Page 4 West Vancouver Historical Society January 2005 Tormod “Tom†Mobraaten Olympian By Phillip Collings Tom Mobraaten, as he was known in Canada, was an all- round Olympian skier, best known for his ski jumping. He was born in 1910 in Kongsberg, Norway, a silver mining town which doubled as a ski resort. Tom was involved in competitive skiing from the age of six, and when he emigrated to Canada at the age of twenty he came to the west coast in search of skiing. With two Norwegian friends, Henry Sodvedt and Nordahl Kadldahl, he joined the Hollyburn Ridge Ski Club and built a cabin on the mountain. In those days, if you wanted to ski Hollyburn, you had to be a man, or woman, of iron. After crossing from Vancouver on the West Vancouver ferny, you rode the bus to the end of the line, reportedly from where Ottawa is now. From then on, you had to carry your skis, gear and food to the top of the hill and open up your cabin for the weekend. Then you could ski, at least until Sunday afternoon, when you had to do the whole thing in reverse. Tom Mobraaten and his ski jumping friends filled in this regime by preparing and grooming their own ski jump, a major feat of construction in itself. You might be pardoned for thinking someone this home-grown wouldn’t produce the most sophisticated of ski-jumping techniques, but they are strict perfectionists at Konigsberg where Tom learned his skills, and throughout his ski-jumping career he was known for his graceful and classic form. He won several competitions on form even though others had jumped further. The first Winter Olympic Games were held in 1924 at Chamonix, France, and were mainly focused on cross- country skiing. By the 1936 Winter Games at Garmisch- Partenkirchen, Germany, there were also events in downhill, slalom and ski-jumping. Events for women were held too. In those days competitors were strictly amateur and received no financial help from sponsors or national governments. Those who were picked to represent their countries (as Tom Mobraaten was to represent Canada) paid their own way. This was particularly hard on Canadians from the west coast. He and his friends took the slow boat from Montreal through the mid-winter Atlantic storais and they had to cancel their planned training schedule because only two of the eight- man team were able to get up from their bunks. After many adventures they arrived at Garmisch on January 24, 1936. Besides being amateur, the competitors were all-rounders and were expected (at least the Canadians were) to participate in events other than their chosen specialty. Tom Mobraaten’s specialty was the ski jump, and he finished 14th, not bad in a large field of the world’s best. Besides it was rumored that if you won gold you might have to shake hands with your host, who was Adolf Hitler. Tom also competed in the Nordic combined, in which he finished 30th, and the 18 km cross- country, in which he came 58th. It is also recorded that he skied the downhill and slalom course, but his results are not notedâ€"these scores may have been unofficial but all told it was a wonderful display of skiing athleticism. Of course, after 1936 civilized enterprises like the Olympics went into hibernation, ironically, principally because of the deeds of the Garmisch host. The next Winter Olympics weren’t until 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland; Tom Mobraaten is recorded as having represented Canada again, but no result is given. By this time, Tom had acquired a wife, Peggy (in 1936, the same year as the Olympics), two children and a house in Sandy Cove in West Vancouver. Apart from skiing he had a varied careerâ€"working in mines at Wells, BC, and running a mink farm. However, it seems that once an Olympian, never forgotten. On his fiftieth wedding anniversary, in 1986, he and Peggy received congratulations from: Mayor Ross, their local MP, Premier van der Zalm, Prime Minister Mulroney, John Turner, the leader of the Opposition, the Lieutenant Governor of BC and Jeanne Sauve, the Governor General of Canada. Who would have thought that there were so many political ski-buffs? Perhaps a more relevant memorial is the naming of the Mobraaten Trail in the Hollyburn Ridge cross-country area. General Meeting Times Discussed at a recent executive meeting was attendance at our general meetings. Understandably, on dark and wet winter evenings many members don’t want to venture out of their homes. The possibility was raised of shifting general meeting times to an afternoon spot. Any change would, of course, have to jibe with the Seniors Centre timetable. If you favour such a change please give the Society a call at 925-7299. Jr. Forest Warden Leaders Change (from a local paper, 1948) Change in leadership of the Junior Forest Wardens activity sponsored by the Boys’ Work Committee of the West Van- couver Community Association, is announced. Peter Hall, university forestry student, who had led the group during the winter season, has left for summer employment. Taking his place for the spring season will be Norm Gillies and Del Knight, both members of the association’s leaders’ coips.