Dick Durrance
Encyclopedia
Richard "Dick" Henry Durrance, Jr. (October 14, 1914 – June 13, 2004) was a 17-time national championship skier
and one of the first American
skiers to compete successfully with Europe
an skiers.
Dick Durrance was born in Tarpon Springs, Florida
and moved with his family to Garmisch-Partenkirchen
, Germany
in 1928, where he learned to ski. In Germany, Durrance skied competitively, winning the German Junior Alpine Championship in 1932 at age 17. With the rise of Hitler
the family returned to the United States. He attended Dartmouth College
in 1934 and won at Sestriere
, Italy
, the first American to dominate at a major European ski race. Durrance also won the U.S. men's downhill
, slalom
and Alpine combined
events in 1937 and was named to the U.S. Olympic Team
for the 1936 Winter Olympics
. After finishing eleventh in the downhill and eighth in the slalom he placed tenth in the Olympic combined event
. He was a three time winner of the Harriman Cup in Sun Valley
and helped cut the original trails on Bald Mountain in the summer of 1939. He was named to the 1940 Olympic
team, but those games were cancelled due to World War II
. In 1940 he worked as publicity photographer for Sun Valley and married ski racer Margaret "Miggs" Jennings.
In 1941 the Durrances bought and operated the lodge and lifts
at fledgling Alta
in Utah
. After training paratroopers to ski for the U.S. Army
at Alta, the Durrances were expecting their first child. They moved to Seattle where Dick worked for Boeing
on in-flight camera recording equipment as a Flight Test Engineer
, a job that lasted until 1945.
The Durrances then moved to Denver to work for Thor Groswold, then the nation's premier ski maker, to design and test Groswold skis. At the same time, Durrance contracted with Denver's Ernest Constam, inventor of the J-bar
and the T-bar
ski lifts, to sell his conveyances in the West
. Durrance sold his first T-bar to Aspen
, a resort just then emerging as the first postwar ski area of note in the Rockies
.
In 1947, Durrance was hired to manage the Aspen Skiing Company
. The struggling company was turned around by Durrance, who brought the 1950 World Championships
to Aspen. Hosting the Championships put Aspen on the map and it is now one of the most popular ski resort
s in the U.S.
Durrance also produced a number of ski films and devoted most of his life to the promotion of skiing.
Dick Durrance died on June 13, 2004 in Carbondale, Colorado
of natural causes. His wife Miggs died in November 2002.
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
and one of the first American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
skiers to compete successfully with Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an skiers.
Dick Durrance was born in Tarpon Springs, Florida
Tarpon Springs, Florida
Tarpon Springs is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The population was 21,003 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, the city had a population of 22,554....
and moved with his family to Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a mountain resort town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region, and the district is on the border with Austria...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1928, where he learned to ski. In Germany, Durrance skied competitively, winning the German Junior Alpine Championship in 1932 at age 17. With the rise of Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
the family returned to the United States. He attended Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in 1934 and won at Sestriere
Sestriere
Sestriere is an alpine village in Italy, a comune of the Province of Turin. It is from the French border. Its name derives from Latin: ad petram sistrariam, that is at sixty Roman miles from Turin....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, the first American to dominate at a major European ski race. Durrance also won the U.S. men's downhill
Downhill
Downhill is an alpine skiing discipline. The rules for the Downhill were originally developed by Sir Arnold Lunn for the 1921 British National Ski Championships....
, slalom
Slalom skiing
Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing between poles spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill, thereby causing quicker and shorter turns.- Origins :...
and Alpine combined
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
events in 1937 and was named to the U.S. Olympic Team
United States at the 1936 Winter Olympics
The United States competed at the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.- Medalists :- Alpine skiing:MenWomen- Bobsleigh:- Cross-country skiing:MenMen's 4 x 10 km relay- Figure skating:MenWomen...
for the 1936 Winter Olympics
1936 Winter Olympics
The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. Germany also hosted the Summer Olympics the same year in Berlin...
. After finishing eleventh in the downhill and eighth in the slalom he placed tenth in the Olympic combined event
Alpine skiing at the 1936 Winter Olympics - Men's combined
The men's alpine skiing combined event was part of the alpine skiing at the 1936 Winter Olympics programme. It was the first appearance of the event...
. He was a three time winner of the Harriman Cup in Sun Valley
Sun Valley, Idaho
Sun Valley is a resort city in Blaine County in the central part of the U.S. state of Idaho, adjacent to the city of Ketchum, lying within the greater Wood River valley. Tourists from around the world enjoy its skiing, hiking, ice skating, trail riding, tennis, and cycling. The population was 1,427...
and helped cut the original trails on Bald Mountain in the summer of 1939. He was named to the 1940 Olympic
1940 Winter Olympics
The anticipated 1940 Winter Olympics, which would have been officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, were to be celebrated in 1940 in Sapporo, Japan.The games were cancelled due to the onset of World War II...
team, but those games were cancelled due to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1940 he worked as publicity photographer for Sun Valley and married ski racer Margaret "Miggs" Jennings.
In 1941 the Durrances bought and operated the lodge and lifts
Ski lift
The term ski lift generally refers to any transport device that carries skiers up a hill. A ski lift may fall into one of the following three main classes:-Lift systems and networks:...
at fledgling Alta
Alta Ski Area
Alta is a ski area located in the Wasatch Mountains, just east of Salt Lake City, Utah. With a skiable area of 2200 acres , beginning at a base elevation of 8530 ft and rising to 10,550 ft for a vertical gain of 2020 ft . Alta is one of the oldest ski resorts in the country,...
in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. After training paratroopers to ski for the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
at Alta, the Durrances were expecting their first child. They moved to Seattle where Dick worked for Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
on in-flight camera recording equipment as a Flight Test Engineer
Flight test engineer
A Flight Test Engineer is an engineer involved in the flight testing of prototype aircraft or aircraft systems.-Overview:The Flight Test Engineer generally has overall responsibility for the planning of a specific flight test phase, which includes preparing the test plans in conjunction with other...
, a job that lasted until 1945.
The Durrances then moved to Denver to work for Thor Groswold, then the nation's premier ski maker, to design and test Groswold skis. At the same time, Durrance contracted with Denver's Ernest Constam, inventor of the J-bar
J-bar lift
A J-bar is a type of surface lift invented in the 1940sfor ski area passenger transport. They are now rarely in operation having been superseded by T-bars, which have twice the capacity at basically the same price, and chairlifts which have many advantages...
and the T-bar
T-bar lift
A T-bar lift, also called T-bar, is a mechanised system for transporting skiers and snowboarders uphill, along the surface of the slope...
ski lifts, to sell his conveyances in the West
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
. Durrance sold his first T-bar to Aspen
Aspen, Colorado
The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005...
, a resort just then emerging as the first postwar ski area of note in the Rockies
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
.
In 1947, Durrance was hired to manage the Aspen Skiing Company
Aspen Skiing Company
The Aspen Skiing Company, known locally as "Ski Co", is a commercial enterprise based in Aspen, Colorado in the United States.-History:Founded in 1946 by Walter Paepcke, it operates the Aspen/Snowmass resort complex, comprising four ski areas near the town of Aspen...
. The struggling company was turned around by Durrance, who brought the 1950 World Championships
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1950
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1950 were held February 13-18, 1950, on Ajax Mountain in Aspen, Colorado, U.S.A.These were the first World Championships held outside of Europe, and the first official world championships since 1939...
to Aspen. Hosting the Championships put Aspen on the map and it is now one of the most popular ski resort
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
s in the U.S.
Durrance also produced a number of ski films and devoted most of his life to the promotion of skiing.
Dick Durrance died on June 13, 2004 in Carbondale, Colorado
Carbondale, Colorado
Carbondale is a Home Rule Municipality in Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The population was 5,196 at the 2000 census. The town is located in the mid valley of the Roaring Fork River, downstream from Aspen and upstream from the mouth of the Roaring Fork at Glenwood Springs. The town...
of natural causes. His wife Miggs died in November 2002.
External links
- HickokSports.com: Dick Durrance
- ESPN obituary - Dick Durrance
- Idaho Mtn Express - Dick Durrance obituary - 16-June-2004
- Skiing History.org - remembering Dick Durrance - 14-June-2004
- Skiing History.org Margaret "Miggs" Durrance