Passion for Skiing received the 2011 Ullr Award from the International Ski History Association for its outstanding contribution to the knowledge of the history of skiing at ISHA's annual gathering in Sun Valley Idaho in April, 2011.
A documentary on the development of modern skiing is now being created based on this book. New filming completed during the winter of 2011 plus old ski history film going back to the 1920s will be combined to highlight the "Passion" story under the leadership of Steve Waterhouse and a group of Emmy award film makers, led by Lisa Densmore with the help of Rick Moulton and Roger Brown.
Before 1900, skis were mainly a means to get around in snowy conditions. As the 20th century began, recreational skiing activities were emerging around the world that would bring about ski schools, ski lifts, ski resorts, specialized clothing and equipment, new competitive events, the Winter Olympics, adaptive skiing programs, the Paralympics, ski magazines, ski movies, ski museums, technological innovations, dedicated medical facilities, and other elements of skiing never before seen. It has been the blending of these interrelated enterprises that produced “modern skiing”.
In North America, the students, staff, alumni and families associated with Dartmouth College took an early leadership role in the development of modern skiing, a role which continues to this day.
This book explains its origins and how it has evolved and expanded for more than 100 years. Although the Dartmouth influence on winter activities is broader than skiing, it is in this multifarious area that this one small institution has remained preeminent with its enthusiastic and irrepressible “Passion for Skiing.”
