Victor trail

Victor Gottschalk had been Everett’s ski instructor for years at Sun Valley when Everett started working on the Boyne Ski Club. He helped Everett lay out the runs on his new mountain. He was the very first ski instructor at Boyne Mountain Resort, even before the official grand opening in January of 1949. He was instrumental in getting Boyne Mountain Resort off and running, including the logistics of moving the Hemlock chairlift. Vic was the first person in the world to disassemble a chairlift. He was incredibly thorough and saved Boyne money by salvaging each scrap from the old lift. Everett named the Victor run after him and planned on making him the Director of Skiing after Stein had moved on. Unfortunately, Vic died in an avalanche on Bald Mountain (along with two of his students) at Sun Valley in 1952 leaving Sun Valley, Everett and the Boyne Resorts family devastated.

💡 Click Play Video to see a promotional Sun Valley Resort video from the 1950s.

📸 Attached Media:

-Photo from Boyne Mountain Archives

-"Gottschalk Heads Boyne Mt. Ski School" article in the Charlevoix County Herald on January 7, 1949

-"Boyne Falls Students Taught Skiing by Gottschalk" article in the Charlevoix County Herald on January 7, 1949

-"Ski School’s Tribute to their fallen comrade, Victor Gottschalk" photo on https://idahooutdoor.net/skihistory02/

-"Sun Valley’s Bald Mountain / Viewed From Lake Creek Ridge, Boulder Mountains" photo on https://idahooutdoor.net/skihistory01/

🔗Links in Text:

-"Sun Valley, 1956" YouTube by Vintage Ski Videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmEachhIFpc

🏃 Return back to the Hemlock chairlift to ride it back down. When the next location is reached, the grand hemlock tree would have been in the middle of the slope to your right.

📚Bibliography: β Δ ♥