Stamos, former Glen Ellen ski school director, dies
Former Glen Ellen ski school director and Haute-Savoie native Pierre Stamos, died in France this month at the age of 85. The French Olympic ski team member placed fifth in the downhill at the 1966 World Championships in Portillo, Chile. Stamos was named ski school director in 1968. Stamos brought a new French influence to Glen Ellen in the late 1960s, introducing the wide-legged racing stance at a time when neighboring Sugarbush was known for the narrow, graceful style of skiers such as Stein Eriksen and Sigi Grottendorfer. He recruited a group of French ski instructors to Vermont to establish an authentic European Ecole de Ski approach. Promoted by the resort as a smooth, charismatic young ski school director, Stamos also became an early national pacesetter for the newly established NASTAR racing system, helping establish Glen Ellen as a competitive racing center and contributing to its hosting of the USSA National Championships in 1970.
