“This image of a Taos Pueblo man on skis is believed to have been taken around 1900 in the Hondo Valley a few miles down-valley from today’s Taos Ski Valley. He is thought to have been a mail carrier who delivered letters in a pouch on his back to the mining community of Twining. His long single pole was the early favored means of controlling speed and for turning. The effort both uphill and down generated lots of body heat; thus his trim figure and relatively light clothing.
The first ski races in America took place at the home of one of the first ski lifts located near Johnsville, California. The races started when miners from La Porte would trek over the mountain to compete with their Plumas County brethren from the east side of the hill.
ReplyDeleteLongboard races still take place every winter at Johnsville. I've never been, but it looks like it's an absolute blast.
https://plumasskiclub.org/web/
Hell of a way to make a living.
ReplyDeleteSnowshoe Thompson
ReplyDeleteBetween 1856 and 1876, he delivered mail between Placerville, California and Genoa, Nevada and later Virginia City, Nevada.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowshoe_Thompson
His monument at the top of Carson Pass is awesome.
Deletehttps://noehill.com/alpine/poi_snowshoe_thompson.asp