1969, Stowe Vermont. ARHS ( Amherst Regional High School), annual SKI trip. Jimmy M breaks his leg near the top of the mountain. They load him into a Tucker 443 that has obviously been Rolled. He's lying on his back in the stretcher looking up at the mangled roof that has been crudely beaten back out to loosely resemble it's former shape. They are going down a steep, icy inclined bowl, the machine is sliding wildly on the hard packed snow. Jimmy tries to yell over the noise of the machine to the driver, but the driver can't hear him. Finally he asks the Ski patrol who was attending him:" Do these things ever roll over?" Now the driver chimes in and shouts;" ONLY WHEN THEY SLIDE SIDEWAYS!"
Skiing along side the snow cat, with the crinkled up roof, watching it slide sideways only partially in control, the exact same thoughts were going thru my mind.
Jimmy teaches theatre in a famous place in Boston, he doesn't ski anymore, and has a real aversion to riding in Snow Cats.
I still ski, backwards and forwards, own a Tucker Sno Cat, and NEVER LET IT SLIDE SIDEWAYS!
Skiing along side the snow cat, with the crinkled up roof, watching it slide sideways only partially in control, the exact same thoughts were going thru my mind.
Jimmy teaches theatre in a famous place in Boston, he doesn't ski anymore, and has a real aversion to riding in Snow Cats.
I still ski, backwards and forwards, own a Tucker Sno Cat, and NEVER LET IT SLIDE SIDEWAYS!