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One of our local skiers on Mt. Hood has just completed his 50th
year skiing, having started in 1954 at the age of 17. His first
runs were taken at the rope tow at Summit, and, true to his
adventurous nature, he did his first “tree skiing,” getting lost
and having to hike out onto Highway 26. Fred was one of the first
customers on the very first day of Mt. Hood Meadows’ grand opening
in 1968.
Fred’s love of skiing has continued throughout his entire life.
You won’t find him skiing the packed runs at a ski area; he’s
always in the trees or the off piste areas. When following Fred on
a trek that seems to go on forever, he always assures you that
there’s some great untracked snow ahead of you, and that “it’s
worth it”! Thirty years ago Fred became the North American
representative for Canadian Mountain Holidays, a British Columbia
heli-skiing and heli-hiking operation. He is a friend of Warren
Miller, has been in some of the Warren Miller movies, and for
years was the Master of Ceremonies when the movies came to
Portland in the fall.
Fred’s enthusiasm, energy, and adventurous spirit have led him
to pursue other exciting sports, from windsurfing to scuba diving
to paragliding, and to travel all over the world to engage in
these sports. On his 62nd birthday Fred windsurfed the Gorge in
the early morning; drove to Mt. Hood for several runs on his
snowboard and skis; and then headed out to the eastern Gorge for
some afternoon paragliding. He rescued a friend from a tree;
attended a BBQ in White Salmon, and during the midnight ride back
to Portland was complimenting his date for making it through the
marathon day, only to look over and see her sound asleep - he had
worn her out!
Fred suffered a tragic accident in March of 2003 while
paragliding in Brazil, falling approximately 35 feet, driving his
right leg into the hip joint, and breaking his pelvis. The surgery
in Brazil left him with 4 plates and 12 screws holding his pelvis
together and his right leg shorter than the left and practically
useless. Through sheer willpower, a lot of physical therapy, a 1"
lift under all his footwear on the right side, and a lot of help
from his friends, Fred was walking by summertime. When ski season
started he was on the slopes; first for 1 run a day; then 2; and
despite pain “like twisting screwdrivers in his back” he kept at
it. He didn’t just ski the green runs; he hiked through the woods
and skied powder snow. He spent 26 days on Mt. Hood and 4 weeks
heli-skiing this past season, racking up over 1,000,000 vertical
feet and getting back to “hucking big air.” This summer he has
gone mountain climbing in Canada and is back trying out
windsurfing again. He claims he is only at 80% of his former self,
but for regular humans that’s 100%. Fred is one of a kind - an
absolutely amazing person - and my personal hero. If you see him
on the mountain or in the Gorge, or somewhere on his world
travels, say hello to a real mountain legend! |
