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Show Former World Ski Champion Stein Eriksen: A Model for Park City Resort I ' v : ;'' " f"v ' , . . j ' - ' v --' 1 Stein's more than at home attacking high moun- i tain slopes. As Park City's new director of ski- ing, lie will supervise the development of ski facilities and spend time promoting the resort. ' I like the slower pace people peo-ple seem to live here. And mosi of all, I enjoy being able k look people in the eye and be honest with them." By Donald Kirkpatrick Tribune Sports Wriier PARK CITY Stein Erik-sen Erik-sen is a member of skiing's glamourous sot. A former world skiing champion, responsible re-sponsible for the progression and promotion of many of the country's magnificent ski areas, Erikson has a new leaf to add to his famous laurel he .brought his glamour to Park City. Stein is the director of skiing at the resort. He just completed his first year and has plans for two more, "Hopefully five." he said. "1 am impressed with the sincerity of the people in Park City and Salt Lake," he added. Stein's rise to glamour began with the help of his father, fa-ther, Marius Eriksen, a ski manufacturer in Oslo, Norway. Marius was a champion in nordic jumping and cross country events, and, in short, was an avid supporter of the uetterment of skiing. Meets Ausfrian Stein recalls when his father fa-ther met Hannes Schneider. Hannes was an Austrian moving mov-ing about spreading the gospel gos-pel of alpine skiing, one of the first to do so. "My father was fascinated with alpine skiing' ' Stein says. '"He cut a slalom hill in our back yard." With that Stein's career was on its way. However, competitive skiers are noi Imilt by fascination alone, and Sieitt might well have become a champion Nordic skier, save one occurrence. - Any ski buff who knows his history will remember Willy Bogner, one of the initial nordic nor-dic ski champions. Willy was a young, talented amateur alpine skier when he moved in with the Eriksens at Oslo. "He was my second brother from 1928 until 1940." Stein remembers. re-members. "He helped my father fa-ther with manufacturing, and in the winter taught me Alpine Al-pine skiing." In return Stein's fruiter taught Willy the ropes of the nordic route. When Willy struck out on the circuit he went as a nordic nor-dic competitor and representative represen-tative of Marius Eriksen's Ski Co. Traveling first through middle Europe, Willy skied his way to numerous nordic championships. Willy's Pupil . And. later. Willy's pupil. Stein Eriksen skied to alpine World Championship and Olympic medal honors. ..Marius died in 1950. It was in that year that Stein began to realize his competitive potential. po-tential. In 1950 he won a third place bronze medal in Aspen at the F1S World Championships. Then, in 1952 at the Olympics in Norway, Stein won the gold medal in the giant slalom, the silver in slalom, and placed seventh in the downhill. .pe Year The apex year of Stein's competitive skiing came in 1954 at the FIS World Championship Champi-onship races in Aarc, Sweden. There he won the gold medal i'.1. giatiLiJ.ilom. gold in sla- sional position as director of the ski school at Boyne Mountain, Moun-tain, Mich. Stein spent two years at .Heavenly Valley, Calif.; six yej.rs at Aspen Highlands, Colo. : three years. Sugarbush. Vt. and the last years before moving to Utah at Snow Mass of Aspen, Colo., as its Director Direc-tor of Ski in?. What does a director of skiing do? First Stein Eriksen will speak for Park City. He will tell thousands of people about this Utah resort in over 60 appearances across the United Unit-ed States. He will direct the progress of Park City's ski facility development, de-velopment, choosing runs, selecting se-lecting ski programs. Stein will be an integral part of Park City's master plan to reach stardom. In Stein's words. "I am Park City." It's a giam jus job, yet Stein has something else going for him. He reallv likes Utah. Stein Eriksen Now in Utah lorn, an 1 Ihe gold medal for the combined events. "I had the fastest time in the downhill Stein mused. But 1 fell and placed eighth or ninth.'' After four years on the circuit, cir-cuit, enough for anybody, Stein filled his first profes- |