Most of the items in this collection are VHS dubs of earlier films. Many are of relatively poor image quality and should only be used for research purposes.
Even before 1900, miners, mail carriers and other travelers were using skis to traverse Utah's mountain snow, and it was not long before skiing in the state arose as a recreational activity and spectator sport. The Wasatch Mountain Club formed and began leading ski treks in 1912, and, in 1915, the Norwegian Young Folks Society began organizing ski jumping competitions at Ogden's Becker Hill and along the Wasatch Front. By 1936, the resort town of Brighton featured the state's first rope tow and hosted ski races, and it was only a short time after Joe Quinney formed the Salt Lake City Winter Sports Association in 1937 that Utah's first chairlift (only the second in the country) was constructed at the former alpine mining town of Alta in 1938. In the 1940s, Norwegian ski jumper Sverre Engen became Alta's first ski patrolman and the Forest Service's first snow ranger, while his equally accomplished older brother, Alf, took over Alta's ski school. As skiing continued to increase in popularity, organized ski areas sprung up throughout the Wasatch Mountains and in alpine areas across the state, attracting recreational and competitive skiers from local communities and around the world. Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Olympic Games in 2002.
The Utah Ski Archives was established in 1989 to preserve a comprehensive history of skiing in Utah and the Intermountain region. They are housed at the University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library in the Special Collections department and consist of photographs, manuscripts and audio-visual material.
Utah Ski Archives miscellaneous videos (1932-2003) consist of various ski-related VHS videocassettes which do not currently fit with any other ski collections.
This collection is arranged in roughly chronological order.
Audio-visual materials can be fragile and require specialized equipment to play back. For this reason, access to audio-visual materials is provided through digital copies, and it might take longer to provide access to items that are not yet digitized. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law, condition of the material, or by donor.
Processed by Christopher Drew in 1993.
Forms part of the Ski and Snow Sports Archive.
Copies of movies transferred from 16mm film:
1.)
Director: Hannes Schneider
Sound, B/W (18 minutes)
This skiing action film depicts a number of skiers as they cross hills, valleys and ski in various formations. At the end of the film, an inter-title appears on the screen with the following information: "Slo-Motion scenes of the highlights in the preceding picture." This inter-title is followed by a number of slow motion takes of previous scenes.
2.)
Director: Jerome Hill
Narrator: Ira Genet
Commentator: Howard Claney
Music: David Mendoza
Editor: Bert Frank
Sound, B/W (10 minutes)
This instructional ski film features Otto Lang demonstrating Hannes Schneider's "Arlburg Method" of skiing. The separate steps to the method are discussed and are as follows; Schuss, Snowplow, Snowplow turn, Stem turn, Stem Christiania and Parallel Christiania.
3.)
Sound, Color
Director: Bob Bourdon
This instructional ski film features some of the most prominent ski instructors in the U.S. at the time of its release. The film's featured instructors include Paul Velar (Franconia), Bruce Fen (Lake Placid), Paula Levar (Mittersill), Gary Fisher (Stowe), Rudy Kirsteiner (Snow Ridge), Herbert Schneider (North Conway) and Kurt Sparks (Stowe). As there was no written guide accompanying the VHS tape, the names of featured ski instructors may be spelled incorrectly.
4.)
Silent, B/W (13 minutes)
This silent instructional ski film deals with ski instruction in Switzerland in 1939.
5.)
Sound, Color
Director: Robert Bourdon
This instructional ski film documents the 7th Interski which took place in Europe in 1965. The film utilizes the talents of professional ski instructors such as Phil Jones, Glen Young, Barry Bryan, Eric Wendish, Toby Vanue, Paul Velar and Willy Shepler. The preceding names were taken from the narration accompanying the film and therefore may be spelled incorrectly.
Copies of movies transferred from 16mm film:
1.)
Sound, Color (75 minutes)
2.)
Director: Hannes Schneider
Sound, B/W (18 minutes)
This skiing action film depicts a number of skiers as they cross hills, valleys and ski in various formations. At the end of the film, an inter-title appears on the screen with the following information: "Slo-Motion scenes of the highlights in the preceding picture." This inter-title is followed by a number of slow motion takes of previous scenes.
3.)
Director: Jerome Hill
Narrator: Ira Genet
Commentator: Howard Claney
Music: David Mendoza
Editor: Bert Frank
Sound, B/W (10 minutes)
This instructional ski film features Otto Lang demonstrating Hannes Schneider's "Arlburg Method" of skiing. The separate steps to the method are discussed and are as follows; Schuss, Snowplow, Snowplow turn, Stem turn, Stem Christiania and Parallel Christiania.
4.)
Silent, B/W (13 minutes)
This silent instructional ski film deals with ski instruction in Switzerland in 1939.
Copies of movies transferred from 8mm film:
1.) Skiing 1932
Silent, B/W (10 minutes)
This film contains silent footage of skiers, dog sled races, ski jumping, a man playing with a dog, panoramic shots of mountainsides, spectators watching a ski jumping competition and shots of men and women joking around in front of the camera.
In previous registers, it is noted that this VHS tape contains footage of a ski jumper's ski-related death at Ecker Hill. However, during the most recent viewing of the tape, the cataloguer was not able to identify such footage
2.) Ruth Hanson at Sun Valley and Alta (1947)
Silent, Color
This portion of the videocassette contains self explanatory images of Ruth Hanson and others skiing at Sun Valley and Alta.
Copy of a movie transferred from 8mm film:
Silent, B/W (10 minutes)
This film contains silent footage of skiers, dog sled races, ski jumping, a man playing with a dog, panoramic shots of mountainsides, spectators watching a ski jumping competition and shots of men and women joking around in front of the camera.
In previous registers, it is noted that this VHS tape contains footage of a ski jumper's ski-related death at Ecker Hill. However, during the most recent viewing of the tape, the cataloguer was not able to identify such footage
Copy of a movie transferred from 16mm film:
Silent, B/W
This fiction film was produced by Sidney Shurcliff in 1942. The musical accompaniment was produced in 1992 by Keystone Productions. The videocassette copy of this film was donated to the Marriott Library by the New England Ski Museum. The film itself is an intentionally humorous, silent fictional piece dealing with the adventures of Dr. Quakenbush, an explorer, and his two nephews as they attempt to take a ski holiday.
Copy of a movie transferred from 8mm film:
Silent, Color
This videocassette contains images of freeskiing during the 1940s.
Copy of a movie transferred from 16mm film:
Writer/Director: Hap Kimball
Silent (with music), Sepia toned
This humorous fictional film depicts a man on skis being chased by a group of other men on skis. The film has musical accompaniment but has no dialogue, instead relying on a series of inter-titles to tell its story. At the film's start, there is an inter-title that states that the film was awarded 2nd Place in the Utah Amateur Movie Contest of 1938.
Copies of movies transferred from 16mm film:
1.)
Sound, B/W (18 minutes)
This roughly edited, mainly silent film deals with Park City, Utah's failing mining industry in the early 1950s. At points throughout the film, the viewer is shown interviews with Park City citizens, although these interviews seem to be roughly edited or perhaps even unedited (as does the entire film). The film addresses the fact that Park City, once a booming mining town, was quickly becoming a "Ghost Town" due to low metal prices. The second part of the reel contains interviews with various citizens concerning the uneasy future of the city and the result of the stockpiling solution to the mining problem.
2.)
Silent, Color (18 minutes)
3 copies
Copies of movies transferred from 16mm film:
1.)
Sound, B/W (18 minutes)
This roughly edited, mainly silent film deals with Park City, Utah's failing mining industry in the early 1950s. At points throughout the film, the viewer is shown interviews with Park City citizens, although these interviews seem to be roughly edited or perhaps even unedited (as does the entire film). The film addresses the fact that Park City, once a booming mining town, was quickly becoming a "Ghost Town" due to low metal prices. The second part of the reel contains interviews with various citizens concerning the uneasy future of the city and the result of the stockpiling solution to the mining problem.
2.)
Silent, Color (18 minutes)
Short National Broadcasting Company (NBC) news feature concerning Alf Engen's long career as a skier and ski school teacher. After the interview, the tape features an unedited interview with Alf Engen by NBC (National Broadcasting Company) correspondent, Mike Leonard. This raw footage is also available on Betacam videocassette.
Head coach: Kevin Sweeney
A 55 minute documentary directed by Shawn Emery about the history of skiing in Utah from the late 19th century use of skis for transportation to the state's preparations for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
NBC produced video featuring highlights from the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. Narrated by Bob Costas. 83 minutes.
Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC) produced video featuring hightlights from the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Preview for the motion picture,
From disc jacket: "Award-winning sports chronicler Bud Greenspan delivers a powerful and emotional look at six individual stories in the official film of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Greenspan goes beyond highlight footage to tell the story of how these athletes overcome incredible obstacles to achieve Olympic glory." 2 hours. Featuring: