Forever Young
Biege Jones
Klaus Obermeyer
On the Dec. 2 occasion of Klaus Obermeyer’s 90th birthday, consider for a moment the man’s accomplishments. That down jacket you wear all winter? Klaus invented it in 1948. He also brought turtlenecks—and with them the concept of base layering—to the ski world in the ’50s. Dual-construction ski boots, pre-shaped gloves, high-altitude sunscreen and mirrored sunglasses, Obermeyer inventions all, each arrived to make skiing easier, comfier, safer, cooler, and there are many more. An Aspenite for 53 years, Klaus helped introduce glamour to the sport, too, teaching Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman and Lex Barker (that’s Tarzan to you and me), among others, how to ski. But Klaus’ most enduring local legacy will surely be his ever-ebullient, occasionally yodeling personality. What’s the secret of a man who took up kitesurfing at age 89? He exercises mind and body every day but also lives with a philosophy gleaned from years of aikido. “Be one with the mountain,” Klaus says. “Never fight it. … Be one with the planet.”
