Dating to 1947, this film “Skifully Yours” was produced by the Ford Motor Co. and directed by Jerry Webb and produced by Otto Lang. (Lang was a pioneering ski instructor who became one of the most famous skiers of his era. He taught Schneider’s Arlberg Method and worked with many Hollywood stars at Sun Valley, Idaho.) The film is narrated by Dan McNamara (:25). The film was part of a series of Ford films that promoted driving destinations in the USA.
The film opens with a list of ski resort areas in the US including North Conway in New Hampshire (:45), Lake Placid in New York, the Rockies in the middle-west, Alta in Utah, California’s many resorts (1:09), and in Sun Valley, Idaho (1:14). In the 1930s, Sun Valley was one of the world’s most glamorous resort, and the first ever to offer ski lifts. Sun Valley rests at the foot of the Sawtooth mountain range and footage here includes horse drawn carriages, lodges and inn’s for vacationers (1:30) as well as dogs sleds and ice skiers (1:46). Bus systems cart tourists from the lodges to the area’s half dozen lifts (2:11). Gary Cooper is shown getting on the chair lift. Fred Eastman is seen conducting a beginner’s class (2:33). Proper attire during normal conditions include a wool shirt, sweater and a windbreaker (2:43). A participant of the class puts on googles which protect the eyes from snow blindness (3:04). One woman in the class falls and struggles to get back on her skis (3:33) and another who lost one of her skis is assisted by Bennett Nelson who was the Chief of Sun Valley Ski Patrol (4:36). At the Village Sports Shop, customers learn of the proper equipment necessary which begins with boots (5:36). These should fit snuggly over one pair of lightweight socks and they are equipped with grooves which hold the heel spring of the binding in place, rubber soles which prevent slipping and a blunt toe with sole protectors (6:09). Skis are the next vital piece of equipment (7:08). A jumping ski is shown (7:22) and the three grooves which keep the ski running straight and provide stability are pointed to (7:25). Ski jumpers follow with a stunt of three jumpers in tight formation (8:08). Cross country racing is an endurance form of the sport which uses courses from four to twelve miles long (8:29). This originated in Norway and Sweden (8:39). The courses often included frequent changes in terrain and pace and offered participants scenic nature views (8:56). As the skis must be firmly attached to the boots, the bindings and harnesses must be easily adjustable to the exact fit of the boot (9:17). Prime skis were made with hickory wood and steel edges (9:42). Prior to the invention and installation of ski lifts, to ski meant to climb (10:16). Bald Mountain is shown which is 9,200 feet high (10:25) and skiers take off from the top and head to the valley below (10:48). Slalom skiing is a race against the clock through flagged poles that mark various gate combinations (11:02). Friedl Pfeifer, an international ski champion (11:24) and founder of the Aspen Ski School, and Olympic athlete Dick Durrance — 17-time national championship alpine ski racer (11:44). For nighttime activity, residents could take a night ride in two horse open sleighs or enjoy food and beverages in the lodges (12:58). One of the guests falls asleep on the couch and dreams of Otto Lang (13:39) performing ski maneuvers and stunts. Otto first shows the gliding walking motion and the side-stepping motion which enabled easy climbing of hills (14:09). He also demonstrates the kick turn (14:19), the herringbone step (14:43), and the fundamental running stance with knees bent forward (15:15). He then takes this stance into motion (15:39) and shows the snow plow position which is the basis for every turn (15:51). The traversing stance (17:01), stem turn (17:23), and process of side slipping which is a controlled skid are also demonstrated (18:34). Otto Lang then takes to the slope to show all of this in active motion (19:12). The film concludes and had been a presentation of the Ford Film Library (20:57).
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