Skiing was a thing in the Wild West. Snowshoe Thompson, a native of Tinn in Telemark, Norway, introduced skiing to California during the now legendary Gold Rush in the 1850s as he delivered mail and supplies to the gold and silver miners in the Sierra Nevada's as a mailman for Uncle Sam. His skills and ability on a pair of skis became legendary in the Sierras, and Snowshoe became an institution of the era being the only thing connecting the miners from the outside world during wintertime. The Sierra Nevada's and Lake Tahoe in specific are now a world renounced ski area, and it all started with an immigrant from Norway: Snowshoe Thompson.
Ski flying has always been about chasing records. In a never-ending pursuit of longer and longer jumps, ski flying hills were expanded faster than the jumpers could keep up with. By the 1980s, hills had become uncontrollable monsters and the sport produced some of the most spectacular crashes in skiing history. Our Halloween Special dives into the story of ski flying leading up to when it all culminated in the 1980s.
Toni Nieminen from Finland was only 16 years old when he introduced himself to the world of ski jumping. As the sport was going through a massive change from the old parallel style to the new V-style, Nieminen became the first jumper to truly master it. In episode 13 we cover the story of his absolutely epic 1992 season where he dominated the World Cup, the Four Hills Tournament, and the Olympics.
Skiing was a thing in the Wild West. Snowshoe Thompson, a native of Tinn in Telemark, Norway, introduced skiing to California during the now legendary Gold Rush in the 1850s as he delivered mail and supplies to the gold and silver miners in the Sierra Nevada's as a mailman for Uncle Sam. His skills and ability on a pair of skis became legendary in the Sierras, and Snowshoe became an institution of the era being the only thing connecting the miners from the outside world during wintertime. The Sierra Nevada's and Lake Tahoe in specific are now a world renounced ski area, and it all started with an immigrant from Norway: Snowshoe Thompson.
It only takes one person to make a big change. US cross-country skier Bill Koch had been a loner most of his life and was never afraid to go his own ways. Having won the silver medal at the 1976 Innsbruck Olympics, his career struggled following the Olympic success. To reinvent his career he decided yet again to go his own ways, and he ended up forever changing the sport of cross-country skiing in the process.
What a cool life Andrea Mead Lawrence lived! Staying true to her motto of skiing for fun, by the time she was 19 she was a two time Olympic Champion and had travelled the world to do the thing she loved the most, skiing of course. In episode 10 of Ski Heroes we cover her life as a skier, Olympic champion, and three time Olympian, and how she ultimately leveraged her Olympic status to create a platform for environmental activism to protect nature as ski areas were developed.
Toni Sailer was an incredibly multi-talented Austrian skier from Kitzbuhel who started out dominating the world of alpine ski racing, and who ended up as one of the biggest celebrities Austria has ever had. In episode 9 of Ski Heroes, we explore Toni Sailer's life as a ski racer, including his dominant performance at the 1956 Cortina Olympics, we touch on his acting career, and we even make stop by James Bond.
Anette Sagen should simply be known as one of the greatest ski jumpers of all time. And she would have been were she born a boy. In episode 8 we tell the story of women's ski jumping and how all female ski jumpers have had to fight for their right to participate and compete. And no one did so better and more fiercely than ski jumping pioneer Anette Sagen who dominated women's ski jumping in the early-to-mid 2000s, and involuntarily became a feminist icon while doing so.
Happy Halloween everyone!
Episode 7 is a Halloween special which covers the Hahnenkamm Rennen down Die Streif course in Kitzbuhel in Austria. A race about as scary and spectacular as one can get it on a pair of skis.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, the three former East German biathlon skiers showed remarkable consistency, dominating the relay event in the Olympics and the World Championships. Episode 6 explores the story of Sven Fischer, Frank Luck, and Ricco Gross.
Link to Skippy Report episode: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-iyn8f-12c1976
Jean Vuarnet was a French ski instructor and ski racer in the 1950s who ended his career with one epic run at the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympic games. With his sharp eye for innovation and technology, he adopted the latest innovations to prepare for the 1960 Olympic Games and set the stage for his second career as a business man.
Stay up to date
For any inquiries, please email us at hello@podcastworld.io