Page 62 - Flathead Beacon // 5.14.14

62 | MAY 14, 2014 SPORTS
FLATHEADBEACON.COM

LURCHING FROM ONE
NEAR DISASTER TO ANOTHER. Warren Miller
he Election Department
Memories of the Last has moved to the
Flathead County Fairgrounds Country Kitchen
of the Season, Part Two
through June 30th
for the purpose of voter registration and absentee voting. he
Country Kitchen building is located directly behind the Grand- I
stands and will have a sign on it to indicate it is the
N THE 73 YEARS THAT I SKIED two lats. If there was still snow in Ver-
before I broke my back, I never had a mont or New Hampshire, I would drive
ELECTION DEPARTMENT.
bad day of skiing. I watched ski mov- up to ilm a little bit more before head-
Flathead County residents will be able to register in person ies almost every day all summer long as ing West. In 1953, I was driving a 1950
Monday-Friday 8am-5pm
I went through the editing process of panel delivery truck with a bed and a
my annual feature ilm. In 1954, on the jerry-rigged kitchen in the back. I drove
Fourth of July weekend, I lew north to 500 miles a day for six days. The third
In order for voter to conirm their registra- OR contact the Seattle and drove to Mount Baker for year I bought a 1956 Chevy in Slickville,
tion, their proper precinct, and the location Election Department at the annual Slush Cup. There was a large Pennsylvania, from a friend of mine who
of polling place for that precinct they may
access the Falthead County website: http:// (406) 758-5536
pond about 50 yards across of melted showed my movies.
lathead.mt.gov/election and click on
snow that skiers, racing down the hill, When I arrived home and could view
would try to clear to the other side before all the footage I had shot, I could then
crashing or sinking from a lack of mo- decide if I had enough or would journey
mentum. The Mount Baker Slush Cup north to Mammoth Mountain for the i-
was eventually closed down because so nal days with my camera. When I didn’t
much alcohol and so many drugs were have enough footage and had run out of
consumed. I never pointed out that part snow, I would point my camera at the

of the Slush Cup in my ilms, but it was beach activities around my hometown:
obvious that many of the participants suring, sailing, water skiing and even
had a little too much alcohol in their sys- beach volleyball. Those always helped to
tems to be doing what they were doing.
give the ilm some pacing interest.
Once there was no longer enough One spring, I had wrapped up my
snow to ski on in the spring, we put our ilming in France and was headed home
ski equipment away in a cool place, from an airport somewhere when I drove

clamping the tails and ski tips together at by a still-operating T-bar about 50 per-
the splay and inserting a straight piece of cent covered with snow and grass and the
two-by-four between the skis under the rest with green grass. Skiers were splash-
binding area so the camber would stay in ing across the grass, falling in the mud
the laminated hickory. If you had time, and spraying each other with wet snow.
you would sand the varnish of of the skis It was one of the best comedy sequences
and apply a new coat before you clamped I ever shot, and it had a decidedly French
them for the summer. Also in the 1950s, lavor to it.

boot trees were invented so that your I once passed up one more inal day of
boots would not warp during the sum- skiing in the mountains outside of Elko,
mer.
Nevada, with my friend Frank Wells who
If you didn’t go suring and couldn’t was then president of Disney. He had in-
go skiing, you suddenly had a lot more vited me on a group heli trip, but I had
spare time (about eight days a month) already made plans with Laurie to make
that you could work an extra job and our reverse annual migration back to our
raise a stash of cash for the following
island home for the summer.
winter’s skiing expenses, such as replac- Three days later, on Orcas by then,
ing broken wooden skis.
we got a phone call from Frank’s son ask- Insist on the Sky.
Quite often in the late 1950s and ing me to speak at his father’s memorial
1960s, my last day of skiing would be in service. Frank was lying out on the last
some great place in Europe, such as St. helicopter of the day when the engine
Moritz, Zermatt, Zurs, or Davos. Then lamed out. He was sitting behind the pi-
getting to Hermosa Beach was a real has- lot when the helicopter hit a tree. Frank

sle. Twice after locating my car at the air- was lucky on his last day of skiing to be
port it would have a lat tire; once I had
doing something he loved.

For more of Warren’s wanderings go to www.warrenmiller.net or visit him on
his Facebook page at facebook.com/warrenmiller.

406-752-GEEK (4335)
www.montanasky.net

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