Photos: Helene Gratton and Mount Snow
In light of Muhammad Ali’s recent passing, many are remembering the great athlete for his skill and tenacity in the boxing ring. And his leadership outside of it during an era of cultural upheaval that was the 1960s, and beyond. He’s the most celebrated boxer of all time for good reason. One of the most endearing traits of this incredible athlete who moved like a butterfly and stung like a bee in the ring, was his willingness to try any sport. Even if that meant it sometimes stung him. But skiing has a tendency to do that to all of us when we’re learning.
In a recent Burlington Free Press article, Ali’s former ski instructor, Bob Gratton, shares what it was like teaching the “Greatest” to ski in early March of the 1969-1970 ski season. Decked out in matching vintage ski jackets (with racing stripes for extra speed) and form-fitting black tights (also for speed), the duo set out on Mount Snow, in Vermont.
Gratton says Ali showed absolutely no fear. Unfortunately, he didn’t exactly take to skiing as naturally as he did to boxing. After nearly being impaled by a wooden fence, Ali was able to make his way down the hill, battling through a series of crashes. He got the hang of it though and Gratton felt he could complete a run without any assistance. Ali told his instructor, “If Sonny Liston couldn’t take me, the skis won’t.” But later in the day Ali had a true gaper moment, as Thomas Montegani, a fellow ski instructor recalled after the boxer picked up way too much speed: “Ali put his hands up in the air, still holding the poles. It was a panic move. He yelled, ‘Get out of my way! Get out of my way!’ Little kids on the slope scrambled. He didn’t know how to stop himself. I was thinking, ‘His career is over. He’ll break both femurs.’”
But Ali managed to survive. “He got vertical,” said Montemagni. “He jumped into the air and kicked his (legs) out in front of him, so the bottoms of his feet took the brunt of the crash. That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen a skier do.”
Through it all, Gratton describes Ali as being extremely witty, kind, and confident. And he held up his reputation as one of the greatest trash-talkers that ever lived. When a young boy asked if Ali was going to beat Joe Frazier, Ali replied, “You see me falling down on the slope out there? That’s how many times Frazier’s going down in the ring!”
Muhammad Ali threw down on the mountain. He didn’t give a s#$% about being a beginner. Much the way he lived his life: He never cared what people thought of him, or hid from the public eye after Parkinson’s slowly eroded his quality of life. He was truly “the people’s champ.” And one hell of a steezy skier.
