The
tradition of friends skiing together in pursuit of powder extends back to the
early days of Alta. In fact members of the Wild old Bunch were hiking up and
skiing Alta's terrain before the lifts were built in 1938.
The
Wild
old Bunch
name harkens back to Rush Spedden's 1973 amateur (home) ski movie which first captured the
core group skiing the powder to music.
The movie was titled "The Wild old Bunch" and featured powder skiing from
a time when someone who knew Alta could ski untracked powder all day. The name stuck
and the circle of skiing friends grew.
The
patches followed a few years later with the now famous Foley Richards
design.
The
group tended to congregate at the Alpenglow (a tradition that carries on today
in the daily 11am rendezvous at Alf's (look for the big round table, WOB
patches, a lot of 70+, 80+ and 90+ (it's a good life) pins, and people who have obviously been out in
the powder)).
With
their own movie, “official” patches and regular meetings the organization was on
it’s way to what it is today:
a happily disorganized collection of senior Alta regulars readily
dispensing hospitality, youthful enthusiasm and sage
advice.
Skis
get old, skiers never do. Ponce de Leon was just looking in the wrong
place.