Dick Cutler, 1929-2023

Dick was among the first “ski industry people” I met when I came to America, more than 46 years ago. 

He was the advertising salesman for Skiing Magazine. Back then, both Skiing and Ski were battling hard for ad monies and while Harry Kaiser, Cutler’s boss was a bit aloof, the ball was clearly in the camp of George Bauer, his counterpart at Ski that also had a hold on the ski business with its yearly “Ski Industry Ski Week” convention at Vail. 

So, Dick Cutler’s quintessential good salesmanship was making up for that. He knew how to naturally take interest in other people lives. The man was a true bridge-builder among people and was also the de facto job placement guru for industry executives, and helped me immeasurably when I needed help. Many years ago, he taught me the meaning of “serendipity.” I never forgot that word. 

The success of his business and personal life got measured by his numerous friends across the country. Dick would pepper any correspondence with a cheeky New Yorker comic (he kept files of these). He’d also save pages of notes with friends anniversaries, birthdays, special events and leave 5-second voice messages starting with, “Cutler here…” 

Later, he worked for Warren Miller Entertainment and we always stayed in touch until then, sharing jokes, wishes, and keeping in touch regularly. He passed away on January 30, at age 93. We will all miss him.