By Karen D. Lorentz
Editors’ Note: This is part of a series on the factors that enabled Killington to become The Beast of the East. Quotations are from author interviews for the book “Killington, A Story of Mountains and Men.”
The most radical development at Killington was to experiment with the short ski and a new way to learn to ski. Of all the novel ideas tried at Killington, none was to have as far-reaching an impact on the future of the ski area as GLM, the acronym for the Graduated Length Method.
GLM was an extreme departure from the accepted methods of ski instruction and exemplified the “better way” philosophy.
It also generated considerable controversy within the ski industry.
Smith was the first to admit that there were instructors within his own ski school who questioned and even resisted the introduction of short skis—scoffed at as “baby” skis—to teach skiing. But he wanted something more than a ski method steeped in a tradition of “do’s and don’ts,” final forms, and frustration.
Smith was convinced that the snowplow was basically “a defensive maneuver” and that it unnecessarily slowed the learning process. So, when SKI magazine approached Ski School Director Karl Pfeiffer and asked if Killington would participate in an experiment to find forms of learning that could be used as alternatives to the conventional snowplow, stem, and parallel approach, Smith was willing and eager to have his area participate. Other areas turned SKI down, but Smith shared Pfeiffer’s interest in the possibilities of the short ski.
R & D with the Shortee
Killington tested 5-foot skis to see if conventional learning could be sped up in a ski experiment in 1964. Pfeiffer reported that he found the results encouraging, but the other two participating areas (Boyne Mountain and Mont Tremblant) were not impressed.
After consulting with SKI, Pfeiffer carried the experiment a step further in March of 1965, utilizing the Taylor Instant Skiing Method and a progression of ski lengths.
Cliff Taylor, inspired by short “goon” twin-tipped skis, introduced the “Shortee” ski at Hogback in the 1950s and found it made learning easier and faster. He was invited to Killington, where he demonstrated his “instant skiing” for Killington instructors Wayne Gifford, Don Pearsons, Pepi Guggenberger, and Pfeiffer.
Taylor started skiers with parallel turns on 2½-foot wood skis. His standard method employed a twisting motion, with the new skier making his skis turn in place by vigorously twisting the ankles, knees, and hips. On softer snow, an unweighting motion or “hop” was added to this maneuver. Adding these motions to a downhill run led to “instant parallel skiing.”
However, in Taylor’s classes, there was no special emphasis on going to longer skis and no step-by-step learning method that led to regular-length parallel skiing within a week. Many stayed with the “Shortee” while others went to a 4-footer. Sometimes, they graduated to a 5-foot or a traditional-length ski, but this could happen a year or more later. There was no formal system or timetable, and many in the industry ridiculed the “baby ski” despite many learning to ski this way and enjoying it!
Killington developed an instructional method that had skiers in the experimental class go from 2½-foot to 4-foot to 5-foot to normal-length skis (determined by holding one’s arm straight up and having the ski tip reach the cupped hand) in one week while skiing parallel at all times. A regular ski school class using normal-length skis and traditional instruction methods served as a control group. In addition, a third test group on 5-foot skis learned via the traditional snowplow-stem approach.
What SKI and Killington were interested in was the potential of the short ski to serve, in Karl Pfeiffer’s words, as “a learning tool to improve and possibly accelerate the learning process, with the final objective being a transition to a standard-length ski. And I wanted to see if the new skier could have more fun in the process,” he said.
In the 1965 experiment, he saw promise in a radically new teaching system.
Pioneering GLM
Historically the development of the progression of snowplow to stem to stem christie to parallel turn had its origins in the famous Austrian Ski School run by Hannes Schneider. But in the November 1966 issue of SKI magazine, Pfeiffer explained that in those days the terrain was rough and largely covered by unpacked snow. “In this kind of snow, the snowplow is virtually the only turn that can be done by a beginner. Today, conditions are different. Slopes tend to be smooth and hard-packed, particularly in the East and in mid-America. The question is whether, under these modern conditions, some improvement in teaching methods could accelerate the beginning skier’s progress to parallel, increase his enjoyment of ski school, and make more efficient use of the available time for learning (often limited to a few fragmented weekends a winter).”
Working in conjunction with SKI and proceeding with the full support of Smith, Pfeiffer scientifically tested the short-ski parallel approach to learning, not only in March of 1965 but twice more that season and again with seven similar tests during the 1965–66 season. The control group and experimental class were compared via skiing tests at the end of their learn-to-ski weeks. The results showed that the “short-ski class” had made more progress and had achieved better control, rudimentary sliding parallel turns, and an average time of five seconds faster through the gates in an easy Giant Slalom run.
Additionally, Pfeiffer noted, “To fall on short skis is not as complicated as to fall on long skis. I think this is perhaps the single most important advantage of the short ski: much less strain and fear on the part of the pupil. The graduated ski classes have more fun. The pupils are likely to keep on skiing and come back for more,” he said.
During the testing, pupils skied on a 30-inch ski on the first day, a 4-foot ski on the second, a 5-footer on the third for the better skiers only, 5-footers for all students on day four, and on the fifth day of lessons on the traditional “long” ski of the day. This “pushing” of a quick succession of ski lengths led to the conclusion that for some skiers, GLM would be a faster route to better skiing, with less effort and injury and more fun along the way.
The testing led to the development of a methodology as Pfeiffer, Pearsons, and Gifford worked with various learning sequences to determine what worked and how much should be taught in the various lessons. In addition, Pfeiffer approached Head about making metal skis specifically designed for GLM and tested them during summers in Europe.
As a result, Killington introduced GLM ski weeks and weekends for all skiers during the 1966–67 season. Pfeiffer then modified the method for the 1967–68 season by starting with a 39-inch special Head ski for Monday and Tuesday, 5-footers for Wednesday -Thursday, and regular-length skis on Friday.
As illustrated in a 1969 film about GLM, there was little technical talk but lots of demonstrating how things were done and the use of simple language like “up and down.” Instructions like, “Just remember two things, smile and face down the hill,” or “cha cha chachacha,” illustrated that learning could be fun. A non-threatening teaching style was a big part of the new learning process and resulted in a vastly changed class atmosphere.
Not everyone could parallel on 5-footers, and some skiers were placed in the regular snowplow and stem classes at that point. It was recognized that the quick succession of GLM might be difficult for some people, so there was no pressure to pursue this method for all students. The flexibility of using either teaching method was part of the enlightened view that learning should be fun, not stressful. For a good many beginners and first-time skiers, rudimentary parallel skiing on easy terrain was possible in one week with GLM instruction. Some skiers who had tried skiing before and given it up found the new system easier and became enthusiastic skiers as a result.
Next week, we’ll trace the amazing success of this radical teaching method and what it meant to Killington.
Comments and insights are welcome: email [email protected] to share thoughts about skiing in the 1950s-60s.
After learning on 3 foot skis, skiers advanced to longer skis.
