Jack Armstrong: star skier in a week

By Alexandra de Scheel

Gstaad winters have seen many varieties of skiers upon the famous alpine slopes which entice them each year from across the globe. There are young kids just starting out, ones whizzing down the mountain full speed, teens who look as if they were born on skis, and a few who look as though they just may die on them. Then there are adults racing enthusiastically down amongst the youngsters, taking their time in snow-bunny fashion or expertly gliding in smooth, majestic strokes. There are three high schools which take their pupils out every day, numerous ski schools and instructors teaching new kids, teens and young adults to ski everyday. But a rarity in this diverse group is the adult, especially one over forty, who dares to take the plunge, put their by now well-cultivated pride on the shelf and go out there as a student for the first time. Even rarer still, is one who does this, then surprises even the most jaded instructors by surpassing any effort by anyone half their age, by going from level one to level five in as many days. But this is just what Jack Armstrong did at the age of 49.

Above: Jack Armstrong, left, with Gstaad Ski School instructor Emmanuel “Mani” Raaflaub. Click photo to enlarge.

Coming from Beverly Hills, it’s no surprise that Armstrong had not had the pleasure of a childhood or adolescence on skis. There is a window of opportunity for most things in life, albeit usually an imagined one, which closes off certain avenues or new ventures after that period. You learn the sports you learn, discover the talents you discover, dream the dreams you dream and then live your life, all the while believing in the adage “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. Well, old is clearly a state of mind, and far too vague a term, with far too many possible interpretations. Some consider a 25 year-old to be old, while others consider 70 to still be plenty young. So who is to say what age is an appropriate one to learn something new, do something daring, or take a challenge? Because if you keep doing that throughout your life, life will never become old, and neither will you. It’s when you give up on the idea of new experiences and put up obstacles to stop you doing the things you want to do that you lose your youth, and not a day sooner. Despite talk of age, do not be fooled, Armstrong’s accomplishment was not in learning to ski at a certain age, nor was it even having the courage to try it in the first place. Although this was a challenge for a man who has been in sports his whole life and who says his ego really didn’t want to let him take classes with children or snow plow down a mountain. But Armstrong’s quick advancement in learning this new skill was impressive by any standards, and he advanced quicker than ski instructor Manny had seen
anyone move up in years. Perhaps all of his years of water-skiing helped, or his determination not to be a beginner, or his passion for sports and nature in general. Whatever it was, taking only two hours to learn parallel skiing, insisting on starting out in class three, moving up to class five in a week, skiing alone in his first season, heli-skiing, racing down mountains, and receiving praise from veteran skiers after only two years is impressive, period. What does Mr Armstrong think of his success?

“The ski school made it easy for me to learn and enjoy myself doing it. What I loved about the ski school was the atmosphere. We would all have lunch every day with people from all over the world, and it became not even like a commercial enterprise; we all became friends. The other thing that is amazing about the school was that they met the needs of each student, and let them progress at their own level. The individual is important in the Gstaad ski school. Other instructors tell you ‘this is the way you go, you have to go over all terrains fast etc. etc.’ It’s no wonder they have people dropping out everyday and crying. Here they could deal with the person who was laid back, to a guy like me who wants to go down the mountain fastest. They let you progress at your speed, they don’t force anybody to do anything.”

Although Jack Armstrong has lived in Lausanne, he has a new-found appreciation for Switzerland after discovering Gstaad on skis. But while it may be the slopes which brought him here, it is the entire place which keeps him coming back.

“I will come back here the rest of my life. Not only is the ski school magical, but the whole village, the townspeople, the restaurants are all part of the magic as well. In Beverly Hills we don’t have anything like the Olden or the Chlösterli. We have Palaces, but nothing like this Disneyland village where you have this Palace shining on the top at night. And the people are just so friendly and charming. It’s wonderful.”