Page 52 - Flathead Beacon // 1.7.15

52 | JANUARY 7, 2015
LURCHING FROM ONE
SPORTS FLATHEADBEACON.COM
Montana Sidelines
Roundup of recent sports and outdoors news
NEAR DISASTER TO ANOTHER...
Warren Miller
By DILLON TABISH
Unanticipated Consequences
IN THE MID-1950S THERE WAS A Sun Valley ski patrolman featured in my annual ski film. I had mov- ies of him rocketing straight down the Christmas Bowl Ridge towing a tobog- gan. After the audience got used to his high speed I casually mentioned that he only had one leg.
I was very surprised the next morn- ing when the telephone rang in my Utah hotel room and it was a man named Ed Siegel who wanted to take me to lunch. I have a reputation for never passing up a free meal and at lunch at explained two things: (1) he had lost his leg just below the knee when had broken his leg ski- ing and (2) as a chronic alcoholic, it led to him not taking care of his broken leg and as a result it had to be amputated below the knee.
I located the Sun Valley ski patrol- man and hooked him up with Ed Siegel and they became great friends.
Within two weeks of Ed seeing my movie, he rented some ski equipment and went up to Alta and took a get-ac- quainted lesson with Alf Engen.
Ed joined Alcoholics Anonymous soon thereafter the next thing I knew he was the general manager of Dodge Ridge in central California. From there he moved on to become general manager of the Sugar Bowl California where the first chairlift was built in that state.
While he was managing the Sugar Bowl I hired his sales manager away
from him and Art Lawson became my No. 1 salesman. Art was so good at selling I had to hire a cameraman. Don Brolin came to work for me when he didn’t even know how to thread up a 16mm cam- era, but he was so good at everything he tried. We worked together for 35 years.
While Don Brolin and I were travel- ing all over the world taking the pictures that a lot of people seemed to like, Ed Siegel was moving along with his life at Waterville Valley, having settled down and married with kids.
Then he went to work for the Head ski company as a factory representative. The next thing I knew Ed had moved to Sun Valley, Idaho.
There he has become an alcohol and drug rehab counselor and still skis. He also plays golf and rides his bicycle all summer. Ed and I still stay in contact with each other by telephone two or three times a year.
As we all know ski resorts have their share of drug and alcohol problems and unfortunately there are never enough counselors like Ed to help them get their lives back in order.
For some reason it has always been a mystery to me why a person who can climb on a chairlift ride to the top of the mountain and have total freedom in their life would need additional help from drugs or alcohol? Thank goodness for the Ed Siegels of the world who are there to give them a hand.
GLACIER NORDIC CLUB HOSTS GLACIER GLIDE FREESTYLE RACE, FREE EVENTS
The Glacier Nordic Club will host free events on Jan. 10 for National Win- ter Trails Day followed by the annual Glacier Glide freestyle race on Sun- day, Jan. 11 at the Nordic Center at the Whitefish Lake Golf Course.
On Saturday, Jan. 10, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., Glacier Nordic Club and Glacier Cyclery & Nordic are cel- ebrating National Winter Trails Day with free ski passes, rentals and lessons at the Nordic Center at the Whitefish Lake Golf Course.
For ski rental and lesson reserva- tions call Glacier Cyclery’s Nordic Shop at 862-9498. Visit glaciernordicclub. com for more information.
On Sunday, a 9K and 18K race will start at 10:30 a.m. and a 4K, 1K and cookie race will start at noon. Day of registration begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Whitefish Lake Restaurant. Race fees are $20 for adults and $10 for youth and free for the 1K and cookie race.
The entry fee includes a post-race chili lunch and awards ceremony at the Whitefish Lake Restaurant. For more information visit glaciernordiclcub.com.
CELEBRATE WINTER TRAILS DAY WITH LOCAL EVENTS
The Flathead Community of Re- source Educators (CORE), a network of individuals and organizations work- ing together to increase awareness and understanding about the natural, his- torical and cultural resources of the Flathead Region, is celebrating Winter Trails Day on Saturday, Jan. 10 with several free outdoor activities.
All activities are suitable for begin- ners and families. Be prepared with warm clothing and wear sturdy hiking shoes or boots.
• A snowshoe walk on the Flathead Na-
tional Forest, hosted by the Swan Lake Ranger District and Flathead Audu- bon, will be at the Blacktail Mountain cross-country ski trails near Lake- side, 10 a.m. to noon. Participants may bring snowshoes, or a limited number of children and adult shoes will be available by reservation. Please meet at the upper trailhead parking area. Reservations are not required. For more information or to reserve snow- shoes, please contact the Swan Lake Ranger District at 837-7500.
• Explore Lone Pine State Park on snowshoes. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., park visitors can borrow snowshoes and explore the many park trails. Adult and children’s snowshoes are available on a first-come, first-served basis. A ranger-led snowshoe walk takes place at 1 p.m. Contact the park at 755-2706 for more information and to reserve snowshoes for the walk.
• Join Whitefish Legacy Partners at Stillwater Mountain Lodge and the
Whitefish Bike Retreat for a day of cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snow ‘fat’ bike riding and winter fun from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants can ski on the Stillwater Nordic Cen- ter’s groomed trails. Bring your own equipment or demo equipment is available on site. Ravenwood Out- door Learning Center will lead family friendly wilderness skill and animal tracking activities. Across the road from the Lodge, check out a ‘fat’ bike demo or snowshoe on the Whitefish Trail courtesy of several area cycle and outdoor sport shops. For more in- formation contact Whitefish Legacy Partners, 862-3880.
• Join the Swan Ecosystem Center for a family snowshoe event at the Holland Lake Day Use Area, south of Condon, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bring your own snowshoes or a limited number of children and adult snowshoes avail- able by reservation. Join a ‘trail trek’ geared for the whole family, warm up by the fire with a cup of hot cocoa. For more information or to reserve snow- shoes call the Swan Ecosystem Cen- ter at 406/754-3137.
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL STANDINGS (THROUGH JAN. 5) BOYS
WESTERN AA
HELENA CAPITAL 4-1 1-0 GLACIER 3-2 1-0 MISSOULA HELLGATE 4-0 0-0 HELENA 3-2 0-0
“AFTER THE AUDIENCE GOT USED TO HIS HIGH SPEED I CASUALLY MENTIONED THAT HE ONLY HAD ONE LEG.”
For more of Warren’s wanderings go to www.warrenmiller.net or visit him on his Face- book page at facebook.com/warrenmiller. For information on his Foundation, please visit the Warren Miller Freedom Foundation, at www.warrenmiller.org.
FLATHEAD MISSOULA SENTINEL MISSOULA BIG SKY
2-4 0-0 4-2 0-1 2-3 0-1
NORTHWESTERN A
COLUMBIA FALLS
FRENCHTOWN
WHITEFISH
POLSON 2-3 0-0 LIBBY 0-5 0-2
WESTERN 7B
BIGFORK 5-0 2-0
6-1 2-0 3-2 1-1 3-4 1-1
THOMPSON FALLS EUREKA
PLAINS
TROY
GIRLS
WESTERN AA
GLACIER
HELENA CAPITAL FLATHEAD
HELENA
MISSOULA HELLGATE MISSOULA SENTINEL MISSOULA BIG SKY
4-2 1-0 2-4 1-1 3-3 1-2 3-3 0-2
4-1 1-0 4-1 1-0 2-4 0-0 1-4 0-0 1-3 0-0 5-0 0-1 4-1 0-1
NORTHWESTERN A
COLUMBIA FALLS 7-0 2-0 FRENCHTOWN 4-1 1-1 LIBBY 3-3 1-1 POLSON 0-5 0-0 WHITEFISH 2-5 0-2
WESTERN 7B
BIGFORK 4-1 2-0 THOMPSON FALLS 3-3 1-0 PLAINS 4-2 2-1 TROY 1-3 0-2 EUREKA 1-5 0-2