Re: skis and skies

Dingus Milktoast wrote:

> "lal truckee" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
> news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> > David Dermott wrote:
> >
> >
> > >  Oh, also there's "Snowshoe Thompson" which really should be "Ski
> > > Thompson" (he carried mail across the Sierra Nevada, 1870s)
> > > (real name Jon Torsteinson Rue, born 1825 in Tinn, Telemark)
> >
> > The ski racers in the 1860s California mining camps called their ski
> > "snowshoes" so "Snowshoe Thompson" was appropriately named. First
> > big-money ski racing - $1000s exchanged hands (in the form of gold dust,
> > often.)
>
>
> Those miner snowshoers kicked Thompson's ass but good, too.

Snowshoe Thompson thought is was wussy skiing a mile straight down a 
hill - he wanted to race to Carson City and back. Preferably in a 
blizzard, if one could be arranged. In that race, I'd put my gold poke 
on Ol' Snowshoe.