Skiing with a legend: My day at Keystone with Trygve Berge
Special to the Daily
-
The author (behind) watches and learns as Norwegian ski legend Trygve Berge (front) weaves down the pitch at Keystone Resort. The two have known each other for 40 years â nearly as long as Berge has lived in Summit County â but just recently had the opportunity to ski together.
Casey Day / Special to the Daily |
-
Dale K.Fields
Special to the Daily |
-
The author (middle) follows closely behind Trygve Berge (front) at Keystone Resort. The former Norwegian downhill champion has called Summit County home for nearly 50 years.
Casey Day / Special to the Daily |
-
-
Local ski legend Trygve Berge makes effortless turns on a bluebird day at Keystone Resort. Berge told the author he likes to visualize U.S. ice-skating master Peggy Fleming when he skis.
Casey Day / Special to the Daily |
-
Perfect form from skiing legend Trygve Berge at Keystone Resort. Berge, a former Olympian and Norwegian downhill champion, helped open Breckenridge Resort in the '60s.
Casey Day / Special to the Daily |
-
Former Norwegian downhill champion Trygve Berge on top of Keystone Resort with his home mountain, Breckenridge, in the background. Berge teamed with Sigurd Rockne to open Breck in the '60s.
Casey Day / Special to the Daily |
I’ve known Trygve Berge for 40 years, and my first day of real skiing with him was just a few weeks ago — what an enlightening experience.
To give you some background, He was born 84 years ago in Voss, Norway and started skiing at the age of four. His first interest was ski jumping, but he quickly adopted ski racing when he won a junior slalom race in his first attempt at age 14. He went on to win many alpine races in Norway and Europe. He was the Norwegian downhill champion in 1956 and competed in the Olympics in Cortina, Italy that same year.
He continued to race on the European circuit after the Cortina Games and came to the U.S. in 1957 with teammate Stein Eriksen — the Olympic gold medalist in giant slalom at the 1952 games in Oslo who recently passed away in his longtime home of Deer Valley — to teach skiing at Heavenly Valley Resort in California. Trygve also taught skiing in Aspen and at Boyne Mountain, Michigan.
In 1960, he moved to Breckenridge and co-founded the Breckenridge Ski Area with Sigurd Rockne. When PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America) was formed in 1961, Trygve was among the first 15 instructors certified to teach skiing in the United States, using what was called the “American Skiing Technique.”
His greatest concept was a monorail connecting Breckenridge to Frisco, with ski lifts accessing all the peaks of the Ten Mile Range — an idea reminiscent of the interconnected ski areas in the Alps. Nothing came of this, but his other great idea was Ullr Fest, a celebration honoring the Norse god of snow. This week-long festival has been a Breckenridge success for over 50 years.
Peggy Fleming on skis
As I said, I’ve known Trygve for 40 years, even rented a house from him south of Blue River in 1984. Yet, up until this week, the only times I’ve skied with him have been shuttling him back and forth during celebrity ski events.
My day with him in late January was very different. We met at my house and drove to the gondola at Keystone. I taught at Keystone for many years and gave him a quick intro. He recalled the area and said that he liked the rolling aspect of many of the runs, which are not just straight shots to the bottom.
After that, I started to follow him. First I skied in his tracks. I am a visual learner and could see where his subtle weight transitions occurred. I noticed that his line and his turn shape did not vary with the changes in terrain. He went from flat to steep, soft snow to ice, adapting to the changes while continuing to flow and remaining dynamic. He told me that the picture in his mind is Peggy Fleming while skating: elegant, clean, with continuous dynamic movements.
We stopped several times to talk with instructors teaching their students on the hill. I realized that Trygve is not only a great skier, but also a consummate teacher. He constantly observed other skiers while we were skiing and riding the lifts. He analyzed their movements and detailed progressions he would employ for their improvement. Occasionally, he would remark on good skiing, but more often would observe that skiers were not dynamic, not athletic in their movements.
Then I skied in sync with him, appreciating what he was doing even more. He was accurate and balanced, his upper body moving downhill in the classic European style. He was skiing modern equipment (all-mountain skis), although without the demonstrative upper and lower body angulation seen in modern race technique. He put me in mind of Jean-Claude Killy, skiing with economy of motion and seemingly effortless balance mixed with precision. All ski instructors would benefit from the privilege of a day skiing with Trygve.
I asked Trygve who he admired as skiers. He said Ingemar Stenmark, Aksel Lund Svindal and Pirmin Zurbriggen (also my wife’s favorite mental image).
What a day. It may have taken me 40 years to ski with Trygve, but it will only be only four days before I do it again. Thanks, Trygve, for a great day with a true legend.
Dale Fields is a fourth generation Coloradan and full-time resident of Summit County since 1982. He lives with one wife, two dogs and three cats.
Support Local Journalism
Support Local Journalism
As a Summit Daily News reader, you make our work possible.
Summit Daily is embarking on a multiyear project to digitize its archives going back to 1989 and make them available to the public in partnership with the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. The full project is expected to cost about $165,000. All donations made in 2023 will go directly toward this project.
Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a difference.