No.483 David Hanscom, 2007

File — Box: 61, Folder: 18

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Hanscom (b. 1941) grew up in Rumford, Maine. His father introduced him to skiing at an early age and he skied for his high school ski team. He skied the Nordic Combined events, which were comprised of combined scores from cross country skiing and ski jumping. He talks about older equipment, such as pine-tar cross country skis, and skis that had no camber and just dragged. He went to Middlebury College prior to coming to Utah in 1970. Hanscom talks about skiing with the Wasatch Mountain Club, avalanches, and his relationship with Alexis Kelner, which resulted in the publication of a ski touring guide entitled "Wasatch Tours." Other topics include avalanche awareness and safety, preparation for the 1985 Salt Lake City Olympic bid, and bringing activities like the World Cup Skiing and World Cup Cross Country to Utah. David speaks about the political nature of the committees, and the people involved. He describes the ‘Little Dell’ site discussions and the eventual rejection as the proposed site for the Winter Games cross country and biathlon events. David was also concerned about the ‘legacy’ of the choice and the selection of a permanent site was at Wasatch Mountain State Park, which was called Soldier Hollow. The interview concludes with a review of the technological improvement of ski gear from wood skis with leather boots and toe clip bindings, to engineered metal skis and plastic boots with specialized bindings for telemark skiing.
Outdoor Recreation Project.
Interviewed by Erik Solberg

Dates

2007

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.