Shawnee Mountain History: Jean-Claude Killy

Welcome back to our series on Shawnee Mountain history! In these posts, we’ll cover the founding and expansion of Shawnee Mountain over the years.

Last week: We covered the opening season of Shawnee Mountain as well as the initial development of the land and our upside-down status. If you missed it, check out the post here.

This week we’re discussing Jean-Claude Killy, renowned skier and the first head of ski school here at Shawnee Mountain.

Jean-Claude Killy was born in Paris, France and grew up in the Alps. When he was fifteen, Killy dropped out of school to pursue skiing. He participated in many races in and around France, and at age nineteen attempted to qualify for the ’62 World Championships. Unfortunately, after crossing the finish line at a qualifier race on only one ski with the other leg broken, he did not get to participate that year.

Killy participated in the 1964 Winter Olympics but, due to illness, did not place.

In 1967, Jean-Claude Killy participated in the first World Cup Championship and took home the title after winning twelve out of seventeen total races. He went on to win three gold medals in the 1968 Winter Olympics in the downhill, giant slalom, and slalom events. Killy then defended his title in the 1968 World Cup Championships.

In 1968 Killy announced his retirement from skiing (except, did he ever really retire?).

After a successful ski career, Killy pivoted into heavy publicity. He signed on with Head in 1968, and they created a metal and fiberglass ski called the Killy 800s that were sold for two years. Among many spokesperson opportunities, Jean-Claude Killy could be found representing everything from champagne to luxury watches. Killy also made many television, commercial, and movie appearances over the years.

Shawnee brought Killy on as the ski operations manager in 1975. His job was to consult on trail designs, ski school programs, and our ski racing programs. He started what was known as the Jean-Claude Killy Ski School from 1975 to 1980.

Jean-Claude Killy had a villa in the Shawnee Village that he stayed in when he was in the Poconos. Through his partnership with Karl Hope and Shawnee, Killy helped promote the mountain as a reputable ski area. It was a marketing move on Hope’s end but Killy did end up spending time here at the mountain each winter.

The Killy Ski School used trained international instructors to teach private and group lessons. In 1975 you could book a group lesson for $4 or a private lesson for $15. The instructors used a few different teaching methods, including the Graduated Length Method, which started skiers off on shorter skis and moved them up to longer skis as they progressed. We still use a variation of this method today.

Upcoming: Part 3 will dive into the efforts required to flip the mountain right-side-up with base-area development. We will also cover the namesakes of the Hope and Trepp Lodges, our brief foray into Maine skiing, and the summer waterpark of the 80s and 90s. Stay tuned!

Written on: April 11, 2024  |  Written by: Michaela K., Marketing Asst.