Never too old...

Since in spite of my very best efforts, I keep on getting old, there's nothing more justifiable than wanting to learn more about what to expect down the ski run, and how far I can possibly go on my skis. Up until recently, my hero in that category was also my countryman, Émile Allais who skied until he was about 98, and recently passed away, ten month after celebrating his 100th birthday.

One thing Émile wanted, but never could achieve, was to break a record held by another senior skier, a Japanese ski legend in his own right, Keizo Miura, who at age 99 skied down “La Vallée Blanche,” the famous, 12 mile glacier run, in Chamonix.

Mr. Miura also celebrated his 100th birthday closer to my home on February 2004, when he skied in Snowbird with more than 170 friends and four generations of his own family. He would pass away two years later, 6 week short of his 102nd birthday. Keizo Miura was also the father of Yuichiro Miura who skied down Mount Everest on May 6, 1970 and still climbed that same mountain when he was 70 and then 75.

After Stein Eriksen, Jean-Claude Killy and Ted Ligety, this extraordinary skier is today my new hero, he has also become my new benchmark and the main reason why I can't wait to get back on my skis this season!