Page 62 - Flathead Beacon // 3.12.14

62 | MARCH 12, 2014 SPORTS FLATHEADBEACON.COM

No:
LURCHING FROM ONE
NEAR DISASTER TO ANOTHER. Warren Miller
Orville and Wilbur FLOORS

Reminiscence
INSTALLED
T
HE ANNUAL FUNDRAISER pened: After he saw his irst skier glide by
for the Warren Miller Freedom WITH near his village in Bavaria, he took some

Foundation was held the other
PRIDE...
slats out of a shipping crate and nailed a
night at the Yellowstone Club. Klaus pair of his old shoes to them. Since the
Obermeyer, the largest manufacturer of slats had no turned up tips on them, he
ski clothes in America, was the featured tied a rope from the front of the straight
speaker. I took to the stage with Klaus GLUTEN boards and the other end to his knees. As
and we told stories to our guests about he straightened up his ankles and knees,
our careers and friendship, which dates PESTICIDES the roped pulled the tips up.

back to 1948.
ARTIFICIAL Klaus lives on a ranch 20 minutes
Klaus and I talked about the three Yes:
ANYTHING
down the valley from downtown Aspen.
weeks we slept side-by-side in the back Just enough drive time to unwind after
of my 1946 Ford coupe. I had torn out a day of working in the Obermeyer oice
the backseats and installed a double bed or a powder snow day on Ajax.
mattress so I could sleep in it on week- Fresh Olive Oil
Our Freedom Foundation teaches
ends when I went suring or skiing. The entrepreneurial and business skills to
bed was comfortable and we saved a lot of 18 Year Balsamics
young people. We plan on ofering start-

money camping outside of the car as we WE REFILL!
up capital to young people with a good
went on our three-week sales tour start- business plan and who need the same i-
ing in Sun Valley. I was selling Army sur- nancial aid that I needed when I started
plus parachute shroud ski boot laces and my ilm company, as I was loaned one
Klaus was selling his genuine imported hundred dollars each from four diferent
Bavarian koogie ties.
friends. That $400 was the seed money
My shoelaces retailed for a dollar a that produced more than 600 movies
So you’ll be
pair and Klaus retailed his koogie ties for during my lifelong career of skiing and
$1.75.
proud!
ilming. Incidentally, those four original
We traveled and slept in the car investors got all of their money back and
from Sun Valley, Idaho, to Seattle and interest too.
then down the West Coast to Los Ange- Selishly, I really enjoyed spending
les while we called on every ski shop we the weekend with Klaus and his fam-
could ind in the Yellow Pages.
ily. Unfortunately, he had crashed skiing
When I irst met Klaus he had recent- (at age 94) a few weeks before he lew up
Most homes with fresh
ly arrived in America. We met in Ket- wood looring command here to be with us so we didn’t get to real-
chum, Idaho, when he was digging a big ly share how great our mountains are. In
hole for a septic tank. He landed in New a better resale price.
another week he will be able to ski again
York with $10, his skis and boots and a and continue to star in another ski ilm
down quilt his mother made him take Invest in quality.
that is being produced by his son.
with him when he left Bavaria.
A friend of mine told me that when
Klaus had dozens of funny and his- NEW!
he listened to us tell ancient ski stories
torical stories to tell. He can still do an Install Sand Finish or we
it was as though he was listening to Or-
excellent Bavarian yodel, and he did.
10% of on reills, any variety.
rent professional looring ville and Wilbur discussing the results of
Klaus skied the irst time in 1924, machines and have the their irst light at Kitty Hawk! So much
which was the year that I was born. This history!
Genesis
is his explanation of how and why it hap-
commercial products and Kitchen is a certiied
Ultra Premium

advice to help the do-it
yourselfer.
For more of Warren’s wanderings go to www.warrenmiller.net or visit him on his Face- olive o
il store,
book page at facebook.com/warrenmiller. For information on his Foundation, please Best quality, be
visit the Warren Miller Freedom Foundation, at www.warrenmiller.org.
st
Call to book
prices. ENJOY!

your looring

upgrade

today!

406.730.1449

140 Lupfer Ave, Larry Alton, Eagle Woodworking
755-4770 shop 212-8235 mobile
Whiteish
Decades of experience, hundreds
www.genesis-kitchen.com
of local happy customers.