It was during the summer of 1975 when Ira Riklis and his wife, Diana, first visited Vail. Their one-day visit was enough to leave a lasting impression on them of the area’s charm and beauty. So it’s not too surprising that they made their first ski trip to the still little-known mountain resort town that next winter. Well, in truth, it was a little surprising since, even though he loved the sport, Ira hadn’t been skiing once since breaking his leg five years earlier.
In 1970, he had suffered a severe break of both his tibia and fibula, right at the top of his ski boot. While his leg healed, he still felt a great deal of pain whenever he tried wearing ski boots. But after seeing Vail, Ira Riklis’ wife began to encourage him to once again take up the sport he loved and enjoyed. His comeback began on the slopes of Vail. (It was aided by the advent of higher-topped ski boots, but that’s a story for another time!)