Ronald Jay LeMaster

Ronald Jay LeMaster, writer, photographer, coach, and educator, was killed on at Eldora Mountain's Windmill run when he was suddenly struck from behind. Ron was born in Denver, August 27, 1949, to Burt and Betty LeMaster and always a curious little boy, he remained that way throughout his life. He broke his leg the first time he went skiing at 7 years old, but the experience clearly in no way daunted his enthusiasm for the sport since he was back on the snow as soon as he healed. Ron attended schools in the Cherry Creek district in Denver, but when the family moved for a short while to Chicago he attended school from the eighth grade until he graduated from Highland Park High School just one year behind his sister, Kathy. While attending High School he played guitar with 3 other boys in a band. They dubbed themselves Crazy Charlie, Spastic Steve, Dingle Dave, and Wretched Ron. "The Lynx", as they called themselves, would play for many of the school dances; Ron confessed that he was too shy to ask a girl on a date to the dance but he got to attend the activity by playing in the band. Ron started his college career at CU in the basic Freshman and Sophomore courses, but his heart was not in school. He did race on CU's ski team, which worked to amplify his craving for being on the mountain, so away he went to Aspen where he was hired by Curt Chase as an instructor at Buttermilk Mountain. Ron respected Curt as a fine boss and a great mentor - was a person who analyzed skiing and developed many unique ideas when it came to teaching the sport. They became dear friends with each other, and their families remain close to this day. Being in Aspen gave Ron the opportunity he desired of being on the snow every day of the season while also improving his own skiing skills by participating in the clinics required by the Aspen Ski School. At some point, a man named Sim Thomas, who at the time was coaching the Aspen Ski Racing Club, reached out to Curt Chase looking for another coach. Curt recommended Ron, explaining how he was quite interested in the Mechanics and Physics of skiing - particularly in the "turn", so Ron was hired as a racing coach. He loved the community he grew there and became lifelong friends with many families in Aspen through the kids in his racing program. In the summers while in Aspen, Ron took tourists on raft rides through Glenwood Canyon and while being on the river he developed a love for kayaking and fishing. He also worked in the kitchen of a restaurant as a breakfast cook, but he mostly survived eating the trout he caught, freezing many of them to last through the winters. Later in life, Ron would never order trout for dinner. After seven years in the mountains working on his own skills in skiing and making many friends, he was ready to return to CU. Arriving in Boulder, he resumed his studies in Mechanical Engineering. He was hired as a Ski Racing Coach for the CU "B" team and also decided to apply his guitar skills by taking some music courses so he could "meet some women". His skills on guitar carried over to playing in the #1 Jazz Band at CU where he met his wife, Melodee "Dee" Barrows while she was doing graduate work in Instrumental Music Education. Ron told himself right then and there that she was the "gal for me." Ron and Dee were both set to graduate in the spring of 1979 and got married quickly after on June 16th the same year. They took their vows in Dee's hometown of Pueblo, Colorado and began their life together. They moved to Rochester MN where Ron received offer from IBM, and while working there he managed to finish his Master's Degree in Computer Science, and also coach the Rochester ski club. His wife Dee was able to talk Ron into sharing his guitar skills in her orchestra for the Rochester Theatre Musicals during their time in Minnesota, as well as partake in some singing telegrams dressed as a bumble bee or occasionally a gorilla for her company that she ran with her friend. Its's also in Minnesota where his daughter Alexis Jean was born, on June 11, 1981. Ron and Dee followed his employment with IBM to New York for several years, where they were both able to teach skiing, but returned to Colorado as soon as the opportunity presented itself since both of their families were there. Ron worked at IBM in North Boulder, and Dee started working teaching band in Lyons and later in Boulder. Both Dee and Ron also started teaching skiing at Copper Mountain on the weekends, and Ron would carry on to teach at Beaver Creek, and continue to grow his reputation in the ski industry as a private instructor. He began developing educational clinics on skiing mechanics and technique that would incorporate images to assist in his explanations, and his ability to explain and educate did not go unnoticed. He wrote his first book, "Skiing, the Nuts and Bolts" in 1996, and it quickly became recognized as a valuable tool for ski instructors all over the country. A good portion of his writing was centered around his incredible photography of professional racers. Ron became a prolific writer on the topic of skiing mechanics and education and wrote many articles for multiple ski publications. He also published several books on the topic; "The Skier's Edge" in 1999, "The Essential Guide to Skiing" in 2004, and "Ultimate Skiing" in 2010. He developed a reputation as an expert in technique and analysis in ski racing, and took great pride in being invited to travel and assist with the US ski team on several occasions. He was extremely excited to be taking pictures of the races and to talk to the coaches and skiers. He enjoyed talking to anyone who was interested in skiing or ski racing and his final contribution to the ski industry is his participation in the publication of "the Young Skiers Guide - Fundamentals of Ski Racing", where his images are the prominent feature throughout the book. When Ron wasn't skiing, he could be found either on his bicycle on the trails and canyons of Boulder, or at home with his wife that he cherished like no other. He was in incredible friend, father, and husband, and is greatly missed. Friends in our community have arranged for a gathering to celebrate Ron's life on Thursday, May 19th from 6-8 pm at the Byron White Club on the top level (5) of the football stadium on the east side, and there is a parking garage just to the North. All are welcome to come enjoy the spirit of Ron LeMaster.