Oral History Interview with Friedl Pfeifer, 1994 July 21, 2006, 1911-1960s

Item

Identifier: AHS-C111

Staff Only

Abstract

Friedl Pfeifer discusses his career and skiing history from early childhood in Austria to Sun Valley, Idaho to his eventual arrival in Aspen, Colorado. He compares skiing in Europe to America and Sun Valley to Aspen. He also describes what Aspen looked like when he first saw it in the early 1940's and then later when he came back after WWII. He also talks about his involvement in the Aspen Skiing Corporation and starting Buttermilk ski area.

Dates

1994 July 21
Digitization: 2006
Coverage: 1911-1960s

Digital Repository

Oral History Interview with Friedl Pfeifer

Conditions Governing Access

Copyrights to this resource is held by the Aspen Historical Society and is provided here for educational purposes only. It may not be downloaded, reproduced, or distributed in any format without written permission of the Aspen Historical Society.Any attempt to circumvent the access controls placed on this file is a violation of United States and international copyrights laws and is subject to criminal prosecution.http://http://www.cdpheritage.org/about/copyright.html

Biographical / Historical

Bio: Friedl Pfeifer was born on March 23, 1911 in Arlberg, Austria. He began his skiing career at the age of ten and began racing at 14 years old. By 1935 he was a trainer for the American girls Olympic Team. He was given the opportunity to escape Austria in 1938 during Hilter's reign when he was invited to start a ski school at Mt. Kosciusko in Australia. He then came to the United States and contiued training and started a ski school at Sun Valley in Idaho. He volunteered for the 10th Mountain Division duirng the 1940's, when training manuvers introduced him to Aspen. He moved to Aspen in 1945 and started the Aspen Skiing Corporation with Walter Paepcke and others. He developed the Ski School with Percy Rideout and Johnny Litchfield in Aspen then started Buttermilk Mountain in 1958. Friedl Pfeifer published an autobiography "Nice Goin'" in 1993. He passed away in 1995.

Extent

1 Items ; 45 minutes

Additional Description

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Playback cassette tape: Radio Shack High-Flux Density Oxide Formula

Computer Hardware: 3 (total) Intel Celeron 1.8GHz/224 MB RAM PC's (made by PowerSpec), each with a Firewall hard drive (2 made by MicroNet, 1 made by LaCie) and M-Audio Delta Audiophile (internal sound card); External Firewire Hard Drive; Analog Playback Equipment: Nakamichi Dragon, Nakamichi Cassette Deck 1; Analog/Digital Converter: Prism Dream ADA-8XR; Prism Sound Dream AD-2

Operating System: Windows XP; Capture and editing software: Steinberg Wavelab 4.0; Formatting software: Sony Soundforge; Other Devices: Switcher to allow monitoring of multiple transfers.

Basic Map: Nakamichi Dragon -> Analog RCA or XLR -> AD converter -> AES (XLR) -> M-Audio Card -> Software -> External Firewire Drive

General

Title supplied by the Archivist: Anna L. Scott. Interview conducted on July 21, 1994 at the Little Nell Hotel in Aspen, Co. Accompanied by digital transcript.

Names discussed: Hitler, Alice Chair, Averill Harriman, Steve Knowlton, Walter Paepcke, Elizabeth (Pussy) Paepcke.

Place Names: Austria, Arlberg, Europe, Australia, Mt. Kosciusko, San Francisco, New York, Sun Valley, Idaho, Aspen, Camp Hale, Williams Mountains, Hunter Creek, Rocky Mountains, Alps, Colorado, Buttermilk, Aspen Mountain.

Business', Organizations: Olympic Team, 10th Mountain Division, Music Festival (MAA), Sko Corporation (Aspen Skiing Co.), (Aspen) Historical Society, Ski Museum.