Readers Respond: Letters to the Editor

Soapy Slopes

I enjoyed your article on sand skiing (“History Proves Skiers Will Ski on Anything—Especially Sand,” March-April 2021). My friends and I skied on the banks of the Merrimac River, outside of Concord, New Hampshire, in the early 1960s when I was about 16. I didn’t realize that we were part of such a large group of sand-skiing enthusiasts. We used Ivory soap as wax and skied after the rain. We also tried to ski on wet moss and pine needles.

John Ladd
North Adams, Massachusetts
 

Artful Neighbors

In response to “Ski Art, Paul Sample” (March-April 2021), I grew up in Hanover and often visited Paul, who lived across the river in Norwich, Vermont. Rather than art, my mother shared a love of horses with Paul, and so most of my early memories of the Samples were connected with being in his barn rather than in his studio. Later, when I was about ten, I began ski jumping on the hill below his house where he built a jump and originated the Ford Sayre Nordic Programs with Dave Bradley. While I can see in the painting a resemblance to Stowe Village, I think that it is his hometown of Norwich.

Rick Moulton
Chairman, ISHA Board of Directors
Huntington, Vermont

Fast Inspiration

The article on Gordon and Karen Eaton (“Where Are They Now?,” January-February 2021) brought a smile to my face. I remember watching my first ski race at Dartmouth’s Winter Carnival in 1963. Watching Gordi Eaton and Roger Buchika sweep down the mountain at incredible speeds opened a whole new world of alpine ski racing to me. 
After business school and a four-year hitch in the United States Navy, I returned to the Hanover area and joined Profile Ski Wear for what turned out to be a 35-year career in the ski industry.

Stu Keiller
SIA Chairman, 1994-96
Vero Beach, Florida

And the Winner Is…

“The Day They Threw Cow Chips in Las Vegas” (January-February 2021) was a fun read. The winner of the cow-chip tossing at the 1983 SIA trade show is not lost to history anymore! It was Dan Bougrand. He was the rep for Slalom Ski Wear and Alpina Sports at the time!

Jane Allison
Baldwin, Michigan

Correcting the Record

The illustration in “The Tempo Turn” (March-April 2021) was from the 1947 Invitation to Skiing by Fred Iselin and A. C. Spectorsky.