while the more privileged skier s ear is enlivened by the down- 

 hill wind roaring in his ears. And along the slope or slalom, the 

 spectators lift to the trail of powder snow swept up by his boards, 

 and are vicariously imbued with the spirit of flight. 



From a competitive point of view, snowshoeing is not even 

 recognized, except by its relatively outmoded sponsors. The 

 Olympic Games don't even list them. Much less do the Olympics 

 include snowshoeing races. 



On the point of dress and regalia what sport boasts more 

 picturesque costumes and attractive ladies than skiing? 



Snowshoes are, to be sure, worthy appendages in the north- 

 land. They have really played a part in the legends of Indians, 

 trappers, Northwest Mounted Police. They make very charming 

 tracks in the snow, and keep one from sinking out of sight- 

 better, perhaps, than skis. 



But my colleague struck a blow that struck fire in the vast 

 ski fraternity something about rescue work. According to Dick, 

 some guys in the northwoods got pneumonia, skiers sallied forth 

 to help them but got bogged down, and to the rescue of both 

 skiers and the sick came Mounties, or someone, on snowshoes. 



Now a glance into the National Ski Patrol System's records in 

 this country will quickly show you and Dick how many lives 

 were saved lives of pilots and crews who made forced landings 

 or crashed in the snowbound wildernesses of this country during 

 the last war. 



And how about the old Telemark skier, John Thompson? 

 This transplanted Norwegian, ironically called "Snowshoe," 

 carried the mails, a pack of 100 pounds, from Placerville, Cali- 

 fornia, to Carson City, Nevada, over the imposing Sierra Neva- 

 das, a distance of 91 miles. John Thompson did this little trek- 

 exclusively on skis for 21 years! 



In conclusion, why can't the case for skis be drawn up logically 

 and objectively? Just lay out the facts, that's all. "Then," as our 

 fellow skier, Johnny Jay, says, "if they still think skiers are 

 crazy, no one will complain. No one can doubt. No one, that is, 

 except the skiers themselves, and they happy mortals! care 

 not!" 



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