Alex Cushing ...

[guermo]

of Squaw..... Died today?

[splat]

Whoa.........Alex was a true visionary and icon.

RIP, if it's true.

Searched with no results. Word at Squaw???

[Split-It]

what's your source guermo? that's craZy news. i though he was like Castro and will never die. both commies, too.

[Split-It]

still can't find anything on the web about it...

[guermo]

No official source yet... word over the phone ....

[dangerbaby]

true...end of an era. RIP Alex

[Lane Meyer]

Wait....what's that sound? Sounds like Intraworst sharpening it's knives. Or is it the Olympic House/Chamois being demolished and turned into another Starbucks (one isn't enough).

RIP Alex. At least you are finally free of that horrible, horrible bitch that plagued you in your latest years. Condolences to the family, and thanks to an incredible, visionary man for creating the playground that is Squaw Valley, USA, International Mountain Resort, home of the 1960 Winter Olympics, USA.

[splat]

Last time I talked to Alex was on the phone. Musta been almost ten years ago. I can't remember why I called him, but somehow he thought I was calling to complain about the common use of a phrase he and some of the oldtimers used to use at Squaw. The used to shout "Ski Heil!". A number of Jewish Squaw patrons had apparently taken great displeasure in the use of the phrase, which, of course, bore a striking resemblance to this phrase:
-From Wikipedia-
Sieg Heil is a German phrase, which literally means "Hail victory." During the Nazi era, it was a common chant at political rallies. When meeting someone, it was customary in Nazi Germany to give the Hitler salute and say the words "Sieg Heil". At political rallies such as the one at Nuremburg, banners were displayed displaying the message "Sieg Heil" along with the swastika. The NSDAP (Nazi Party) made a pin badge in 1933 displaying a victory wreath, the Swastika, and the words "Sieg Heil". "Heil Hitler" was the alternative Nazi greeting. The expression itself was born during a party meeting, when Joseph Goebbels said "Sieg heil" and all supported the phrase.

Alex totally went off about how harmless it was and how they'd been saying it forever, and what it meant to them and that they never intendeed to insult anyone. After about ten minutes of this, I was finally able to get an edge in wordwise and said, " Uhhhh, Mr. Cushing, that's not what I was calling to talk to you about."

[Lane Meyer]

I met him one night in 2000 for the first time when I was working at High Camp, wearing my stripe and manning the info booth atthe top of the Cable Car. He walked off in a huge mink coat, barely able to support his own hulking frame, and I walked up to him and introduced myself and told him how thankful I was for how he made Squaw such a fantastic place to ski. He mumbled "Mgnbrdfsdf" and then Nancy dragged him down the stairs to eat crappy food in his roach-infested restaurant. Poor guy.

[woodsskier]

Flags at SV are at half mast...it must be true... he was a visionary, that gave us all an incredible place to play. For that he will be missed. Let's see how it goes from here!

[Alkasquawlik]

Confirmed.

Squaw Valley USA Founder and Chairman
Alexander C. Cushing

[Squaw Valley USA] Ski pioneer and sportsman, Alexander C. Cushing, who brought the 1960 Winter Olympics to Squaw Valley, died from pneumonia on August 19 at his summer home, Newport Rhode Island. He was 92.

Cushing, the founder of Squaw Valley, was known as an innovator in the development of the ski industry in America.

He was born November 28, 1913 in New York City to Howard Gardiner and Ethel Cochrane Cushing of Boston. He attended Groton School, Harvard University, 1936 and Harvard Law School, 1939. He practiced law for the New York firm of Davis, Polk and Wardwell and also for the U.S. Dept. of Justice, where he argued a case before the Supreme Court. The day after Pearl Harbor he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was a member of the first officer training class at Quonset. He served in South America and the Pacific for five years retiring as a Lieutenant Commander.

After the war he rejoined Davis, Polk, and Wardwell, but became restless. It was on a ski trip to the West with his friend Alexander McFadden when he first set eyes on Squaw Valley, CA. This transforming experience led him to found the Squaw Valley Ski Corporation. At that time, there was no road, no bridge, and no houses. His father and sister were artists. Choosing the mountains as his canvas, he claimed Squaw Valley was his work of art. Cushing opened the ski area in 1949 with a double chairlift, a rope tow and a fifty room lodge. Today, Squaw Valley is among the world’s best known ski resorts.

As Squaw Valley’s chairman, Cushing’s spirit was tested more than once. The resort’s chairlift, Squaw One, was destroyed by avalanche each year for its first three years. The fourth year of operations there was a devastating flood, and during the fifth year, the lodge burned down. For many, these setbacks would have signaled the time to sell out; instead, he surprised millions by securing Squaw Valley as the site for the 1960 VIII Olympic Winter Games, beating out internationally regarded resorts such as Innsbruck, Austria, St. Moritz, Switzerland and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Cushing’s campaign succeeded through the power of an idea—conjuring the Olympic ideals of simplicity with a focus on athleticism and diversity. His bid, written in French, English, and Spanish, declared that “the Olympics belonged to the world. Not just one continent.”

In February of 1960, over 800 athletes and 30 national teams competed in the VIII Olympic Winter Games at Squaw Valley. The first televised Olympics, the 1960 games brought international publicity to the Lake Tahoe region and sparked interest in winter sports and California skiing.

Throughout his life, he was recognized for his contributions to the sport of skiing. In 1959, leading up to the Squaw Valley Olympics, Cushing was on the cover of Time Magazine and heralded as the pioneer of skiing in the U.S. In 1999, his long time history as a pioneer and visionary were paid tribute to when he was inducted into the Ski Industry Hall of Fame. Cushing was honored for continually following the impossible dream; for having the courage to seek the 1960 Winter Olympic Games, the drive to develop the most advanced lift network in the world and the foresight to build cutting-edge mountain facilities.

“Alex has left his vision for Squaw Valley USA’s future with his wife and current President of Squaw Valley Ski Corp, Nancy W. Cushing, as well as the Board of Directors to fulfill,” says Squaw Valley Ski Corp Trustee, David Robertson.

He is survived by his wife Nancy, his three daughters, Justine Cushing, Lily Kunczynski, and Alexandra Howard, his six grandchildren, and three great grandchildren.



Nancy Wendt Cushing
President
Squaw Valley Ski Corporation
P.O. Box 2007
Olympic Valley, CA 96146
Phone: (530) 583-6985
Fax: (530) 581-7106

nwendt@squaw.com
www.squaw.com

[splat]

Now that's a guy who made his dream come true. He contributed to skiing in a way few others have. One of my heroes died today.
May he hear the soft swoosh of every turn made on the mountain he created for all eternity.

Peace out, Alex Cushing. Your job here was very well done.

[Franz Klammer]

Last time I talked to Alex was on the phone. Musta been almost ten years ago. I can't remember why I called him, but somehow he thought I was calling to complain about the common use of a phrase he and some of the oldtimers used to use at Squaw. The used to shout "Ski Heil!". A number of Jewish Squaw patrons had apparently taken great displeasure in the use of the phrase, which, of course, bore a striking resemblance to this phrase:
-From Wikipedia-
Sieg Heil is a German phrase, which literally means "Hail victory." During the Nazi era, it was a common chant at political rallies. When meeting someone, it was customary in Nazi Germany to give the Hitler salute and say the words "Sieg Heil". At political rallies such as the one at Nuremburg, banners were displayed displaying the message "Sieg Heil" along with the swastika. The NSDAP (Nazi Party) made a pin badge in 1933 displaying a victory wreath, the Swastika, and the words "Sieg Heil". "Heil Hitler" was the alternative Nazi greeting. The expression itself was born during a party meeting, when Joseph Goebbels said "Sieg heil" and all supported the phrase.

Alex totally went off about how harmless it was and how they'd been saying it forever, and what it meant to them and that they never intendeed to insult anyone. After about ten minutes of this, I was finally able to get an edge in wordwise and said, " Uhhhh, Mr. Cushing, that's not what I was calling to talk to you about."

Total tangent, here, but I would like to reiterate that "Ski Heil" as well as "Berg Heil" are perfectly acceptable phrases and I hear them all the time among fellow German-speaking skiers and mountaineers. "Heil" was part of the German language long before the Nazis came along and gave it a bad connotation. Kudos to Mr. Cushing for insisting on that point.

[Truckee Joe]

RIP Alex, You are my Hero, and will always be remembered.

P.S. I love your mountian. Now lets hope that Nancy dosesn't take the $$$ and run.

[Huckwheat]

Wow, end of a serious era. Amazing that he created, built, and lived to see Squaw become what it is today.

Now, I am sure to get flamed here, but......why does everyone seem to want Nancy to hold onto Squaw? Havent we all thrown around the "LIKE We Care" slogan of Squaw. Everyone knows Squaw is run totally getto, but they extort us all for our season passes.

I know the answer is no one wants Squaw to go the way of the mega-conglomerate-resorts......but would it really be that bad?

We all hated the idea of a village too.....but I think most people have enjoyed having an apres scene at the end of a ski day.

away!!!!

[SquawMan]

extremely sad if true

I have a relative who's in his 80's and still skis with me at Squaw occasionally (this guy still skis KT at 80 yrs old - he's my hero) who was told several years ago that his free pass to Squaw was being revoked because they raised the limit from 70 to 75 yrs old. So he wrote to Alex complaining and Alex gave him a lifetime free pass and me 10 free tickets to give to friends for the 'inconvenience'

a class act all the way

to thank him for the gesture, I went on eBay and bought the Time magazine from the 60's Olympics from Squaw and gave it to his family so they'd have an extra copy

I hope this rumor is only a rumor

[seanyob]

The end of an old school era of a true pioneer. No matter how corporate Squaw became, Cushing's choice of The Valley will always be respected and remembered by myself and many others who chose to chase their dreams and hold special memories in such a magestic place.

[Alkasquawlik]

extremely sad if true


I hope this rumor is only a rumor

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Do you actually read the posts or just scroll quick enough to make sure you can say something.


R.I.P. to the man who saw Poulsen's dream and made it a reality. A genius of business who fueled our passion. lates mang....

[splat]

Cushing brought the Olympics across the pond for the first time and put skiing on TV. Television technology was just hitting every household then and provided the perfect occassion to introduce, legitimize, and make skiing desirable to mainstream America for the first time, etching it indelibly on our minds with that Wide World of Sports crash off the ski jump that CBS used for years. And he created a resort that all others to follow would be compared to.

That is so huge.

The closest imaginable comparison I can come up with if someone were to realize this level of achievement in today's world would be if someone found a way to teleport skiers atop the world's biggest mountains and supplied them with a wirless retinal camera for a live podcast.

edit: clarity

[Tectonically_Neglected]

Last time I talked to Alex was on the phone. Musta been almost ten years ago. I can't remember why I called him, but somehow he thought I was calling to complain about the common use of a phrase he and some of the oldtimers used to use at Squaw. The used to shout "Ski Heil!". A number of Jewish Squaw patrons had apparently taken great displeasure in the use of the phrase, which, of course, bore a striking resemblance to this phrase:
-From Wikipedia-
Sieg Heil is a German phrase, which literally means "Hail victory." During the Nazi era, it was a common chant at political rallies. When meeting someone, it was customary in Nazi Germany to give the Hitler salute and say the words "Sieg Heil". At political rallies such as the one at Nuremburg, banners were displayed displaying the message "Sieg Heil" along with the swastika. The NSDAP (Nazi Party) made a pin badge in 1933 displaying a victory wreath, the Swastika, and the words "Sieg Heil". "Heil Hitler" was the alternative Nazi greeting. The expression itself was born during a party meeting, when Joseph Goebbels said "Sieg heil" and all supported the phrase.

Alex totally went off about how harmless it was and how they'd been saying it forever, and what it meant to them and that they never intendeed to insult anyone. After about ten minutes of this, I was finally able to get an edge in wordwise and said, " Uhhhh, Mr. Cushing, that's not what I was calling to talk to you about."

Actually, they still do that in Austria in the ski classes (or at least did so about 10 - 15 years ago). The whole thing has, as Mr Alex was pointing out, nothing at all to do with the WWII "look- alike".

[Aldo]

Total tangent, here, but I would like to reiterate that "Ski Heil" as well as "Berg Heil" are perfectly acceptable phrases and I hear them all the time among fellow German-speaking skiers and mountaineers. "Heil" was part of the German language long before the Nazis came along and gave it a bad connotation. Kudos to Mr. Cushing for insisting on that point.

I grew up in a ski club founded by members of the 10th up in NY State, there was a hand carved hearth over the fireplace "SKI HEIL".

RIP to another of US skiing's visionaries.

[flatfive40]

RIP Alex and thank you for all the good times ive had at squaw.

Anybody care to guess what this means for squaw in the near future? I heard a rumor of a 5 year hold clause for squaw in his will. You think nancy will cash in as soon as she can? A change of management could be a good thing IMO as long as they dont mess too much with the things that make squaw what it is. Buyout by powder corp and a squaw/alpine connection similar to alta/bird???

[mr_gyptian]

Is SVIMR the greatest thing ever produced by a Harvard Law Grad?


edit: eesh, thought he did both.

[runethechamp]

RIP for the founder of one of the best ski resorts ever.

Cushing brought the Olympics across the pond for the first time

Not really true since the olympics were held in Lake Placid in 1932, but that doesn't make his impact any less.

[splat]

RIP for the founder of one of the best ski resorts ever.
Not really true since the olympics were held in Lake Placid in 1932, but that doesn't make his impact any less.

I stand corrected, rune. I got that impression from a tribute on the news in which Cushing spoke about bringing the Olympics to Squaw last night. duh.