Splitkein Flexible Flyer Poster – Vintage Ski Poster – Sasha Maurer c1935
This fabulous Splitkein Flexible Flyer Poster is a captivating piece of art that is sure to captivate the hearts of skiers and ski enthusiasts alike. Its vibrant design and compelling imagery are perfectly crafted to evoke a sense of excitement and adventure, making it an appealing choice for those who love the thrill of the slopes. The Flexible Flyer, Purity Spring Resort poster was created in the 1930s by the American artist Sascha Maurer to advertise a brand of Splitkein skis known as Flexible Flyers.
The much-loved and popular vintage skiing poster features a couple, clad in brightly coloured winter gear, eagerly hit the slopes in the picturesque New Hampshire landscape, armed with their trusty wooden Flexible Flyer Skis. The experienced skiers are beaming with delight as they tackle the snowy terrain. They come across a rise or a mogul, and with a burst of excitement, take off into the air, their skis propelling them forward. The rush of adrenaline surges through their bodies as they soar above the highest point of the mogul, feeling weightless for a moment in mid-air. The cool mountain air brushes against their faces, and they feel the thrill of the challenge as their knees are tucked under their bodies, ready to act as shock absorbers upon landing.
The couple’s grins are contagious as they experience the sheer joy of skiing and conquering the slopes. They revel in the exhilarating sensation of flight, feeling alive and in tune with the mountain environment. The combination of skill, technique, and sheer excitement fuels their passion for skiing, and they savor every moment of this thrilling adventure.
As they touch down on the snowy slope, the couple’s elation is evident in their uncontrollable grins. They relish the sense of accomplishment and the thrill of overcoming the mogul challenge. The experience has invigorated them, leaving them craving for more as they continue their skiing escapades in the breathtaking landscape of New Hampshire.
Over the years, Maurer’s Flexible Flyer image was reused as a template to create several version for resorts across America. These include one for the Deer Trail Lodge at Heafford Junction in Wisconsin. Another version contains the details for the Inn Unique at Crawford Notch in New Hampshire. Others promote the Moose Head Hotel at Old Forge in New York, The Manor House at Kearsarge in New Hampshire and in the case of the poster on this listing Purity Spring Resort Ski School in East Madison also in New Hampshire.
Purity Spring Resort in East Madison, N.H.
Nestled in the picturesque White Mountains of New Hampshire, Purity Spring Resort in East Madison has offered a winter wonderland for ski enthusiasts of all ages and abilities since 1939. With its breathtaking natural surroundings and an array of ski amenities. Today, Purity Spring Resort has become a beloved destination for skiing enthusiasts seeking a memorable winter getaway.
The intruiging backstory of the Purity Spring Resort goes back to the late 1700s and is a story of endeavour and steadfast determination. It starts with a small community of people that cleared the land around Purity Lake to build the first homesteads. To facilitate the building of the houses, Nicholas Blaisdell, an attorney from Brooklyn, N.Y., and his wife, Martha Hood, set about building a wooden saw mill. By 1804, the mill had become a bustling center of activity, which in addition to cutting logs had expanded to grind corn, press cider and make roof shingles. Before long the small village of East Madison had grown to include a General Store, a school, a blacksmith, a cooper and a post office to service the growing number of homes.
Martha’s sister, Mercy Hood and her husband, Edward Eaton Hoyt would often visit the Blaisdell House for family get togethers and vacations. The couple and their four children were so enamoured with the beauty and tranquility of the area they purchased a nearby farmhouse called the Betsy Harmon Homestead. During his frequent visits to Purity Springs from New York City, began to see the valley and its resources as an possible business opportunity.
Knowing that most of his fellow New Yorkers were resigned to consuming foul-tasting water, Edward Sr. saw an opportunity, and he began bottling ‘Purity Natural Mineral Spring Water.’from a a pure vein of crystal clear water bubbling out of a natural spring near the mill. According to the Purity Spring website “The arrival of nearby rail service to the Silver Lake Depot in 1871, meant the bottled water could be transported by oxcart to the station, where it could then be shipped throughout New York City. In the early 1890s, Purity Spring Water, which had a reputation for containing quite amazing medicinal value, won accolades in both Boston and New York City. A 5-gallon jug cost $2.25 including shipping. In 1893, Edward registered the trademark ‘Purity’ with the U.S. Patent Office. Unfortunately, by 1900, increasing shipping costs and breakage loss caused the cessation of the ‘Purity Spring Bottling Company.’”
In the years following the Civil War, many rural families, frustrated with sustenance living, packed up and migrated out of the area. As people left their lakeshore homesteads, Edward Sr. bought up the property. Eventually, he owned much of the land around the lake, and he called it Purity Spring Farms. Edward Sr.’s holdings consisted of a collection of farms, the old Blaisdell Mill and the bottling company. When Edward Sr. died in 1903, it was Edward Jr. who inherited the valley lands and committed to living out his life on the property. He married Gertrude Keith, a local schoolteacher, in 1905, and had two children: Ellen Mercy Hoyt and Edward Milton “Milt” Hoyt. They moved their growing family into another beautiful old farmhouse across the road from the mill—which, today, is known as The Inn.
To make ends meet, the Hoyts began taking guests into their home. As well as taking in guests at ‘the Inn’, early guests stayed in platform tents right on the shore of the lake until they were replaced with bungalows. It was down to Edward Jr to manage the land and the operation of the mill. His wife, Gertrude managed what the couple called the Purity Spring Mountain Inn, presented as a “refuge for the weary” with activities, including swimming, hiking, croquet, archery, dances and marshmallow roasts.
With an ageing Edward Jr and the loss of his wife Gertrude to diabetes, control of the inn and the mill passed into the control of the next generation of Hoyt’s Ellen and Milt. The inn was flourishing up until the 1929 stock market crash which heralded the beginning of the Great Depression when business at the inn took a big hit. A lack of guests meant the Blaisdell Mill became the family’s only source of income. Although times were hard Milt and Ellen declined regular offers to sell the land remaining determined to keep Purity Spring in the family and maintain it as one of the last undeveloped lakes in New Hampshire.
The arrival of Mrs Maud Hersey to Purity Springs Mountain Inn in 1932 saw an upturn in the Hoyt’s fortunes. Maud rented a bungalow for herself and six students from the Moses Brown School with the intention of running an outdoor program for the boys that summer. Milt helped her to run the programme. In return, Mrs Hersey then helped Milt further his education, arranging for him to work at Moses Brown during the school year and eventually gain acceptance to Brown University. Milt’s summers were still dedicated to the valley, and he continued to run the camp program for boys from Moses Brown in 1933 and 1934.
Inspired by Maud’s outdoor programme. In 1934, Milt’s sister, Ellen, established the foundation of her own camp for girls at the Purity Spring Mountain Inn. She called the camp Wampineauk, an approximation of the Native’s word for “pure water.” In turn, Milt began to dream of opening his own summer camp for boys.
In June 1935, along with fellow student John Hanson, opened their own private camp. Initially known as Purity Spring Camp for Boys but by August the camp’s name was changed to Tohkomeupog, meaning “spring water.” The camp started with eleven boys staying for nine or ten weeks at a cost of up to $150. The camp was relocated to the Betsy Harmon Homestead, using the old farmhouse as a dining room and lodge, a barn with horse stalls as the boys’ facilities, and a screened cabin named Washington as the sleeping quarters. Milt and John co-directed the camp until 1939, when it reached about 25 campers. They then recruited fellow Brown students as staff, and Milt took sole ownership of Tohkomeupog.
During his time at Brown University, Milt enthusiastically introduced many people to the joys of skiing in East Madison during the winter weekends. In 1938, he cleared trees from a hill near the inn and built a rope tow powered by a Ford Model A engine. This innovative lift was the first of several that would transport skiers to higher elevations in the valley. In 1939, Milt established overnight ski camps for boys and girls during school vacation weeks. As the popularity of skiing grew, it revealed the potential for year-round business opportunities at the Inn. However, the business idea would be put on hold as Milt was offered and took up a teaching role in West Hartford, CT. The full-time position meant Milt would only be able to spend weekends and summers in the valley.
The intervention of World War II saw a significant change to summers at Tohkomeupog. The Purity Springs website explains the “with limited gasoline supply, hiking trips from camp took on a more adventurous tone. Tohkomeupog transformed into a bicycle camp, where campers explored the White Mountains on pedal power. Food became a precious resource, carefully distributed based on the ration stamps brought by campers. As part of a national mandate from 1942 to 1945, several of the camp’s sporting fields were converted into “Victory Gardens” to support the troops overseas, with wax beans being the main crop. Boys at the camp participated in hoeing activities in the early summer and bean picking in August, earning three cents per pound as compensation. In 1945, the camp proudly achieved a record harvest of eight tons of beans, which were transported to Fryeburg, ME.”
Over the next two decades, the business would experience tremendous growth. Milt and his wife, Fran shaped and shifted the property, creating much of what we know as Purity Spring Resort today. And their children were lucky enough to be the fourth generation of Hoyts to enjoy the pristine waters of Purity Lake. The camps in the 1950s and early 1960s offered thrilling adventures, including the renowned Western Tour, a 7-week expedition that took older boys and girls to explore the breathtaking National Parks. Waterskiing became a popular recreation craze during the summer, with campers joyfully gliding across Purity Lake with beaming smiles. The property also boasted tennis courts, sporting fields, and sandy beaches for campers to enjoy. In the winter, an increasing number of guests visited to ski the slopes of the mountain and stay overnight at the lodge.
Growing up spending summers at camp and learning to ski in the winters, the Hoyt children developed a deep appreciation and passion for the valley, following in their parents’ footsteps. Milt and Fran, driven by their desire to expand the business and support their children’s aspirations, formally opened King Pine Ski Area with three trails in 1962. Purity Spring Resort was opened in 1967.
Splitkein Flexible Flyer Skis
Splitkein Skis, the innovative and high-performance ski brand, traces its origins back to 1891 in Norway. It started with skilled ski-makers who were determined to replace the heavy hickory wood that was commonly used in skis at that time. Their goal was to create faster cross-country racing skis that would revolutionize the skiing industry.
Over the course of 45 years, these Norwegian craftsmen experimented with different materials and techniques to develop skis that were not only lighter but also more durable and efficient. Through relentless innovation and meticulous craftsmanship, they eventually perfected the art of laminating skis, creating multi-layered skis that were known for their exceptional performance on the snow.
By the mid-1930s, Splitkein Skis had emerged as a leading brand in the skiing world, with their high-performance skis gaining popularity among professional athletes and recreational skiers alike. Their innovative approach to ski-making, using multiple layers of carefully selected woods and other materials, set a new standard for the industry and paved the way for modern ski design.
Flexible Flyer was a renowned vintage ski brand that gained popularity during the golden age of skiing in the 1930s and 1940s. The brand was known for its innovative ski design, featuring a flexible core that provided enhanced performance capabilities on the slopes.
One of the key features of Flexible Flyer skis was their wooden construction, typically crafted from high-quality wood like hickory or ash. The flexible core allowed the skis to bend and adapt to the terrain, providing increased control, stability, and manoeuvrability. This unique design made Flexible Flyer skis a preferred choice among both recreational skiers and competitive athletes of the time.
In addition to their performance capabilities, Flexible Flyer skis were also known for their distinctive appearance. Many of these skis featured beautiful wooden finishes with intricate artwork or patterns, giving them a timeless and nostalgic charm.
Flexible Flyer skis were widely used in various skiing disciplines, including racing, jumping, and cross-country skiing. Skiers appreciated the unique combination of flexibility, stability, and control that these skis offered, allowing them to navigate the slopes with confidence and grace.
Although the brand is no longer in production, vintage Flexible Flyer skis are highly sought after by collectors and ski enthusiasts today. These skis serve as a testament to the innovative ski design of the past and the golden age of skiing, leaving a lasting legacy in the history of the sport.
