Instead of conquering the top, one of America's most famed skier adventurers wound up in a solo descent off the mountain as he was suffering with cerebral edema.

High-altitude cerebral edema is a spontaneous, often fatal, filling of the brain cavity with fluid. Dorworth was stricken at 20,000 feet. A sure treatment is rapid descent. Dorworth's case was advancing quickly. He had become so weak and uncoordinated that he was unable to tie his bootlaces.

By the 1980s, North American resorts were beginning to feature pedestrian villages with multiple attractions for families, including large day-care centers. Many resorts had low-rise buildings snuggled discreetly into their surroundings and plenty of open space, largely free of automobiles. Baby boomers and social trends favored the environment and plenty of interaction. Alain Lazard saw what was occurring and hoped to fulfill his dreams in Coldsteam Canyon.

Where is the Canyon?

The Halloween night was a mess outside. A mahogany table reflected the bottle, the shot glasses, and the distorted faces of Tom Telluride and Harry the Camel, best of ski fellows. Between the three of us there was a strong bond of the mountains, and also the fellowship of our lifestyle.

Gale force winds forced sheets of snow against the windows and blew down the chimney into the embers of a complaining fire.

Hazel Court, the daughter of a professional cricket player, made her film debut at age 18. She was featured in the early horror films produced by Hammer Studios in her native England. She got her big break in Hollywood at age 30, starring opposite Peter Cushing in The Curse of Frankenstein. Then she was in another blockbuster, The Raven, with Price, Karloff, and Peter Lorre.

Tree Carvings
The carvings at Spooner Summit (7,100') on highway 50 to Carson City were put there by Basque sheepherders at the turn of the 20th century. The art, on the white trunks of aspens, is an early example of graffiti. Look high on the trees; time has passed!

Kokonee Salmon
During October and November 20,000-50,000 salmon spawn in Taylor Creek at the US Forest Service Station--Camp Richardson, near South Lake Tahoe. Visitors may descend beneath the stream to the Profile Chamber and view the underwater activities.

Schnebelen was a crafty entrepreneur known for brokering several resort deals in France, including the development of Tignes and Megeve. He was looking for opportunities in America.

Hope Valley, which is 15,000 rolling acres, made an immediate impact on the Frenchman. Up high 10,000-foot mountain peaks ring the valley, and there are grassy, well-watered meadows punctuated with graceful aspens. Ranchers have used Hope Valley since earlier times for pasturing their cattle.

Palisades Tahoe opened as a ski area in 1949. Mt. Shasta opened in 1958. Alpine Meadows opened in 1961. It was a major new resort located in the next valley south of Palisades Tahoe. Alpine Meadows was the dream of John Reily, then the treasurer of the Carnation Company, and later a full-time resident of Tahoe City. Reily hired Peter Klaussen to build and operate the resort.

During afternoons on the beach I read Boris Pasternak’s, Dr. Zhivago, and looked forward to seeing—if only for a few moments—the extraordinary beautiful, Karolyn. She owned the place I was staying, and she was in and out. She was a princess who had actually been kind to me.

Alas, for over 30 million American males, myself included, hair is as fleeting as love sometimes is, although, every dome had its day.

I do have my memories. In college, fresh-washed, my hair would explode around my head like a lion’s mane. Combed out, it floated a foot behind me in a stiff breeze.