One Very Young, The Other A Successful Competitor.
Many thanks to the Tread Of Pioneers Museum, Steamboat Springs, for this photo. Visit their online collection by clicking here.
Last Week
This is George Lundeen’s bronze statue, The End of An Era, circa 1960. Why is it significant? Here’s what Dana Mathios, Curator and Director of Collections, Colorado Snowsports Museum, has to say:
This sculpture depicts a sport poised at a turning point on the edge of change. Soon, metal and synthetics would become standard in ski construction in place of wood that had been in use for more than 4,000 years. Pioneering skiers used a single wooden pole. By the early 1900s, two poles were in fashion. The shafts were often made from bamboo until superior poles of a light metal alloy were developed. Higher, plastic ski boots featuring buckles marked the passing of lace-up leather boots.
Also depicted in the sculpture is an early version of a safety binding designed to release the toe of the boot in a fall. A leather thong anchored the heel to the ski. More advanced safety bindings that released both the toe and the heel of the boot followed.
Early in the development of Colorado’s ski industry, the Pikes Peak region offered a number of small ski areas. Nearby slopes at The Broadmoor Hotel and others on Pikes Peak at Glen Cove, Elk Park, and Holiday Hills were popular. The region also included Tenderfoot Hill at Cripple Creek and the Edlowe ski jumping hill at Divide. In time, large corporate-managed ski areas further to the West replaced the small, locally owned ski facilities in the region.
Many thanks to curator Dana Mathios and the Colorado Snowsports Museum for their many contributions to SeniorsSkiing.com’s Mystery Glimpse feature. Visit the museum’s website to browse its collection and do consider making an audition.
