about the author:

Ingrid Wicken

The foremost authority on the history of skiing in Southern California has written the first comprehensive book on the subject. A native to the area, she has skied in southern California's mountains for three decades. She earned her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Physical Education from California Polytechnic University, Pomona. Her Master's thesis was a biomechanical investigation of the diagonal stride on skis vs. roller skis. She has since compiled an extensive bibliography of science and medicine in skiing.

In 1998, she was awarded her Nordic ski instructor's certification from the Professional Ski Instructors of America. An Associate Professor of Physical Education, she has taught at Riverside Community College since 1989.

In February 2001, she presented a paper on Dr. Walter Mosauer at the second FIS Ski History Conference in Helsinki and Lahti, Finland.

In January 2002, she presented a paper about Ethel Van Degrift at the International Ski History Congress held in Park City, Utah. And, she presented a paper titled "Scandifornia: Ski Jumping in California in the 1930s" at the 2009 International Ski History Congress held at Mammoth Lakes, California.

 

The International Skiing History Association

New England Ski Museum

Mammoth Mountain Ski Museum

Colorado Ski Museum

Vermont Ski Museum

University of Utah Ski Archives

History of Ski Mountaineering in Washington

Donner Summit Historical Society

LA84 Foundation Sports Library

American Ski Jumping

Ski Jumping USA

 

Publications

Pray for Snow:

Pray for Snow cover
Pray for Snow:The History of Skiing in Southern California (2002)

The definitive book on the birth and development of skiing from Los Angeles to San Diego. Illustrated with many never-before published photographs. Pray for Snow was awarded the Far West Ski Association's Western Ski Heritage Award in 2002 and the International Ski History Association's Skade Award in 2003.

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Skiing in Southern California

Skiing History book coverSkiing in Southern California (Images of America: California) (Paperback 2007)

Known for its sunshine and sandy beaches filled with bathing beauties and musclemen, Southern California is a Mediterranean-climate haven for winter-weary Americans from Michigan to Maine. But for those with a hankering for winter sports, one could scarcely ignore the snowcapped peaks of Mount Baldy and San Gorgonio shimmering in the bright California sunshine. By the 1930s, skiing was all the rage, with the towns of Big Pines, Lake Arrowhead, and Big Bear Lake evolving into popular snow-sport locales. Southern California was also home to many who made their mark in the world of American skiing: Walter Mosauer, the father of skiing in Southern California; Tyler Van Degrift, owner of Los Angeles's first ski shop; Clarita Heath Bright, talented member of the first U.S. Women's Olympic ski team; Dorothy McClung Wullich, first woman member of the National Ski Patrol; and Sepp Benedikter and Tommi Tyndall, both leading the way with ski schools and instruction. These and many others are documented here in this collection of rare and vintage images of Southern California skiing.

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