Oscar Hambro, Social Engineer
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This ad comprised the back cover of the American Ski Annual 1938. Norwegian immigrant Oscar Hambro opened his Boston shop in 1928 by importing a boatload of Scandinavian gear. In 1957, ski instructor Newt Tolman wrote in the Atlantic that Hambro “touched off a social revolution in New England equal to the shake-up Admiral Perry gave to old Japan. In no time every New Hampshire hayfield was a potential ski school. The Era of Glamor had dawned. Dodging debutantes was the only serious hazard of the ‘ski pro.’ It remains a sociological mystery why so many girls so suddenly wanted to propose marriage, or at least propose, to any male eking out a living on skis.”
Coming Up In Future Issues
- Ski Pioneers: Dorothy McClung Wullich, the first female member of the National Ski Patrol.
- Unmasked: Jeff Blumenfeld looks behind the history of the much-maligned ski mask.
- The Evolution of Adaptive Skiing: Jay Cowan explores the rich history of aided skiing.
- Fast Women: Edie Thys Morgan catches up with the “Olympic Ladies” at the star racers’ annual reunion.