Legends of Norquay: Leo Berchtold
Note: This article was originally published on January 18, 2019, but has since been updated to reflect the sad passing of Leo on September 10, 2021. As this headline reads, Leo was a legend; a much-loved member of our Norquay ski family since he first skied here back in 1956; a cherished member of our Banff community; a familiar face in the Lodge over decades before he sadly left Norquay for the last time. Skiing was Leo’s life, and the tracks he made here will never be forgotten. Our “Steel Pipes” run, named in honour of Leo, will go on to be a permanent mark of his place on our mountain, and we will continue to document Leo’s part of our story the very best we can – as well as the other remarkable local legends that grace our runs, and our hearts.
Rest in peace, dear Leo.
June 13, 1930, Zurich, Switzerland – Sept. 10, 2021, Banff, AB
Norquay will be holding an honorary ‘Lap for Leo’ on February 1, 2022.
Arriving on the shores of Halifax in January 7, 1952, Leo Berchtold was ready to see what life in Canada had to offer. Before leaving his home in Switzerland, he secured Canadian citizenship in hopes that, should he wish to stay on Canadian soil, he would have his paperwork.
He found his first base in the nation’s capital and with job offers perusing him from left and right, he couldn’t find a compelling enough reason to leave Ottawa. As an employee of a printing company and of St. John’s Ambulance, where he was a life guard, he was content with the life he was building. It wasn’t until he rescued the visiting son of the Western’s Superintendent that he was given an offer worth considering.
At the age of 25, Leo packed up his car with his water skis and snow skis strapped to the roof and headed towards Banff National Park where he took a job with the government at the Cave and Basin. With nowhere to water ski he turned to Mt. Norquay in the winter of 1956 to indulge his most fervent passion: skiing.
When we interviewed Leo for this article, Leo welcomed us into his home, downtown Banff, where he rifles through stacks of folders to show off his most precious memories. A self-proclaimed collector, he introduced his many newspaper clippings, photographs, and books as he said, “I can find anything that goes back 50-60 years or more. But, this is nothing, you should come downstairs with me,” where he kept the rest of his files.
Soon after Leo arrived in Banff, he quit his job at the Cave and Basin and he began working with Monod Sports, which can still be found downtown today. Taking several jobs throughout the decades, his love of sports remained consistent. Leo coached skiing and gymnastics, competed in cycling races, scuba-dived, and mountain climbed.
He remembers skiing and racing at Lake Louise when, “at the time, it was only Mount Temple, and Sunshine was only open at Christmas and Easter, if you can believe it.” Throughout his 65 consecutive years of holding a season’s pass, he always maintained that Mt. Norquay is his favourite of the three mountains, remarking “Mt. Norquay, to me, is the number one place. The staff are so nice and helpful,” and on that day that we chatted with him. Leohad just returned from a morning of skiing at the age of 88, we’ve got to trust his expertise.
Leo was so engrained in the history of Mt. Norquay that he was even, unbeknownst to him at the time, used to advertise Canada for the Olympic bid in the 1960s. He and his wife Marion had returned to Zurich for a visit, where in the train station, he looked up and said “hey, that’s me, where did they get that picture?” Towering over him was a life-sized image of him riding the North American Chair at Mt. Norquay.
It’s not unlikely that the photo was taken while he patrolled at Mt. Norquay. “At that time, the government paid the ski patrol. Now, the ski patrol is the responsibility of the ski area.” Some of his fondest memories relate back to his patrol days where he once rescued a man strapped into a rogue rescue toboggan flying down the slopes and piggybacked a girl down on his skies who suffered from a broken leg.
His remarkable tales have seen multiple ski hill ownerships and he even remembers back to a time where visiting the hill without skiing was discouraged. “People would come to Norquay and would bring their own lunch and wouldn’t buy anything.” He’d say, “you’re not a skier, come with us anyway, you can stay in the lodge and see us skiing.” But one previous owner “got tired of that and he painted the windows, so you couldn’t see out anymore.” He laughs and thinks “I bet people don’t remember that.
As a sport, he believed that skiing is the most social, and, would say, “if someone knows different, then you let me know.” He remembers back to learning golf and how to putt only to be shooed off of the golf course and he remarks “that would never happen in ski, nobody gets chased off the ski hill because you are a beginner or medium or whatever.”
Into his 9th decade, Leo would meet his old skiing pals for a few morning runs and a social coffee afterwards. He would welcome other skiers with a friendly hello, his face now sadly missed by all who knew and skied with him. Leo’s place here at Norquay will be forever remembered.
