Achievements
1952 Skied Tuckerman Ravine Headwall, Mt. Washington, New Hampshire. 1953 1st place Dartmouth Intramural Slalom. 4th place Dartmouth Interclass Downhill. 1953 Decided to make life-long careers in skiing, climbing, and music. 1955 First ski mountaineer in the Bugaboos— solo ski traverse to the Conrad Ice Field, BC Canada. 1955 Fully Certified Ski Instructor. Eastern Amateur Ski Association. Examiners Paul Valar and Herbert Schneider. 1956 Taught Swiss Skiing Technique under Valar at Cannon Mountain, New Hampshire. 1956 Taught Arlberg Technique at Aspen under Friedl Pfeiffer and Fred Iselin. 1957 Ski School Director Sugarloaf, Maine. Probably the first ski school in United States to adopt the new Austrian Technique. 1957 During the Alpine Club’s 100th Anniversary celebration, Bill had a private discussion with Sir Arnold Lunn, which inspired Bill to take some responsibility for shaping the future of skiing. 1958 Established his own Ski School at Suicide 6, Woodstock, Vermont. 1958 Led first Grand Traverse from Bugaboos to Rogers Pass (about 100 miles) British Columbia, Canada. Team members included Barry Corbet. This route is now considered a “classic” and is recommended for certification by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. 1958 Co-founded with Barry Corbet Alpine Ski Club of America (ASCA). 1959 Led ski traverse to and first ascents in the Four Squatter’s Group, British Columbia, Canada. The subject of “A Head Tale,” a documentary filmed by Kim Massie and sponsored by Howard Head. 1959 to 1982 Professional Mountain Guide for Glenn Exum in Grand Teton National Park. 1960 Taught skiing at Sugar Bowl, Calif. Junior Bounous, Ski School Director. 1960 Certified instructor by Far West Ski Association. 1961 2nd Ski Descent of Mt Rainier. Filmed by Roger Brown. 1961 Right hip fused in New York City. 1962 Independent ski instructor in Mt. Snow, Vermont. 1964 Originator of “lifters” under the heel of the binding, which gives the skier more leverage and ability to ski steep terrain by compensating for a shortened achilles tendon or fused ankle. 1966 Ski Instructor at Jackson Hole Ski Area during its first year of operation. 1966 2nd ski descent of Buck Mountain, Teton Range. 1966 Certified instructor by Intermountain PSIA. 1967 Director Snow King Ski School, Jackson, Wyoming. 1967 1st ski descent of the Middle Teton, Teton Range. 1968 to 2009. Owner, Snow King Ski School. 1968 1st ski descent, Mount Moran, Teton Range. 1969 Co-founder of the Stage Coach Band, Wilson Wyoming. Band leader since 1995. Performances of ski songs and alpine yodels, keeping alive the spirit and traditions of skiing. 1970 Tested a device for damping vibration in skis for 3M Corporation, later used by Rossignol. 1971 1st ski descent of the Grand Teton, Teton Range, Wyoming. Photograph documenting ski tracks popularized ski mountaineering in North America. 1974 1st ski descent of Mount Owen, Teton Range. 1976 Wrote and published “Skier’s Manual, Part I.” 1977 to 1987 Established and operated a backcountry ski guide service on Teton Pass. 1978 Wrote and published “The Ski Dictionary.” 1978 First Chairman of American Mountain Guide Association (AMGA). 1979 Wrote and published “Skier’s Manual, Part II.” 1980 to 1981 Ski Area Manager at Snow King Resort. 1993 Co-founder of the Jackson Hole Hootenanny, Jackson, Wyoming. Performing ski songs and alpine yodels, keeping alive the spirit and traditions of skiing. 2003 Inducted into the Will and Jean Pickett Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame housed at the Alf Engen Ski Museum, Park City, Utah. 2005 Featured in the ski film, “Waiting Game: Ripping On the Slopes of Wild Alaska.” Directed by Jon Klaczkiewicz. Produced by Wink, Inc. 2006 Collected and published “Ski Songs From The Dartmouth Era.” Received A Special Award in Traditional Ski Song from the International Skiing History Association (ISHA) . 2007 Featured in ski mountaineering documentary “Legends of the Fall-Line.” 2007 Recorded and published “Ski Songs From The Dartmouth Era” on CD. 2007 Featured in ski mountaineering documentary “STEEP,” which received international theatrical release and critical acclaim. 2008 Inducted into the U.S. National Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. Excerpt from the citation: “Bill Briggs is regarded as the father of big mountain skiing in the United States. He was able to imagine and believe it possible to ski in places where no one else had skied before. His first ski descent of Wyoming’s Grand Teton on June 16, 1971 is regarded by most as the single crystallizing moment in American big mountain skiing. He also completed the first high ski traverse in the Canadian Rockies and the first modern ski descent of Mount Rainier.” 2013 Inducted into the Jackson Hole Ski and Snowboard Club Hall of Fame part of the Jackson Hole Ski Club Ski Museum. 2013 Veterans Ski Instruction Reunion. Honoree. List of publications: Bill Briggs, author 1977 – 79 Skier’s Manual, Part I and Part II; The Ski Dictionary 2006 Ski Songs From The Dartmouth Era, CD. Articles in Intermountain Instructors Edge published by PSIA. List of publications: Bill Briggs, Technical Consultant Mid 1950’s Sports Illustrated, “Wedeln Series,” Willi Schaffler. 1958 Ski Wedeln book by Georges Joubert. 1959 Ski Magazine, “Tip Pull,” Barry Corbet. 1961 The Skier’s Bible book by Morten Lund. 1964 Ski Magazine, “Submarine Technique,” Junior Bounous. 1967 Ski Magazine, “Carving,” with Jean Mayer and Pepi Steigler. Films featuring Bill Briggs 1959 “A Head Tale” by Kim Massie sponsored by Howard Head. 1961 2nd Ski Descent of Mt Rainier. Filmed by Roger Brown. 2005 “Waiting Game: Ripping On the Slopes of Wild Alaska” Wink, Inc. 2007 “Legends of the Fall-Line.” 2008 “STEEP.” Documentary directed by Mark Obenhaus. International theatrical release by Sony Pictures. 2009 “The Grand Yodeler.” Directed by Jen Tennican. 2012 “Passion for Snow.” Documentary by Lisa Densmore, Roger Brown, Jim Butterworth, and Rick Moulton. Selection of articles and books about Bill Briggs 1956 February. National Geographic Magazine, “Skiing In The United States” pages 216-7. 1964 October. Ski Magazine, “Perils Of The Bugaboos” by Morten Lund, pages 102-111. 1967 January. Ski Magazine, “A New Form Of Skiing” 43-4. 1970 Teton Magazine, “First Ski Descent of Mt.Moran” pages 3-5. 1972 Teton Magazine, “Grand Teton Ski Descent” pages 8-13. 1995 December. Ski Magazine, “Bill Briggs, Man Of First Descents” by David Goodman, pages 128-134. 1996 September. Powder Magazine, “Bill Briggs, Going Down Big” by Tom Bie, pages 88-89. 1996 Feb-March. Couloir Magazine, “Bill Briggs, Beyond The Grand,” by Lou Dawson, pages 14-19. 2003 December. Backcountry Magazine, “Bill Briggs, From The Hip,” by Jeff Burke, pages 52-57. 2005 March. Men’s Journal, “Fear Of Falling,” by Kevin Fedarko. 2006 December. Powder Magazine, “The 48 Greatest Skiers Of Our Time,” page 89. 2010 Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America, written by Chris Davenport, book published by Wolverine Publishing pages 51-61. 2011 Passion for Skiing by Stephen L. Waterhouse, The History of Dartmouth Skiing Project. Chapter 9. 2011 June 22, Jackson Hole News and Guide, “40 Years Later Group Retraces Briggs’ Tracks. By Brandon Zimmerman, page 4 C. 2012 March. Casper Star Tribune, “ A Grand Ski,” by Kelsey Dayton page B1. 2012 June 24, Denver Post, “Grand Teton Ski-Mountaineering Attempt is a Lesson in Patience” by Kelley McMillan, page 10 E. 2012 Freeskier, Backcountry Edition, “Exum Mountain Guides Legacy of Participation” by Jeff Burke page 99. 2012 Skieurs du Ciel: Une Histoire du Ski Extreme, written by Dominique Potard. Book published by Editions Guerin, Chamonix, pages 128-133. 2013 WildSnow.com, “Bill Briggs Biography: Beyond the Grand – The Life Of America’s Most Influential Ski Mountaineer.” 2013 Summer. JHStyle Magazine, “Bill Briggs Mountains and Music in the Tetons”