Figure 1.-- Sitzerland of course meant skiing which was brand new to us. I remember our first ski trip to Switzerland quite well. Dad told us we were in for a surprise. When we arrived we were greeted by the town mayor and a delegation who told us that we were the first Americans they had seen since before World War II. Our money was no good as everything was "on the house". So much chocolate, so little time..... The photograph here shows me going up the Polma ski lift in Switzerland. Notice how bulky all the 1959 ski clothing is in this picture.

As my dad was the Aviano base recreation director, one of his jobs was to scout out new ski areas, and make arrangements for special packages for Air Force personnel across Europe. I remember our first ski trip to Switzerland quite well. Dad told us we were in for a surprise. When we arrived we were greeted by the town mayor and a delegation who told us that we were the first Americans they had seen since before World War II. Our money was no good as everything was "on the house". So much chocolate, so little time.....

Polma

Sitzerland of course meant skiing which was brand new to us. I remember our first ski trip to Switzerland quite well. Dad told us we were in for a surprise. When we arrived we were greeted by the town mayor and a delegation who told us that we were the first Americans they had seen since before World War II. Our money was no good as everything was "on the house". So much chocolate, so little time..... The photograph here shows me going up the Polma ski lift in Switzerland (figure 1). Notice how bulky all the 1959 ski clothing is in this picture. Everything was wool, including the mittens. Since American money was worth so much more than the Italian Lira, we all had new ski clothing and skies.

Ski Togs

Here in our photograph I'm hamming it up on a flat spot where I felt comfortable. You can tell from the background that we are rather high up in the Swiss Alps. The pants were actually knickers that I eventually grew into, and had an interesting side entry with buttons. If you are any kind of modern skier, you are probable wondering how we managed to survive without multiple broken bones. The boots were strapped to a non-movable toe clip, and the heels held in place with no safety release. This was considered high tech in 1959. Also note the double lace ski boots. You first laced the inner boot, then the outer boot. I don't remember getting goggles until much later in my skiing career. Getting started in the morning was quite a chore with the four of us children

Created: 2:25 AM 11/12/2006
Last updated: 2:25 AM 11/12/2006