The Stories Skis Tell, 54 Years Later
Fall of 2015 I was inspired to open a consignment ski, bike and mountain gear shop in Salmo BC, 'The Hemlock Hub'. Two things influenced this idea, being disillusioned with seasonal work, and the amazing Kootenay community of young families and mountain crazy folk in Salmo. The positive response I have received has been unbelievable, but my favorite fallout has been the stories and connections.
It is amazing, the effect of seeing an old straight pair of skis, an english saddle or a pair of leather touring boots, can have on people, and it almost always leads to the 6 degrees of separation!
Thus far the best goosebumpy tale has been from an old black pair of Heads that must weigh 50lbs and no amount of force would allow my legs to ever turn in any snow conditions!
I received a phone call after submitting an ad in the Pennywise looking for consignment items, desperately worried that I would have nothing to display in my large rented building on opening day Feb 1, 2016. The lady on the phone said I have skis, many, you will have to bring a truck! Wow!, with excitement and trepidation, my children and I arrived outside Castlegar and into the basement of Renate Belczyk who pointed to the rafters lined with hundreds of skis.
The history of a champion, covered in dust, the years and years of parental investment, early mornings, hope, disappointments, and I'm sure, an entire families worth of support and determination.
Felix Belczyk represented Canada for a decade, 1982-1992, won the Super G World Cup, skied in two Olympic games, and four world Championships. No big deal.
So after many trips back and forth to the truck we added the Belczyk's touring skis to the back wall of the Hub, some with archaic bindings I cannot even fathom how to fasten but are guaranteed to cause nostalgic reactions. Some have become skids for chicken coops and others decorations in condos, but nothing gave me a clue as to the identity of the giant 210cm black Heads until early this summer.
A friendly couple asked me, "do you know that you have a pair of Leo Grillmair's skis back there?" I had no idea. Jim and Sheila Bonny of Invermere explained that when you bought a new pair of Heads back in the day they always engraved your name onto them and so they knew to look. Once we determined that the skis indeed belonged to the co-founder of 'Canadian Mountain Holidays' I asked if they would be able to contact him to let him know they were here.
About a week later I received a call from David Goldsmith, a good friend of Leos and producer of the film 'Nine Lives would not do - The Life of Leo Grillmair -Mountaineer' that sold out for it's premier June 2, 2016 in the Columbia Valley, asking about the skis.
David came to pick up the skis in his convertible later in the summer to surprise Leo with them. We had a great chat, bundled the skis with sheets and duct tape and got them into his car. I looked forward to hearing Leo's response. True to his word, David kept me in the loop.
This is what he wrote after he presented them, “I picked them up and on a sunny morning in mid-September,2016, I took them to Leo's house. At first Leo said, “Hey you got some old junk skis? What are you doing with those?” Then I showed Leo the engraving of his name on them. Leo said, “Wow, those are old skis!” Then the memories of those skis, of Howard Head making them for him, the kind of bindings, and the fall he had all came tumbling out.
In 1958 he had been doing ski touring up at Little Yoho, the idea of CMH still in the future and these special skis made for Leo Grillmair and Hans Gmoser, co-founders of the first heliski company in the world, were really innovative. They had the first 'Remy Secure' adjustable binding made in France. This binding had a toe plate that could split open when too much pressure was applied by the skier's foot.
They also had the new 'Trima' skins. Skiers needed climbing skins on their skis when touring, so they could navigate up hills. The skins used up until this time used leather straps to hold the skins to the skis. These straps were constantly cut off by the ski, making the skins loose on the ski and ineffective. With the new 'Trima' skins, the skins could be much narrower, as they fitted into the slots the full length of the ski located in the center groove. This left the edges of the skis free so the skier could 'edge' as necessary on the way up a slope.
These skis also pre-dated the automatic braking systems found on modern skis. If these skis came off during a fall, they could go like a rocket down the slopes, very dangerously for others, and could also result in a long walk for the skier who lost the ski in a fall. So these skis came with a leg tether so that when the ski came off, it would stay with the skier. All too often these skis became weapons of destruction as they cart wheeled around the skier who was taking a speedy fall down a slope.
Leo was wearing these skis one day in 1962 on Mt. President in the Little Yoho, when he fell during a daring and fast descent. The ski came at him like a propeller and caught Leo on the back of his left leg breaking his leg immediately. He didn't see these skis for the next 54 years!
On Sept 29,2016, Leo along with David and Marilyn Goldsmith made the trip up to the lodge on an absolutely beautiful fall day. The lodge manager, Dave Cochrane, was ecstatic about this find, and was super happy to add this to the history of CMH and the history of mountaineering and ski touring in western Canada.
After 54 years those skis are now on prominent display up at the Bugaboo lodge.
David Goldsmith, a true gentleman, not only wrote to me and sent me photos of Leo and the skis after I donated them to him, also called me up one afternoon this fall. He told me I was on speaker phone with himself, Dave Cochrane, and Leo, who thanked me himself and told me he would stop into my humble little shop when he was next out this way!
If this is the icing on the cake, then the cherry on top, was speaking to Felix Belczyk himself, when I phoned his mom Renate, who had worked in the little Yoho Lodge back then and had acquired the skis all those years ago. Felix is also looking for an old pair of his racing skis that were misplaced so I will be keeping my eyes open.
Its easy to turn away old items that are not 'in vogue' but the reward time and again is so worth it, as is building a community that keeps mountain adventures affordable.
Written by Janna Clark and David Goldsmith
October 18, 2016
photo: left Leo Grillmair with skis and Dave Cochrane
