1966/70 Skiing in the early days featuring Dag Aabye hot dogging, Whistler, BC
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- čas přidán 20. 08. 2024
- 1966/70 Skiing in the early days featuring Dag Aabye hot dogging, Whistler, BC
The footage likely has 1966 footage as well. (updated)
23 Dec update - A delight to see how popular this video has become in less than a week. There may possibly be a few more well known Canadian and European skiers in the footage. Working on more details, please feel free to let me know you find.
Dag Aabye is the fellow in the Yamaha sports wear demonstrating a bit of hot dogging on the slopes. Dag Aabye (born 1941) is an endurance runner known for competing in the 125-kilometer Canadian Death Race, held yearly in August in Grande Cache, Alberta. The race is extremely grueling, with over 17,000 feet of climbing. Now 82 and living the hermit lifestyle near Vernon BC, he was a young man in his mid 20s during this time at Whistler.
In the 1960s, Aabye was a ski instructor in Britain and worked as a movie stuntman, including working as an extra in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger. He soon after moved to the Whistler Mountain area of Canada where he worked as a ski instructor and became known for his first ski descents of the mountain, sometimes 20 to 30 years before anyone else. He was also known for stunts, skiing off man-made structures and building a ski jump for back-flips, and appearing in a number of ski movies by filmmaker Jim Rice. Pelletier and Maruniak assert that "Dag is widely regarded as the founding father of free-skiing." He has been described as "the Father of Free Ride" and "The Last Ski Bum".
A surprising bit of history. Enjoy!
17 min 29 secs, 16mm 2k digital scan
Kodachrome PCR 597
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episode 1036
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Lorne and Helen O’Connor skiing with Joe at the end there ; first recorded runs at Whistler. There is a picture of them from that weekend shooting this promo film for the Garibaldi Lift Company (Franz Wilhelmson) in guest services, Creekside. Lorne is still skiing at 89 and is a pass holder!
Just watched this wonderful film with my 92 year old father Joe Csizmazia. We are pretty sure he is one of the skiers up on the glacier. A lot of great memories.
This wonderful to hear. If possible, I would very much be interested in learning more. My email address is located on the main page. Thank you!
Ask your dad if he remembers Roy Ferris and Alan White. I think I have a group shot with your dad in it.
Wow...sure brings back fond memories of getting up Whistler in those old gondolas watching Dag and Jim McConkey ski the fall line underneath the gondolas ....this footage has to be mid-week in the spring of 1966 when the mountain first opened. The gondola lineups were horrendous on the weekend and in the early days the ski out was so bad to the bottom most people downloaded.
As I recall the T Bar serviced the glacier for summer skiing until it receded to the point they had to stop.
Dag was my first instructor, at Mt. Seymour in North Vancouver, in 1970 or 1971. Not a great instructor, although lots of fun, he was a fantastic skier, and once in a big snow year skied under the gondola, top to bottom on Grouse Mountain, North Vancouver, I think the only person to have ever done that. And as another commenter confirmed, he is now a phenomenally fit 80 something cross country skier at Silver Star, near Vernon. It’s an interesting film, showing Blackcomb before it has any lifts and showing those superb skiers on long skinny skis.
Boy, that sure brings back memories, that old style wedel skiing with the legs glued together, how classic.
I remember well attending Toni Sailer and Nancy Greene’s Summer Ski Camp in this period. It was, and they were, wonderful.
I actually think the guy in the Yamaha branded robe is your fellow Vernon resident and 80 something athlete Dag Aabye. From what I remember hearing he was one of the handful of people along with Nancy Green to scout out the Whistler mountain ski area. He was also Sean Connery's ski instructor/friend in the early 60s and I think he did a ski stunt in one of the James Bond films. If you've ever lived in Vernon you'll remember seeing a tall super skinny guy with straight grey hair wearing an alarming amount of spandex at any time of year. That's probably him. He's a big cross county ski guy and ultra marathoner if I remember correctly. He lives in an isolated hike in only off grid cabin in the hills north of Vernon. One interesting character. I think he's sill going strong too. Great video. You do great work!
Yes! I know exactly who you're speaking of, he lives a few miles up Silver Star Road from us. An amazing individual. Good eye my friend. This is pretty exciting news. Thank you!
Great biography was written about him called "Outsider". He was the subject of folk lore around the Canadian Death Race for years, the book does a great job sifting through the legend to the truths
Fantastic video, Definitely Dag Aabye, with the Yamaha jacket, Ornulf Johnsen could probably ID more. I did 22 year of summer camps on Whistler.
Hahaha Alex. I just saw this and thought of sending it to you. Should have known you would be all over it.
Confirmed elsewhere. This is indeed, the legendary Dag Aabye. Thank you.
Love everything about this!
czcams.com/video/D-lBisMLYHQ/video.html here's another video showcasing Dag Aabye's talent
Amazing footage ! So glad this has been preserved for all to enjoy. Thanks for sharing.
Just excellent, I skied whistle in the early days, but not this early, excellent footage, thank you for sharing this.
Thanks for all your work bringing out these films. I grew up in Squamish in the 60's and 70's, and skied Whistler a lot. It was very much like the footage shown here.
The MacLaurens taught me to ski their as a boy in the 70,s. Miss them
Sarcasm aside, Great footage! Thanks for sharing, we look forward to more.
One of the gnarlier runs at Silver Star named after Dag. Aabye Road ;) I skied it last Wednesday. I had some knowledge of him but appreciate the additional info of his escapades in the comments here. Been a few years since I've seen him jogging Silver Star road in his spandex.....
There is a great book on Dag called Outsider, would recommend !
This is fascinating.
I'm not positive, but, I believe some of the first footage is of the now outlawed, Slush Cup on Mt. Baker. Identifying Mt. Shuksan in the back ground would confirm this. Would have been on a 4th of July before 1975.
Fantastic footage ! Love these old reels. There is nothing like the skiing lifestyle. Aspen and Vail in the 70's was magical. All that perfect dry powder, and all those cute girls. It was heaven ! Never skied Whistler but, it looks fabulous ! Thanks for sharing !
Below is info about the last few minutes of film: from email to MSHP, by Bob Calladine,
After minute 15 of the film, it starts showing another group of skiers who are all ex- Mount Seymour skiers. The film was part of a super 8 film by Joe Czmazia for Franz Wilhelmson in August 1963 on the Whistler bowl glacier and not on the glacier where Dag and the TSSC was being held in the 70 s.. Joe was a coach on Mt. Seymour from 1962 until the mid 60ès with the Parents Auxiliary (Wayne Wongs alma mater). The other people were also Mt. Seymour personnel: Lorne O Conner, Bob Calladine, and Karen Dokka (all national ski team members with Karen being 2x Olympian), Lorne s wife Helen and Byron Gracie.
When the planet was cooler.
How on earth did four people fit into one gondola?
I’m waiting for V*%L to shut this video down for avalanche control.
Does anyone know the location of the Poma Lift at the 1:05 mark?
Whislter is expensive, old lifts and rainy . So tire of hearing propaganda from overrated BC, the rainy , grey homeless, drug addicts and crimes .
Have a nice day if such a thing is possible.
The days when the average wage earner could afford to ski .....
So Sad !
The MacLaurens taught me to ski their as a boy in the 70,s. Miss them