100 years ago, a three-year-old Klaus Obermeyer saw skiing for the first time. It was a seminal moment for one of the pioneers of skiing.
“When I was three years old, I went for a walk with my dad and I saw three people on skis,” remembers Klaus. “It was unbelievable. They could slide down the hill, and I was absolutely fascinated.”
That moment changed Klaus’s life forever.
“Skiing is my whole life,” says Klaus. “It opened up the mountains for me to explore, and it opened up the world to me.”
Like children in ski towns today—from Aspen to St. Anton—Klaus and his friends built jumps out of snow back then. They didn’t know how to stop and turn, but they innately knew that skiing was fun.
“The experience has never changed,” says Klaus 100 years after seeing skiing for the first time. “Skiing gives you a certain freedom of choice—where do you want to put your turns; how fast do you want to go. It allows you to enjoy the beauty of nature. Skiing is like a fairytale, it’s beautiful.”