2004 Ski Hall of Fame

Unlike her partner and mate Ernie, Rhoda was a mechanical whiz, having served as a wartime mechanic at the Alameda Naval Air Station. She attached bindings on the early Head skis and filled the holes on the tips of surplus U.S. Army skis so they could be repainted and used as rentals. She became Taos’s explosives expert for blasting stumps and rocks. An accomplished driver (Ernie was notoriously unreliable as a chauffeur), she did much of the on-mountain driving and taught their children to drive.

While Ernie was off promoting Taos and New Mexico skiing, Rhoda set up their rental and retail shops and operated that side of the business for many years. On the mountain, she laid out many of the early roads and trails and was instrumental over the years in making Taos Ski Valley a legendary ski area. Rhoda was inducted into the New Mexico Ski Hall of Fame as an Honorary Member in 2004. Rhoda passed away in 2015.