Big Mountain ski school sets the standard

By RICHARD HANNERS

Whitefish Pilot

Nearly everything about skiing has changed since Karl Hinderman started the first ski school on Big Mountain when the ski area first opened in 1947 — from skiing equipment to skiing techniques.

Hinderman, who skied in the Army’s 10th Mountain Division during World War II, left the school in the hands of Joe Ward for the first year while he taught skiing in Sun Valley.

Austrian ski racer Toni Matt took over Big Mountain’s ski school the next year. Matt ran the school until 1956, when an accident during a race in Sun Valley sidelined him.

Back then, skiers wore heavy leather boots attached by cable bindings to wooden skis that might or might not have metal edges. The straight-lined skis measured 200 centimeters or longer.

By the time Hinderman returned, the “French technique” had become passé, and American ski schools were searching for style of their own. As one of Hinderman’s early instructors recalled, whichever country did well in the Olympics set the style for U.S. ski schools.

The solution came in 1961, when the American ski resorts established the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) at Big Mountain. Ski instructors from around the U.S. arrived in Whitefish that spring to meet the demand for a higher level of professionalism.

Local Martin Hale, who successfully raced in the 1950s and taught for Hinderman, took over the Big Mountain ski school in 1972 when Hinderman retired. Hale expanded the school and doubled the shop size. He had more than 80 employees by the time he retired in 1995, when the resort took over the ski school.

Today the Whitefish Mountain Resort ski school has more than 80 instructors who range in age from teenage “apprentices” to instructors in their late 60s. Instructors are certified by PSIA and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (AASI).

“The vision is simple — inspiring a lifelong passion for the mountain experience,” instructor Lori Rust said. “On our mountain, we pride ourselves as a teaching resort and are fortunate to have so many qualified and professionally-certified instructors.”

Rust has been teaching skiing for eight years on Big Mountain.

“Taking lessons, especially for new skiers, is like growing strong roots from the beginning,” she said. “The stronger the roots, the stronger the tree develops — the stronger the skier will become. Without lessons, the roots are weak, and the tree is never strong enough to grow to its maximum potential. The skier will always struggle and won’t be able to take full advantage of all the mountain has to offer.”

Lessons help skiers become more efficient in their technique and consequently more versatile in the terrain they can cover, Rust said. They also help overcome fears and anxieties, prevent injuries and reduce physical trauma. A small investment of time and money in a lesson can have a huge return in fun, Rust said, as well as confidence and pride in our abilities.

“The better you become at skiing or snowboarding, the easier it becomes and the more fun you’ll have,” she said. “The more fun you have, the more you’ll want to share your experience with friends and family and challenge yourself further.”

There aren’t too many kinds of activities that families can do together — including grandparents, Rust points out.

“We are typically spectators at our children’s events or participate in individual sports,” Rust said. “Can you think of a better winter vacation with your family?”

Rust emphasizes the need for even experienced skiers to take lessons, incuding locals. The best skiers in the world all have coaches, so why wouldn’t the everyday skier, she asked.

“You know who takes the most ski lessons?” she asked. “Ski instructors. Clinics are offered twice a week.”

More advanced skiers can learn fine-tuning techniques and then put that newfound skill to good use on challenging terrain that an instructor knows matches their abilities. Refresher lessons are always beneficial to the advanced skier, Rust said, which is why having the option of a one-hour “Quick Tip” is appealing to even locals.

Stephanie Breck, an attorney in Columbia Falls, is an example of a model student, Rust said. She signed up for a class one morning, she didn’t know how to ski at all. But she came back after lunch and continued working on the beginner hills near the Base Lodge. By the end of the day, when her husband came down the mountain to see how she was doing, she was beginning to parallel ski.

“I’ve encouraged Stephanie to join a Ladies Day Program next season, where she can ski with the same group of women with the same instructor each week for 10 weeks,” Rust said. “It’s a great way to progress your skills and have a blast doing it.”

Profiles of Whitefish Mountain Resort ski and snowboard instructors can be seen online at www.skiwhitefish.com, click “Vacation Planning,” then “Ski & Snowboard School.”