What The Heck Is He Wearing?
Who is this person? There must be a story behind that coat. Something to do with the Olympics? This might be a tough one. Please reply in Leave A Comment below.
Thanks to the Colorado SnowSports Museum for contributing this picture. Did you realize there snow sports museums all across North America? Many are small, locally-funded non-profits. Consider visiting and supporting them as each serves a vital role in preserving the history of all snow sports.
Last Week.
Yes, that’s Doug Pfieffer, long-time ski celebrity, innovative ski instructor, and journalist. Ty Rice, one of our observant readers, noticed this comma position is actually the same picture, flopped over.
This photo was taken from my personal, autographed copy of the 1958 Skiing With Pfeiffer. Doug inscribed, “A collector’s item for Mike Maginn.” Well, it is now.
Doug is one of the founders of the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA), long-time editor of SKIING magazine, promoter of skiing in film and television, and, along the way, invented freestyle skiing. He was inducted into the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in 1987. You can read more about his career by clicking here.
Doug was my boss at SKIING back in the early 70s. It was terrific to work with him in so many ways, especially since we shared the same birthday. Happy Birthday, Doug! Here’s both of us at the 2017 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
And here’s the cover of Skiing With Pfeiffer, a book which helped start the careers of many a ski instructor.
It looks like an old style of a Hudson Bay coat from Canada.
I concur with Bob Slusky. Hudson Bay Blanket coats I would see them in the northeast New England area. You would see them at Cranmore…Cannon… Wildcat and Sugarloaf. They were not common but there were enough of them around!
It does indeed look like a Hudson Bay Blanket Coat, albeit an ancient version. Today’s versions are more like car-coat length, but retain the ‘Bay’s’ trademark horizontal stripes.
Did an olympic team once wear these coats at opening or closing ceremonies? Canada maybe?
Anders Haugen, olympic ski jumper, circa 1924 in olympic parade costume – Hudson Bay Blanket Overcoat.
https://www.snowsportsmuseum.org/digital-resources