In talking about his love of skiing, Ira Riklis 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’s even more surprising, at least to those who don’t know him, is how good he is and how elegantly he handles himself on skis. He takes great pride in his technique.
He learned that technique over time from ski instructor, Mike Bartasuis. Mike and Ira Riklis have been friends, skiing partners and business associates for more than twenty years now. One of only five people in the world who hold the dual record of skiing faster than 100 miles and hour and jumping more than 200 feet, Mike used to wear long, heavily weighted skis and a skin-tight Teflon suit. When asked what would happen if he fell, Mike was fond of saying that they’d find him in pieces two or three counties away. His simple plan to keep that from happening? Don’t fall. Ira’s grateful for the techniques he learned from Mike, and happy that his friend now enjoys a “safer” sport: hang-gliding off mountain cliffs!