Sun Valley Freestyle '73 - Rick Glesner Photos

[Dave Petersen]

"OK gang here are those pictures from the Freestyle event at Sun Valley '73. I was there with a couple of friends to take in the sights and become even more amp'd at what I was seeing. Bill Eisenhart had become familiar with me and the year after invited me to join him at Winter Park as a coach in his new Freestyle/Racing program. Rick Glesner"
@RickyG

 

[Dave Petersen]

 

[Mothertucker]

 

[Uncle-A]

Is that Suzy chapstick in the red and white outfit?

 

[Bad Bob]

Exhibition and the old single chair.
Still a great bump run.

 

[dan ross]

Winter heats, 505’s Nordica Banana boots and Cire’ nylon ...
Good times, especially for the photogenic Mr. Wong.

 

[dan ross]

Is that Suzy chapstick in the red and white outfit?

I don’t think so... Ms. Chapstick is more ....petite plus, no bib. I believe that shot is what photographers used to call “ local color”....

 

[ZionPow]

Bill Eisenhart had become familiar with me and the year after invited me to join him at Winter Park as a coach in his new Freestyle/Racing program

I met Bill Eisenhart in Winter Park, CO in 1977. He was selling real estate and my Parents bought a condo with his assistance in 1977. We still own the condo and spend time there every summer. Bill was a nice guy.

 

[Royal]

Where did all those cool sweaters and jackets go? great pics, thanks for shareing!

 

[Uncle-A]

Where did all those cool sweaters and jackets go? great pics, thanks for shareing!

Unfortunately the cool sweaters have been replaced by the quarter zip fleece.

 

[skipress]

It's also in the context of the equipment etc easy to forget just how good these guys were. Steep, choppy bumps, bad boots, terrible bindings, long and narrow skis with a lot of speed and air. Decent today, something else then

 

[Philpug]

It's also in the context of the equipment etc easy to forget just how good these guys were.

When we were at the press conference for the US Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame in Park City. I asked Hilary Engisch and Andrew Wienbrech to stand. Hilary was maybe 5 foot nothing and Andrew was let's just say adult size. I asked Hilary what size ski she used when she competed in moguls, she said a 195cm. I asked Andrew what he skied on in GS, he said a 195cm. They were both quiet, then looked at each other and laughed.

 

[Bad Bob]

Use to ski with Mike King (who won that event in 72?). Yes they were very good. Mike would and could ski a zipper line in the bumps then on a pair of 200s.

 

[Uncle-A]

Use to ski with Mike King (who won that event in 72?). Yes they were very good. Mike would and could ski a zipper line in the bumps then on a pair of 200s.

You have to remember that in 1972 you would be hard pressed to name a bump ski. They didn't show up in the manufacturers line for at least two or three years later.

 

[Uncle-A]

Maybe some of our more senior members can tell us when the first bump or freestyle skis first showed up on the market. Paging @Bill Talbot the site historian to share his expertise.

 

[Bill Talbot]

Maybe some of our more senior members can tell us when the first bump or freestyle skis first showed up on the market. Paging @Bill Talbot the site historian to share his expertise.

I can only make some educated guesses. I'm too young!
Freestyle skis started appearing in the early 70's and were flourishing by the mid 70's. K2, Olin, Rossi, the SKI, Head, Hexcel, Hart, Kastle, Kneissl, etc, etc. All the manufactures wanted in on the new action!

Here's some

 

[Uncle-A]

I can only make some educated guesses. I'm too young!
Freestyle skis started appearing in the early 70's and were flourishing by the mid 70's. K2, Olin, Rossi, the SKI, Head, Hexcel, Hart, Kästle, Kneissl, etc, etc. All the manufactures wanted in on the new action!

Here's some
View attachment 139386

Hi Bill and thanks for the display that must have taken some time to put together. You have several different vintage skis, the oldest one I remember in that group is the Rossi Smash or maybe the K2 Winter heat. The youngest might be the Rossi on the far right side or the K2 next the Olin's. You might have a better handle on that as our historian than I do even though you are so young.

 

[Bad Bob]

You have to remember that in 1972 you would be hard pressed to name a bump ski. They didn't show up in the manufacturers line for at least two or three years later.

Mike won on Head XR-1's. Next year he skied for Olin and the Mark IV was just coming out, 1st grooveless ski I remember; and by 74 the 185 Mark IV was out the Ballet had to be right in that time frame too.

 

[Uncle-A]

Mike won on Head XR-1's. Next year he skied for Olin and the Mark IV was just coming out, 1st grooveless ski I remember; and by 74 the 185 Mark IV was out the Ballet had to be right in that time frame too.

I don't think the Head XR-1 was a bump ski but the Olin Mark IV definitely was and I agree it came out the 74 - 75 season. I don't remember if the original Mark IV was without a groove, I know later ones didn't. I had a pair of the later ones and they didn't have any groove. The first ski I remember without a groove was the K2's, they also were the first I remember with a base bevel.

 

[skipress]

When we were at the press conference for the US Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame in Park City. I asked Hilary Engisch and Andrew Wienbrech to stand. Hilary was maybe 5 foot nothing and Andrew was let's just say adult size. I asked Hilary what size ski she used when she competed in moguls, she said a 195cm. I asked Andrew what he skied on in GS, he said a 195cm. They were both quiet, then looked at each other and laughed.

Yep, in alpine it was something that needed gentle explanation - that ski length was essentially independent of 'athlete length' instead it was based on a formula of the optimum footprint to get between x and y gates over between a and b metres on a gradient of,... FI cars are pretty much the same length irrespective of the height of the driver.

In the day it was a design length of 190-95 for ladies sl and 205 for mens [depending a bit on how the mfgr measured]

I suspect that in freestyle 'ballet' skis showed up earlier. The 255 was certainly marketed as an allrounder but had a campaign referencing bumps - 'you can tell a bumper, [or was it bump skier] by the skis he owns'.

The head Yahoo would be circa 1974. Around that point you would have had some folks skiing on long n narrow and others flipping to 'compact'. I guess the real question is which ski was first marketed as a bump ski?