Ogden Valley News | 2008-01-01 | Page 11

Volume XV Issue II The Ogden Valley news Page 11 January 1, 2008 Racin’ at the Basin: A Retrospective and History of the Snowbasin Ski Team By Walt Fuller In the beginning—in the early 1940s— there was no team … no coach; just a bunch of kids who dreamed of being ski racers. Along the banks of the Ogden river they cut willow branches, hauled them to the mountain, and jammed them into the snow for gates on City Hill. A fast rope tow pulled them to the start line again and again until their Willow branches were legs, or gloves, used as gates. gave out. Boots were leather and laced up, bindings were of the bear trap variety, and much of their clothing was cotton and soaked most of each day—until it froze stiff. Metal edges appeared as an innovation, and were screwed onto skis in sections. Dick Mitchell was there every day… hitching rides up the rutted, unpaved surface of Old Snowbasin Road, lying under a tarp in the frigid bed of a gravel truck. He went on to win the Lace up leather NCAA Downhill, and boots. skied for the United States Team in the 1956 Olympics in Cortina, Italy. Bob Chambers also hitched to the mountain, often in the back of a Forest Service truck. He won a full ski scholarship to the University of Wyoming, was selected to the national Classic Combined Team, and still wins Bob Chambers national championships on the Masters circuit. Dean Perkins slashed through hundreds of training runs, became a member of the 1950 and 1951 FIS World Cup Team, and won numerous national downhill, slalom, and giant slalom championships. He took first place in the Roch Cup in Aspen in 1949, only two days after first laying eyes on the route he had to ski. The course was down North American from the top of Ajax mountain—likely the longest downhill ever set in the U.S. His winning time was over four minutes. There were only two gates—at the start and at the finish. Harold and Derlin Newey and Marvin Felt were also on the course most days, their skill pushing everyone to ski faster. The Ogden Ski Club formed and gave the young racers a name to be associated with, but little else. They were still on their own when training, or traveling to mountains in Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming for organized races. Wildcat’s single chair lift opened in 1947, making Snowbasin viable as a site for major races. Utah’s governor was patiently waiting for the signal to step forward and become the lift’s ceremonial first rider when local racer Dick Mitchell streaked ahead of him and onto the first chair. To punish the culprit, the lift was stopped and Mitchell dangled in full view of the crowd—and the governor—while the ceremony took place. Whether ski racing or flying combat missions, Dick Mitchell always hated not being in the lead. The US National Championship Downhill came to Snowbasin in 1947. Dubbed the Centennial Cup to honor the hundred year anniversary of the state’s settlement, the race attracted the world’s best ski racers, put Snowbasin on the national and international competition map, and launched organized training and racing for local kids. As 8,000 spectators lined the course, athletes burst through the start gate just below where Needles lodge stands today. They then wound their way to the For the Benefit of Ogden Valley Military Veterans and Non-Military Sat. & Sun. & Mon. Night Football Hamburgers & Hot Dogs $5.00 Chili or Soup $4.00 Serving from Opening till Closing SNOWBASIN cont. on page 21 Exquisite country farm house in East Huntsville. Incredible custom details throughout. 5200 square feet, 1.6 acres, animals permitted, unique guest bedroom/office above garage. Furnished! $2,250,000 ~ 709 Radford Lane MLS #734437 Million dollar views at the top of Radford Hills looking East over the reservoir. The finest of resort living in privacy and seclusion. Indoor Pool, 5.3 acre horse property, 35,000 square foot detached garage. Adjacent 1 acre building lot INCLUDED in sale. $1,800,000 ~ 2141 River Run Drive MLS #717714 Fantastic getaway in 5 wooded acres. Incredible solitude with large decks and beautiful landscaping including natural water feature. 5,600 square feet. Furniture included!! Sunday Breakfast Homestyle $4.00 to 10.00 Serving from 8:30 a.m. till 1:00 p.m. Take Out available for members and non-members. Post 129 that I ever had.” Dean Roberts, then director of Solitude’s Ski School, remarked, “Earl Miller has probably forgotten more about what makes a ski turn than most of us will ever know.” A noted expert on race courses for major competitions, Earl set the courses for the 1957 NCAA Championships held at Snowbasin. Earl didn’t have to look beyond the family breakfast table to find his first star ski racer. Alan, Earl, and Gladys’ oldest son won the Jr. Western States Downhill in 1958, and went on to a spectacular career that included captaining the 1962 University of Denver NCAA Championship team and racing on the European FIS Circuit for the Armed Forces ski team. Establishing a family pattern, Alan would return to Snowbasin $749,000 ~ 1882 River Run Drive MLS #703705 Call [phone] Serving from 5 p.m. till 9 p.m. 1957 NCAA Championships Relocating - PRICED TO SELL! www.theardentgardener.net Friday Dinner Night held at Snowbasin, and led the University of Utah Ski Team to a top five national finish in 1952, 1953, and 1954. In the late 1940’s a local boy spent his $5 birthday gift on a ski lesson from the legendary Corey Engen—a lesson that would forever alter ski instruction and racing at Snowbasin. Earl Miller was a gifted athlete who mastered a number of different sports with remarkable ease, then realized he also had a unique knack for teaching others. A few years after that $5 lesson, he was working for Engen as a ski instructor, and in 1950 he took over the ski school and race program when Engen left. Earl Miller and his family’s dynamic impact on ski racing at Snowbasin has continued on through today. That’s 57 years and counting. Earl possessed an unusually keen eye for technique, detecting and correcting a student’s deficiencies. He also had a wonderful ability to motivate athletes to reach their potential. It wasn’t long before racers from heated rival Salt Lake City were showing up at the Basin to train under Earl. According to 1964 U.S. Olympic skier Margot Walters, “I consider Earl the biggest influence as an instructor and coach For Sale by Owner Garden & Landscape Design Project Management 5-9 p.m. Quesadilla $5.00 Tacos $5.00 Taco Combo $6.00 Taco Salad $5.50 Wildcat chairs. active member of the U.S. Ski Team during his early years at Snowbasin. In 1948, the inaugural Eccles Cup came to Snowbasin, won by Warren Miller, who would become the most famous ski cinematographer of the next fifty years. In the second Eccles Cup, Dick Mitchell beat Salt Lake Olympian and ski legend Jack Reddish, and fired, perhaps, the opening shot in the half century . . . and counting . . . Ogden vs. Salt Lake City ski war. Spence Eccles and Rich Brewer led the next generation of successful Snowbasin ski racers. With a broad smile, one of Spence’s contemporaries noted that he arrived at the hill each day in a slightly more elegant vehicle than a gravel truck. But his skill and fierce competitive spirit were widely recognized and admired. In 1958 he finished third in the U.S. National Championships, captained the University of Utah Ski Team, Corey Engen and was named to the FIS team for the top of Wildcat, and plunged to the finish World Championships in Austria. at the bottom of that classic race hill. Karl Rich Brewer won the 1950 Molitor, the famed Swiss boot manufac- Intermountain Jr. Ski Championships turer, won. Alf Engen was second. Ogden’s Corey Engen, who had already qualified for the U.S. Olympic team, sat out the race with a sore back. An intriguing story took place off the race course. Henri Aurelis was an Olympic Champion—a true French ski stud—and reveled in his status and role. He was one of the favorites. An adoring fan offered him $100 for his skis after a training run. Henri agreed, but insisted that he would only deliver the skis after he won the race on them. Henri apparently became as enamored with the raw essence of American Spence Eccles capitalism as he was with upholding his Unbelievable value. Huge 5400 sq. ft. home on 3 plus acres. Great potential. Horse property, retreat, rental, or residence. Fully fenced, ample water rights - 12 shares, huge 4 car deep garage with 10 ft ceilings, 4 bed, 3 bath, 2 dens, extra large great room for entertaining, courtyard, mature landscaping, with all new workmanship, including new fixtures, paint, carpet, slate, roofing, and more. Great country feel with privacy and panoramic views. Serious inquiries only. Must be capable of a down payment or be prequalified.Asking only $539,000. Possible lease option or seller financing. Wednesday Taco Night competitive image. He sold his skis eight times that same day, then left Utah—with his skis—and didn’t compete in the race. In 1948, Corey Engen took over the ski school at Snowbasin and become the first formal coach for the mountain’s talented young racers. Engen remained an Huntsville American Legion Call 745-3802 Jeff Good [phone] [e-mail]