It's All Downhill: The spy who loved to ski

[View web version]( [It's All Downhill] Friday, May 26 [Follow Matt Pepin]( [Roger Moore was the skiing James Bond](#) The skier I am is a middle-aged dad who likes to cruise at a pretty good clip and generally skis first chair to last. The skier I always wanted to be is James Bond. I can hear the snickering now - a guy who wishes he were James Bond, who would've thunk it? But in this case it's not just any Bond, it's specifically the James Bond played by Roger Moore, who was the skiing James Bond. Sure, there were ski scenes in other Bond movies, but nobody did it better than Moore. And sure, Moore's actual skiing in those scenes was probably limited to just a few push-offs and stops, but he was nonetheless the face of Bond for the most movies with ski scenes, and in at least two cases they are often considered among the best. Moore, who died this week at age 89, had three ski scenes - "The Spy Who Loved Me," "For Your Eyes Only," and "A View to a Kill" (which also features a snowboarding Bond). [bond_600] George Lazenby had one in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" that is often ranked the best. Pierce Brosnan had one in "The World is Not Enough" in which the epic landscape is rivaled only by Brosnan's epic hair, shades, and ski suit. Timothy Dalton kinda sorta had one in "The Living Daylights" although it's really more like Bond eluding some skiing bad guys in a sled made from a cello case. With Moore, however, skiing truly became a regular event in Bond movies, as easily accepted as gadgets, girls, and guns. Lazenby's was the first Bond ski scene, but then came Moore's three, and he set the bar. How high did he set it? Let's count just a few of the ways (click the links to watch the scenes): [In "The Spy Who Loved Me":]( -- Of course he brought a backpack with a parachute inside for his dramatic escape because who wouldn't? -- Has anyone ever looked better in a yellow one-piece snowsuit? -- He skis backward to fire his ski pole rifle, then does a flip/twist off a ledge to get back on track and take out another bad guy. [In "For Your Eyes Only":]( -- He skis down a bobsled track. Savage. -- He's game for launching off a ski jump - the real, Olympic kind - using a pair of regular downhill skis, and savvy enough to take out a pair of bad guys immediately upon landing. -- He has the vision to lodge a pole between two trees to clothesline a pursuer on a motorcycle. -- He rejects the advances of the young and pretty Bibi Dahl in favor of hitting the slopes. [In "A View to a Kill":]( -- He not only transitions seamlessly from skiing to snowboarding, but he also skims a pond and does a backside mute grab 180 (or something like that) to take out a villain. -- He skis fast enough to catch an enemy on a snowmobile. It makes sense that Moore's Bond would do what he did on skis because Moore sold it so well. He made Bond seem at ease in the mountains, probably at least partly due to Moore's own affection for the sport . He gave Bond slope style, daring bravado, and athletic credibility. He made Bond a skier. THE LAST RUNS: Shawnee Peak in Maine [posted a great video on Facebook]( on May 5 of a local skier making the most out of what snow there was left at the mountain. Meanwhile, two Vermont ski areas will offer on-snow activities this weekend. Okemo has enough snow left in The Zone to hold its Drive-By Rail Jam on Sunday. [Details are on Okemo's website](. At mighty Killington, the Superstar trail remains open and Sunday will be Day 200 of operation for the 2016-17 season. Superstar will be open for all three days of the Memorial Day weekend, then Killington is also hoping to open on June 1 "if the snow is schussable," according to the area's newsletter. SUMMER ON THE SLOPES: Many ski areas have embraced the notion of offering year-around activities, from mountain biking to zip lines and more. Ski Vermont posted [an excellent guide to hiking at ski areas in the Green Mountains]( while Ski New Hampshire has [a great guide to summer activities at ski areas in the Granite State](. THIS IS GREAT: The Portland Press Herald, Kennebec Journal, and Morning Sentinel newspapers in Maine recently honored their high school athletes of the year. But instead of your standard-issue trophy or plaque, [the winners receive a custom Winterstick snowboard]( a very cool way to make the honor a lot more meaningful. GO GET 'EM: The US ski team [announced the rosters for its 2017-18 teams]( and several with New England connections made the cut. Ryan Cochran-Siegle and Nolan Kasper of Vermont made the men's B team, while Alice Merryweather of Massachusetts made the women's B team ([read all about Alice in a profile I wrote on her in March](. The men's C team includes Drew Duffy of Vermont, Nick Krause of Massachusetts, George Steffey of New Hampshire, and Sam Morse of Maine. WHO KNEW? Turns out Jacques Pepin, the famous chef, is quite a skier, and apparently used to work as a ski instructor. His wife, Gloria, tells a humorous tale of how they met on the on the slopes [in a video post on Eater's website](. (For the record, the answer is no, I am not related). [Like It's All Downhill? Tell a friend to subscribe](. [Sign up for more Boston Globe newsletters](. About This Email You received this message because you signed up for the It's All Downhill newsletter. To automatically unsubscribe, [please click here.]( If you wish to unsubscribe from all BostonGlobe.com newsletters, [please click here.]( Please note: this will unsubscribe you from the newsletters only. If you wish to cancel your BostonGlobe.com subscription, please call 1-888-MY-GLOBE (1-888-694-5623). [Manage Your Account]( | [Terms of Service]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Help Center]( | [Advertise](mailto:mbentley@globe.com?subject=Advertising in BostonGlobe.com) Address: The Boston Globe 135 Morrissey Blvd. Boston, MA 02125 ©Copyright 2017 Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC