From Silver Mines to Olympic Gold

The Utah Mining Association reminds us that every day we are in contact with the products of mining.  From the smartphones in our palm to the vehicles we drive, nearly everything we touch in our modern world contains minerals and metals that have been mined—and Utah has an especially rich mining history.  The best way to observe and appreciate it is to go skiing!

green marks show the old bucket towers next to the new chair lift

One of the charms of the Park City ski resort in Park City, Utah is the In-Town lift which really does begin—in town!  Its route up the mountain, alongside the towers that once carried buckets of ore down the mountain, serves as a natural history lesson.  The City was discovered in 1868 by soldiers stationed in Salt Lake City looking for silver.  It was incorporated in 1884.  The town grew quickly—partly because of the modern conveniences it boasted:  electricity and running water.

Luckily for skiers, within 50 years silver ore mining began to dwindle, just as the winter sports industry began to gear up.  The first ski jump was installed on an old mine dump in 1930, and in 1963, with the help of a federal redevelopment grant, the town began to reinvent itself.  The J-bars, gondolas and chairlifts that would sweep people up to the summit were imagined and installed. Thanks to the miners, there were already routes through the mountains—following towers that ran cables for the ore buckets and cuts along the ridges where narrow gauge railroads had operated. By 1966 Sports Illustrated recognized a Park City (Treasure Mountain) slope as one of the best in the country. Old trail maps record the development of Treasure Mountain, Deer Valley and The Canyons, now all morphed into the giant Park City Ski Resort of today.  While mining silver ended in 1982, the town has thrived by hosting skiing and arts events ever since—the Olympics were held here in 2002 and the international Sundance Film Festival has been going strong since 1978.

The transcontinental railroad brought miners  dreaming of silver—today airlines bring skiers from around the world who channel gold medal runs on the slopes of Park City resorts.

Memories Live for Ever--and so do skiers

The recent death of my mother, just as ski season was beginning in the northeast, made me an orphan.  I’ve heard that’s a common status for someone approaching retirement age.  But still, my parents put me on skis when I was two years old and mom and I had managed to ski together, downhill or Nordic, every season since then until last year.  I will forever miss her on the slopes and in the winter forests.

Jeanne Schofield, c 1970

Just for fun, or maybe because I wondered what my own expiration date might be, I looked up “life expectancy of skiers.”  Results were sorted by relevance with the first one reporting on how long ski boots should be expected to last, then skis, next bindings, and then ski equipment generally.  Finally, after the articles about clothing, skiing people were cited—or at least, people who live in Colorado and might ski, are mentioned.  The actual context of the article was a study done that examined life expectancy against United State residency and found that people who lived in the ski country of Colorado outlived those in certain rural areas of South Dakota, Mississippi and the Appalachian region by over 20 years, with average life spans of 86 vs 66 years.When the data were parsed, findings confirmed what we all know in our hearts—that “smoking and obesity are the major culprits when Americans die too young.” (who lives longer?...) Skiers are generally fit non-smokers.

When I dig a little more about a connection between skiing and health there is a lot of evidence about the benefits of the sport—everything from improved proprioception, increased cardiovascular endurance and improved flexibility and balance to the strengthening of bones, joints, core and lower body muscles.  Preparing to ski generally brings a renewed consciousness about the power of food and a day on the slopes improves mood and promotes deep sleep.  (Top 10 health benefits of skiing)

More than one article used the phrase “sunnier outlook” as a benefit of the sport.  It’s true that physical activity amidst magnificent natural beauty makes it impossible to sustain a bad mood.  There is evidence that skiers suffer less than non-skiers from seasonal affective disorder (SAD).  Finally, to the extent that relationships with family and friends promote long life, the bonds that form among people who ski together are lifesaving.  Meeting the challenges of the slopes (and the lifts) then gathering to warm up, reminisce and laugh together about the day’s experience builds a catalog of life long memories.

Al Schofield, 1953

Those memories of skiing with my parents, and then with my children—and often with all of them together—will sustain me long into old age.   Incredibly, the research indicates that just having built those memories will actually boost my chances of living a long life!

So What if it Doesn’t Match?

As she approaches 90 my mom makes regular attempts to shed her possessions, but with memories attached to every item it is never easy to get through a purging session.   Most recently we were sorting through her pots and pans.  The familiar aromas of cookies and cakes baking to perfection don’t fill her kitchen very often any more so it seemed like thinning the cake pan collection could be an easy task.  Immediately I came upon a situation I often pondered but never asked about as a kid.  Four round cake pans, one 8 inch and one 9 inch that matched; and another 8 inch and 9 inch that matched.  Why not matching 8s and matching 9s?  It occurred to me that these pans became part of her kitchenware before I was born, had held the batter of every birthday cake I’d ever eaten, and must have been the first cake pans I’d poured my own creations into.  It was always just a given that regardless of which size an intended cake was to be, its two layers would never exactly match.  But why?

It turns out, when my folks got married Mom could afford two pans; and in order to have the freedom to bake different size cakes, she bought one of each size with the intention of buying a second of each size out of some future paycheck. So for a time, a two layer cake required baking one layer, then re-using the pan to bake the other layer.  A year later, with money in hand to buy two more pans, she got to the store to find that the design had slightly changed and it would be impossible to match the pans she already had.  So she reluctantly bought one each of the new style—the same sizes but ever so slightly different. 

With frugality like that, it is a wonder that we became a skiing family!  In spite of it being a relatively expensive sport—even in the 60s—every winter saw us forming family bonds on the slopes.  Buying equipment for five had its challenges so hand-me-downs and obscure brands were part of the deal.  But one year I was blown away when Christmas morning revealed a very cool pair of skis with a recognizable name—they were tiger-strip orange Volkls!  That winter, I was proud to shuffle along in the lift line where everyone could see them, but I couldn’t help but notice other skis like them were bright orange while mine were a muted version of the color.  I spent that season and the next looking for another skier wearing what I assumed was a special model of the iconic ski. 

Years later I learned that the muted color model was unique.  There was only one pair!  My parents did their Christmas shopping year round, picking up bargains wherever they could.  One summer while browsing in Herman’s World of Sporting Goods  they came upon an especially good deal—a pair of skis that were heavily discounted because they had become mismatched when the top one in a window display had faded from the sun!  The skis were just the right size for their 11 year old daughter so they brought them home and laid the brighter one on the window sill of their bedroom picture window.  With the curtains closed whenever I was around, I never saw the ski and by Christmas morning four months later the skis were identically faded!  I never knew my perfectly matched muted orange skis were an economical invention.

Mom wasn't able to toss the cake pans out last week.  From mismatched pans to mismatched skis, thank goodness my parents knew how to leverage what they had to get the essentials in life!