Ski Column

A ski team representing the Republic of Chile in South America is visiting the United States this winter to compete in downhill and slalom events at a number of major Eastern and Western resorts, according to an announcement by Roland Palmedo, Chairman of the Committee on International Competition of the National Ski Association of American.

In announcing the acceptance of the National Ski Association's invitation to visit North America, Mr. Palmedo pointed out that this will be the first time that any winter sports team from the Southern. Hemisphere will over have crossed the Equator in search of competition. Teams from the United States, he added, visited Chile during our summers of 1937 and 1938 to participate in the Pan American Ski Championships held at Farellones del Cerro Colorado in the Andes.

Arrive U. S. Today

A cablegram from Austin R. Edwards, President of the Ski Club Chile in Santiago and leading organizer of the sport in that country, states-that the Chileans, who sailed from Valparaiso on January 10 on board the Grace Liner "Santa Elena", are scheduled to arrive in Now York today. The group will probably include five competitors and one manager yet to be selected from among the ranking skiers of the country.

"The visit of a Chileau Ski Team to the United States at this time will serve to renew a friendly sports relationship of several years standing," Mr. Palmedo stated, "and at the same time bind closer the tics which unite the Americas, North and South. We hope that through the tour which we have planned for the Chilean skiers during February and March we may be able to repay, in part, the generous hospitality which has been extended to our United States skiers by the Chilean Government, the Chilean ski clubs, and the individual Chilean skiers.

"The tour of the United States will be directly under the sponsorship of the National Ski Association of America, through its Committee on International Competition and a special sub-committee which has been appointed to carry out the details of a 6,000 mile trip that will include many important skiing centers in both the East and West.

"The Chilean Team Committee will be headed by Eugene Du Bols, of New York City, manager of the U. S. Ski Team in Chile during 1937, as chairman. The other members will be Warren Chivers, of Hanover, N. H.; Donald Fraser, of Denver, Colo.; Peter Hostmark, of Seattle, Wash.; John C. Jay, Jr., of New York City; David Judan, of Otis, Mass.; and Alfred H. Moorhouse, of Boston, Mass.

First Meet in 1937

"The first Pan American Ski Championships were held in Chile in July, 1937, with the United States Team comprising Warren and Howard Chivers, Ed Wells, Ted Hunter, and John Litchfield, then all students at Dartmouth College, and Don Fraser, then of Seattle, carrying off the team and individual prizes.

"The second Pan American Ski Championships, held during 1938, found the United States represented by Adams Carter, former Harvard ski captain; Robert H. Shaw, of Groton, Mass.; Edgar Bering, of Salt Lake City; Charles McLane, present Dartmouth College ski captain; Bob Blatt, of San Francisco; Martin Arrouge, of Reno, Nev.; and Norman H. Read, of New York City. This group successfully defended the team trophy but lost first place in individual honors to Eugenio Errazuriz, the captain of the Chilean Team.

"Since that date numerous United States skiers have visited Chile, and several Chilean skiers have visited the United States, but there has been no formal competition between the nations. It is planned to re-establish the Pan American Ski Championships during the visit of the Chileans here in 1941."