"Friedl" (The Story of Legendary Skiing Pioneer Friedl Pfeifer
Legendary Skiing Pioneer, Friedl Pfeifer. Austrian imagrant fleeinmg Hitler - 10th Mountain Division Vet - Aspen Ski Corp founder - US Olympic Ski Team Coach
The Story of Legendary Skiing Pioneer, Friedl Pfeifer
- Won the prestigious Grand Prix de Paris, Gross Glockner and Arlberg-Kandahar Championships
- Emigrated to the US from his native Austria to escape conscription by the Nazis
- Joined the 10th Mountain Division during WWII, earned 2 Purple Hearts, lost a lung and nearly died on the battlefield
- Founded Aspen Ski Corporation in 1945, and subsequently Aspen Ski School and Aspen Buttermilk Resort
- Coached the US Women's Ski Team at the 1950 FIS World Championships in Aspen and the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina, Italy
- Established the first professional ski racing circuit in America, creating the head-to-head dual slalom racing format
- Was inducted into numerous halls of fame including the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 1980
- Retired to his modest ranch in the Mission Valley, Montana