Did you know that Ira Riklis loves to ski? It all started with a private skiing lesson from skiing great Mike Bartasuis.
“We originally met when Mike was working as a ski instructor at Vail/Lionshead and he was assigned to me on a private lesson. Over the years we have become much more than ski buddies; we are also business partners and very close friends.”
Ira Riklis recently gave an entire interview about his passion for the sport.
He says:
“Skiing is one of the great passions of my life. It may seem strange, as I’m a fat, middle aged, non-athletic, New York Jew, but there it is. What is even more surprising is how good I am at it. Hard to believe of a fat guy, but I’m actually quite elegant on skis. Other skiers on the slope stop to watch my technique as I come down the mountain. I take great pride in my technique.”
He learned to ski from Mike Bartasuis who, after that initial lesson went on to become Ira’s business partner and friend. Mike’s one of only five people in the world to hold the dual record of skiing over 100 miles per hour and jumping over 200 feet. Not a bad teacher to choose.