Class of 2021
Innovator and Leader in West Virginia Snow Sports
Military - Service in the Military Pertaining to Skiing or Snow Sports
Organizers/Leaders - Club, Council, Federation, Associations
Ed Filler
Edward Stephen "Ed" Filler became a skier during World War II, came back to Thomas West Virginia with the peace and settled down to run the local telephone company. However, he still loved to ski and was anxious to share that love with others and interest them in what was to become a growing sport.
Battles in cold climates and the mountainous regions of Europe were frequent during the early years of World War II, and it was determined that America needed to establish troops specially trained in winter and mountain warfare. Thus, the Tenth Mountain Division was established as an elite unit for skiing and mountain fighting. Ed became a proficient skier and mountaineer as a member of the famed 10th Mountain Army Division, training at Camp Hale’s Mountain Training Center near Leadville, Colorado, and at Seneca Rocks, West Virginia. Lieutenant Filler fought at Riva Ridge in Italy’s Apennine Range, considered the most famous battle for the 10th mountain unit.
In the early 1950s, Ed Filler was one of the initial group of folks to explore leasing the Cabin Mountain area to develop a ski slope. It was truly a collaborative effort between local residents and members of the Ski Club of Washington DC (SCWDC). In addition to a more formal administrative role, Ed pitched in to help on an informal basis. For example, as president and co-owner of the West Virginia Telephone Company, Ed provided volunteers and ski rope tow poles to assist in the endeavor. Of course, there were the fun times of being out on the ski slope whenever possible, meeting people to get them interested in the sport, providing informal ski instruction, and meeting with governmental officials and quasi-governmental organizations to get official recognition for the efforts of the "Cabin Mountain Group”.
The 50th Anniversary Collectors Edition of the SCWDC cites a couple of instances where Ed contributed to these efforts. At the second annual Winter Carnival in 1956, Weiss Knob Ski Area owner Bob Barton introduced speakers Ed Filler along with Art Kurle of the SCWDC, Tom Craig of the Elkins WV Chamber of Commerce, and Carl Johnson, director of the West Virginia Conservation Commission.
In 1957, Ed, in his capacity as a representative of the Upper Monongahela Valley Association was present at the Charleston WV state capitol when Governor Cecil Underwood proclaimed January 28-February 3 of that year as Ski Week in West Virginia.
Ed took a lot of pleasure in seeing people enjoying a sport that he loved as well. He also derived satisfaction in knowing that a growing interest in skiing was to become a source of revenue for the area.