If you were ever at Boyne Mountain during the winter season, you probably saw Helga Altenberger here or there.
Even if you didn’t, you did.
And while we’re at it, even if you weren’t here in winter you’ve seen her too - in one way or another.
I know it.
As director of the Snowsports School and an instructor at BOYNE, the cheerful Austrian with the blonde mane seemed to be everywhere. She focused on the children’s programs and is largely responsible for growing it into one of BOYNE’s proudest traditions and biggest assets.
Helga was such an esteemed member of the BOYNE team that she held the honor of leading us in a traditional snow dance during our annual season kick-off celebration. This is no small thing in an organization dominated by a "snow farmer" ethos.
We all love teachers. They introduce worlds of wonder to generations of children. Helga did that. She did that with a graciousness and warmth that was all her own.
It takes a special person to convince a child to ignore their survival instincts and relax in a world gone suddenly slippery. Helga did that. She did that as well as she eased parent’s paternal instincts to keep their children warm and close.
It takes real empathy (not to mention legs of steel) to hunch down and have conversations with little people who are feeling irrational. Helga did that- all day long. It takes iron resolve to keep an organization laser focused on creating magical moments day-in and day-out. She did that day after day, season after season. She did it with a generous, easy friendliness.
I was one of many fortunate enough to consider Helga a friend. I made the mistake of telling her that I had taken two years of German language classes in college. The teacher in her couldn’t control itself and all email that followed was “auf Deutsch”. It was a hassle and the lazy part of me didn’t want to bother with translation, but just like all the children who had been blessed by her tutelage, I went along with her despite my objections. “Das ist su viel arbeit! Aber ich will schreibe auf Deutsche fur Sie…”
I wish that were all of the story, but unfortunately the best part ends there.
A couple summers ago we lost Helga. While vacationing back home in Austria, she took a break from a bike ride to pick some mountain berries and died of a brain aneurism. Her loss was as sudden and unexpected as it was tragic. It left an irreparable void. The healthy, vibrant woman who had seemingly been everywhere is now gone.
But strangely, even with her gone, I still see her all over the place.
Whenever my kids click into skis and duck waddle along without poles, I see her.
Whenever parents drop kids at the ski school and try to covertly sneak a peak at the lesson or return to a breathless, run-on report of the child’s adventure,
When I see heavy November skies requiring a little motivation to drop their payload,
When I see the walkie-talkies of the ski instructors or their super hero-like uniform-
SHE’S THERE.
I see her in this picture- even though it's not her.
If you’ve seen a kid who has learned to ski in the 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s you’ve seen Helga. Easily tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of children who learned to ski have been in some way touched by Helga. The self confidence and esteem these youngsters absorbed in her presence has carried over to the other avenues of their lives. You can see it and when you do, she's there.
But she isn’t there when I walk past the Ski School desk even though I
constantly catch myself getting ready to wave hello and say something
intelligible “auf Deutsch”.
The way I see it, there isn't a better definition of a person as an institution. When you have established such a presence and personality in a place that you are there...even when you aren't.
The BOYNE ski school has a storied history. A stout foundation has been laid by legendary names including Stein Eriksen and Othmar Schneider, but the house as it stands now has has been largely shaped by Helga and she gave it the warmth of a home.
That is why it is fitting and proper that the new children’s ski school, playcare and lesson rental facility constructed this summer at the base of Boyne Mountain has been named in her memory. I hope you get to enjoy this new place and that your time there is as unforgettable as the woman to whom it stands in tribute. If you pay attention, you just might catch a glimpse of her. I know that there won’t be a day that I walk by and don’t expect to see her smiling face.
-JJ
