Those men riding the ‘magic carpet’ up the beginner run at a Washington ski resort were once on the podium together at the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo. One won gold, the other won silver, in the same event. Slalom skiing.
Twin brothers and ski legends Phil and Steve Mahre have changed their pace: Today they ski with their grandkids at White Pass.
"Give me a good blue groomer and I'm happy!" Laughed Steve, who won silver back in 1984.
The brothers grew up at this resort on the south side of Mount Rainier.
"White Pass is a gem among ski areas, especially here in the Cascades,” said Phil, who won gold in Sarajevo. "My dad was a mountain manager here for 27 years we lived at the base of the mountain right over here,” he said, gesturing to a gray house at the base of Chair 2.
Today, the Mahre twins live in nearby Yakima when they’re not at their Mahre Training Camp in Park City Utah, and their sister and brother-in-law manage the mountain and live in the old family home. So chances are good you may meet a Mahre at White Pass.
"I'd just as soon ski here as anywhere. If I could come here every day and ski here every day I would,” said Phil. "No lift lines, great snow, you just can't beat it."
Teaching little ones to ski can be tougher than taking silver and gold in the same Olympic event. -- these granddads have advice for anyone who wants to raise a skier:
Steve: "The biggest thing is to make it fun. It was always fun for us there wasn't a day I don't think that I looked at it as work.”
Phil: "Don't come out here when it's 10° in a blizzard thinking, ‘Oh my kids are gonna love skiing because I do’. It's probably best to bring them out on a nice warm sunny day.”
As for those Mahre Olympic medals?
"We take ‘em to charity events and auction 'em off. Somebody can have them in their office for work for a few months, and then we do it again,” Steve explained.
"Yeah, they're just dust collectors. Nobody sees them, they didn't do any good for anybody so we said let's put 'em to good use, and see if we can raise money for people,” added Phil.
"For us, you know, we know it's right here," said Steve, putting his hand on his chest over his heart. “It's just a symbol of it, but it's here still, that'll never leave.”
The thing the Mahres love to share as much as their medals is their mountain.
“Visit us at White Pass and if you're here and we're here, say Hi!” Phil urged. "We are approachable,” laughed his twin.
Especially now that they’re helping a whole new generation of mini-Mahres hit the slopes at the ski resort they call home.
