My parents were both avid skiers. Dad was one of the first members at Chicopee Ski Club in the 30’s. He won awards in slalom racing but his preference was ski jumping.
He travelled for jumping meets throughout Ontario. Mom was also a skier but I believe started when she met dad. They spent their honeymoon at the Limberlost Ski Lodge in Huntsville. My sister Sue also skied when she was young. I recall family afternoons skiing the hills of Westmount Golf Club with a picnic lunch. My parents took ski holidays in Ontario with Sue and then me when I was older.
I started skiing when I was 4 years old. I remember my rubber ski boats and long wooden skis without steel edges. The Westmount Golf course was across the street and I spent the next 3 or 4 years skiing down and walking back up.
At around 8, I started to ski at Chicopee Ski Club. At that time there were just a few rope rows. I was small for my age and sometimes the rope would lift me off the snow. I never took lessons and didn’t like to turn, it slowed me down. I did try racing then but not much success in the turns.
I did like to jump. There were two permanent jumps at Chicopee, the Senior and the Junior jumps. I loved the junior jump but never was brave enough for the Senior. That was Dad’s jump but by then he wasn’t jumping due to past injuries. I must have learned to turn at some point as I joined the high school ski team in grade nine. I think it was so I could ski during school hours.
On the ski team, I met a classmate, Bob McConkey. Bob is the Nephew of Jim McConkey, the Director of Skiing at Whistler and a ski instructor himself. Bob took me out to the hills and prepped me in the techniques. In December of 1971, I took my first instructor’s course at Talisman. At that time, it was called the Amateur Level I passed the course but didn’t get hired at Chicopee. The instructors there were a group of friends who would hire their offspring. At that time, I gave up the notion of becoming a ski instructor.
The next year, I received a letter from the new director at Chicopee inviting me to try out. That was Peter Schwirtlich. I was hired as a part time instructor as I was in my last year of high school.
The next fall, I was enrolled at Conestoga College in an art diploma program. I was hired again as a part time instructor for the winter. During the Christmas break, I was teaching skiing every day. After the holidays, school started up but Chicopee was so busy, I kept teaching every day and never went back to school. My folks had bought me an art case and asked why I wasn’t taking it in the mornings. I dumped my art supplies out and filled it with my tuning and waxing kit. Since school started before the hills opened, I would be seen sitting on the steps in the morning with my case. That January, 1974, I passed my level 2 instructors. It was a night course at a ski area north of Toronto which was an old gravel pit.
In the spring of 1974 I drove out west to Banff and worked at Norquay in maintenance.
1974 was the start of teaching full time at Chicopee which would last until 1985. In those years, I specialized in free style skiing. I did a lot of jumps and flips as well as ballet and mogul skiing. Freestyle was new then and we would have crowds coming out when we did flips.
One Sunday morning, a member of the club came up to me and asked if I would teach Freestyle to her daughter. She was in dance classes and wanted to ski. I spent a couple of seasons teaching, her name was Katherina Kubenk. Katherina would grow up to become a world class freestyle skier. I would joke with her mom that I got her there.
Between classes, we would set up race courses and train. On a small hill, it was a good way to sharpen your ski skills. Molson Brewery would host a program called Molstar. Each December, reps from the various clubs would race together against Steve Podborski. We all received a handicap, the closer to his time, the lower our number. Then, back at our own clubs, we would set the time as a pacesetter against the regular public. Using our handicap, the public would get a handicap based on Steve Podborski’s time and try to improve. 
In 1982, Steve Podborski was again the pacesetter after being named the World champion. When I went up to get my award from Steve, I told him I named my son after him. There was drink involved and a good story.
The Chicopee Ski School became known as a premier ski school due our the director, Peter Schwirtlich. Instructors from other areas including New Zealand would work at Chicopee to improve their teaching skills. We were a tight group of instructors who would teach all day, train between lessons and on our day off, go up North to ski at the Peaks or Blue Mountain. 1974 Chicopee Skier
My good friend and co-worker in the summer, Doug Leeming was the Assistant Director until he got his own ski school. Wayne Alexander and I became the new assistant directors. Wayne was in charge of the hill and I the shop. Peter and I were close friends and he offered me the position some years prior but he assumed Wayne would have his own ski area by then. Wayne was great with the public and instructors.
During the early years of teaching for Peter Schwirtlich, I became joined at the hip with him on other ventures. When I worked out west, I took up hang-gliding and brought my kite back to Ontario. 
Peter contacted the manufacturer and became the Eastern rep for them.
We taught lessons at Chicopee and flew them at Georgian Peaks and Blue Mountain. Looking for other summer ventures, Peter rented out grass skis at Chicopee for a couple of summers. In 1980, Molson Breweries sponsored a race at Chicopee during Oktoberfest . There was an Italian Skiing star who was to race in it but didn’t show. I ended up winning the race and the newspapers thought that I was the Italian star! Grass Skiing 1980
I was also offered the position to run the ski school at Mount St Louis. Lyn and I drove up for the day to meet the owner, Josl Huter. The offer wasn’t much money; I was making more as an instructor at Chicopee. On the way out, Josl said I could have more money if I paid my assistant less. Now we live 15 minutes away and I try to get there for a ski whenever I can.
In 1977, I passed my level 3 instructors at Blue Mountain.
The next year, I passed my Level 2 Coaches, the prerequisite for taking the highest level in ski teaching, level 4. Also called the ‘Blue Ring Sucker’
I enrolled in the level 4 course at Grey Rocks in Quebec in the spring of 1981. Lyn came up on the train for the last couple of days, she was 7 months pregnant. The level 4 course comprised of teaching and ski exams. There was also a race where you needed to get within a small percentage of the pace setter’s time. If you made the time, you got to go on to the exams. The morning of the race, I stepped into my skis and the binding broke. With an hour before the race, I was frantically sharping and waxing an old pair of rock skis and got to the start in time but no time to inspect the course. it must of been the adrenalin but I finished the 60 gate slalom race under the time requirements. I also passed the teaching exams with high marks. I credit that to Peter Schwirtlich and all the time in training at Chicopee. I failed the ski exams. I guess doing an unintentional 360 turn in the moguls didn’t win me any points. I should have spent more time on the larger hills and mountains to perfect my skiing skills. By passing the race and teaching, I was allowed to come back the next year and take the 1 day ski exams only.
The next fall, I tore the cartilage in my knee playing soccer to train for the ski season and I was given a one year extension for the exams.
By this time, I have lost my drive. The next year, we went to Florida that spring. Lying on the beach at Dayton I looked at my watch and told Lyn that the ski off was underway and I guess my ski career is officially over.
Funny, but when I wasn’t trying to improve and prep for a course, I skied better and it was more enjoyable.
I taught skiing for a couple of more years but was then moving into other business opportunities. We recreationally skied for many years and I still ski whenever I can. I find now I don’t let my skis leave the ground. It hurts when I fall. Luckily, my RA is only in my arms and shoulders and not my knees even though I have had three knee operations. Two by the same surgeon who told me the next time he sees me it’s for new knees. In 2010, I ticked off a bucket list item when I went heli skiing at Mike Wiegele’s in Blue River, BC in the Rockies.
My favourite destination ski areas are Whistler and Banff. I try to get
there at least every other spring. Another thing I’m fortunate for now is that there weren’t terrain parks with the big jumps when I was younger. I might not have been here today.
My grandfather, who was very successful in business always told me to get a job……a real job. He never felt skiing was a real job. I was never without a job. Either teaching skiing or doing pool service in the off season
I didn’t graduate from high school and waited until I was an adult to go to university but I look back and realize my time teaching and training gave me more life and communication skills and got me the best start to business than any school…. and I had fun too!
The Wolfhards 