Written and directed by Hanz Thorner, this reel provides comprehensive coverage of the Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland in 1948. Many events staged at St. Moritz are covered in the film, including the Ladies Special Slalom, (00:00:50:00) figure skating, (00:04:18:00) ski jumping, (00:09:00:00) the 50 km. cross country race, (00:13:40:00) and a thrilling speed skating race. (00:17:30:00). Six cameras were used in the production to catch the champions of 30 nations in action. The film also highlights the queen of the ice, Barbara Anne Scott, (00:11:50:00) records back-stage victory celebrations, training sessions, and a variety of other highlights. Camera close-ups captured Olympian champions Barbara Anne Scott and Dick Buttons, queen and king of the ice, women’s Slalom champion Gretchen Fraser from Vancouver, and Edy Reinhalter from Switzerland.
Born in Einsiedeln, Switzerland, Hanz Thorner moved to the United States in 1932. One of the first certified ski instructors in the United States, Thorner operated ski schools across the country, including at the Glen House in Pinkham Notch, Lake Placid, and Mt. Rainer. Settling down in New Hampshire, Thorner opened “The Thorner House” in Franconia for the 1940-41 season. After spending time looking for an ideal ski area, Thorner decided to build Magic Mountain on private property in Londonderry, Vermont, with the goal of having the area “more Swiss than a Swiss watch.”
Opening for the 1960-61 season, the area was to be a ski-in, ski-out resort with plenty of activities. A village was developed at the base of the mountain, featuring hotels and bars. The challenging trails of the ski area had colorful names matching the Magic theme of the mountain. Thorner was known for doing things differently than others in New England, such as importing Swiss ski instructors and having Magic’s slopes mowed by sheep during the off season.
Thorner sold Magic Mountain in 1985. He died in December of 2003 at the age of 95.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
