, as we worked our way up the Headwall, our poor little packhorse, Minor, lost her footing and rolled down the mountain. Miraculously, she wasn’t injured. The eggs weren’t even broken! It was a good packing job. We were ultimately stymied on our quest to the top by an immense boulder field near where Tram Tower 3 is located. “We finally made it to the summit by scrambling across Laramie Bowl and up the East Ridge. There we found a cairn and beside
Mike McCollister, 1986
it an empty can of Velvet Pipe and Cigarette Tobacco, with a note inside! I don’t remember what the note said but I was probably thinking it should say, ‘Anybody who thinks they can ski this mountain is crazy!’ “As we wrapped up this adventure, I remember riding through the area that is now Eagle’s Rest. It was a virtual swamp and the mosquitos were so thick my white shirt was almost solid black with them. “I am often asked how Dad would feel if the could see how the mountain has evolved so beautifully. I know he would be thrilled and his answer would be ‘See, I was right.’”
w w w. f o c u s p r o d u c t i o n s . c o m
Wade McKoy
Jobs w/ Jackson Hole Ski Corporation (Off and on, 1963 - 1974) “Trail Crew (I remember felling enormous Douglas firs on Tram Line), Chairlift Operator, Tram Conductor, Real Estate Sales and Property Management, Mountain Manager from 1978 - 1992”