Tuckerman’s Ravine, Mount Washington, New Hampshire, U.S.A. SCORE = 99/100 YEAR of VISIT 1954-1956

Tuckerman’s Ravine, Mount Washington, New Hampshire, U.S.A. SCORE = 99/100 YEAR of VISIT 1954-1956

By: “Fog Horn” Flanagan

Age: 80

Gender: Male

Occupation: Retired Ski instructor P.S.I.A. # 14

Years Skiing: 62

Discipline: Alpine

Ability: Expert

Home Town: Milford, N.H.

Home: Denver, Colorado

Favorite Ski Hill:  Winter Park, Colorado

Likes:

You had to walk in three miles up the John Sherman Trail. Every step was UP to get to the base of Hilman’s Highway.  From there you had to climb for the skiing. We always carried a 60 – 70 pound backpack in with our skis and poles on our shoulders.

Dislikes:

Are you kidding? This was real skiing!

General Comments:

We drilled holes in the tips of our skis and used drapery cord looped through our belts and dragged our skis behind us as we climbed. If someone fell while skiing, they would get to sliding so we’d jump out in front of them to stop the slide ot at least help slow them down.

We always camped at the Howard Johnson and slept in lean-toos on hard wooden planks with a wool blanket underneath.

I only remember one year during this time that we were able to ski all the way back down the trail to the car. The exam for my ski teaching certificate was conducted at the Brookies Slalom Slope because there wasn’t enough snow anywhere else to do it.

Met a guy named John Jay who was a ski movie maker. He shot us climbing and skiing, but I never got to see the movie. He was a really nice guy and a passionate skier, part of the brotherhood at that time.