Industry News
On April 21st the ski community of Crystal Mountain, MI came together to celebrate the memory of a dedicated skier who’s passing this February left behind a myriad of enthusiastic life inspiration and incredible memories, reports Nastar.com.
The community gathered at the base area of Cheers for an on-slope honoring of the late Lou Batori who passed away at age 107. Stories will be shared, toasts will be made and memorabilia will be displayed. The slope will be renamed in his honor, “Cheers to Lou.”
Lou spent almost a century on skis and started competing with NASTAR early on. With each new decade, after he turned 80 years old, Lou would petition to create new age groups. In the past, NASTAR age categories only went up to 80 plus but not if Lou had anything to say about it.
“When Lou turned 90 he called me and said that we should create another age group for 90 plus,” said Madsen. “I was happy to abide. When he turned 95, he called again asking to create another age category and when Lou celebrated his 100th birthday, my phone rang again and once more when he turned 105. He was always such a gentleman and so friendly. It was a pleasure to have him involved with the NASTAR program.”
Having learned to ski as a child on homemade wooden skis in Europe, Mr. Batori is believed to have been a skier for almost 100 years.
“He’s just a genuinely great person and an inspiration. To be as active as he is for as long as he has been, it’s an amazing thing to behold. He’s just a genuinely nice person to be around,” said Brian Lawson, director of public relations at Crystal Mountain in February.
When asked about his longevity in a TV interview in 2011 Lou said the key is a good wife, only drinking the best quality liquor and picking your parents carefully.
“Waiting to be carted away is a stupid waste of life,” he said in July of 2015. “You can replace anything – your shoes, your house, your belongings. But you cannot replace time…so make the best of it.”
