Rudy Amsler, Washington's Swiss Ski Pioneer

Rudy Amsler at Van Trump Park in 1933.
[hr]
The Mountaineers recently received an unexpected donation of a photo album created by Rudy Amsler , a Swiss immigrant who became one of Washington's earliest ski experts in the 1920s and 1930s.

According to my friend Eric Lindahl, whose family provided a room for Rudy in the 1960s, Amsler served as a Swiss border guard on the Italian frontier during World War I. He moved to Seattle after the war and joined the Mountaineers in the 1920s.� He worked as a dental technician and later as a gardener and he lived simply.



Rudy Amsler on skis, circa 1929.
[hr]
In the 1920s, Amsler joined the Mountaineers on winter trips and he was among the first Europeans to teach local skiers how to descend slopes under "ski control." Before that, as one old-time Mountaineer recalled, "We herring-boned up and ran it straight."

In January 1927, Amsler led a Mountaineer trip from the Snoqualmie Lodge toward Silver Peak.� Based on my research, this appears to have been the earliest ski tour ever scheduled as such by the Mountaineers.



On the trail between Snoqualmie Lodge and Silver Peak, circa 1933.
[hr]
In February 1928, Amsler skied with five other Mountaineers (Andy Anderson, Bill Maxwell, Art Marzolf, Alex Fox, and Lars Lovseth) from Snoqualmie Lodge to Stampede Pass, where they joined a Mountaineer outing based out of shacks near the railroad tunnel.� This 18-mile trip was made prior to construction of Meany Ski Hut and it established the route later popularized by the Mountaineers Patrol Race.



Lunch stop near Baldy Pass on the Snoqualmie Pass to Stampede Pass cross-country route, circa 1934. Rudy Amsler is at far right.
[hr]
In 1939, Amsler published Mountaineer Ski Guide , likely the first guidebook to backcountry skiing in Washington state. The excerpt below shows tours north and east of Snoqualmie Lodge to Denny Mountain (current site of Alpental ski area), Commonwealth Basin, and Mt Margaret.



Ski tours north and east of the Mountaineers Snoqualmie Lodge, from the 1939 Mountaineer Ski Guide by Rudy Amsler.
[hr]
The page below shows a tour south from the lodge to Ollalie Meadow, Tinkham Pass, and Mirror Lake.� Note the location of potential avalanche slopes, including one called "Little Paradise," probably because of its open slopes for skiing.



Ski tour south of the Mountaineers Snoqualmie Lodge, from the 1939 Mountaineer Ski Guide by Rudy Amsler.
[hr]
Amsler led tours outside the Snoqualmie Pass region as well, including the south and east sides of Mt Rainier, Chinook Pass, and less traveled sites like Corral Pass and Crystal Lake.



Skiers at the old Storbo mining cabin in Glacier Basin on the NE side of Mt Rainier, 1930. From left to right: William J Maxwell, Paul Shorrock, Norval Grigg, unknown, unknown, and Rudy Amsler.
[hr]



Mountaineers ski party near Cowlitz Rocks on Mt Rainier in 1933.
[hr]



"Believe it or not!"� An energetic Mountaineer demonstrates an alternative style for skiing the trees.
[hr]
Amsler also played a small but important role in the birth of REI in the 1930s.� After his friend Lloyd Anderson ordered an inferior ice axe from a local sporting goods shop, Amsler told him how to order better (and cheaper) equipment direct from one of the European suppliers.� Lloyd Anderson took Amsler's advice and Recreational Equipment Co-op was soon born.



Paul Shorrock (left) and Edna (Mrs Stuart) Walsh. In 1930, Edna Walsh became the first woman to ski from the Mountaineers Snoqualmie Lodge to Meany Ski Hut, later popularized as the Patrol Race route.
[hr]



Letter delivered by "U.S. Ski Mail" from the Mountaineers Snoqualmie Lodge to Rudy Amsler at Meany Ski Hut (near Martin at Stampede Pass) on December 31, 1932.� Apparently, the letter was delivered on skis by Herbert V. Strandberg ("HVS") and Arthur T. Wilson ("ATW"). (I think Amsler is being addressed as "Head Sherpa," though it appears to say "Head Shersa" instead.)
[hr]
A complete PDF copy of the Amsler photo album can be found on the Mountaineers Archives website.� Look for "Amsler" on the following page:

mountaineers.atlassian.net/wiki/display/ARCH/Collections

Enjoy!

Wonderful post -- thank you, Lowell!

Nice!

I like the pictures of Rudy guiding while wearing a tie.

We really need to upgrade our sartorial kit when we go out to visit mother nature

I like the pictures of Rudy guiding while wearing a tie.

We really need to upgrade our sartorial kit when we go out to visit mother nature

And don't forget your pipe.

And don't forget your pipe.

Word!

Thanks for the history lessons, Mr Skoog.

Wonderful photos, Lowell; thanks for posting them!

The last shot at Cowlitz Rock shows the ice thickness of the Ingraham and Cowlitz glaciers probably double what it is these days!