Meet Snowshoe Thompson, The King of California Skiing

If you’ve ever walked through the village at Palisades in Lake Tahoe, you might have encountered a larger-than-life statue of a bearded man clad in pioneer’s trademark wide-brimmed hat and knee-high boots.

In one hand, he grips skis that look almost primitive with their long, narrow design and thin toe strap. In his other hand is a single pole, and a massive sack slung over his shoulder completes the rugged ensemble. While the statue may blend into the village scenery, the legacy of the man it honors is anything but ordinary.

Meet Snowshoe Thompson, the legendary king of California skiing.

John Albert Thompson was born in the Norwegian county of Telemark on 30 April, 1827. To the people of 19-century Telemark, skiing was a way of life. The farmers of the region navigated the snowy terrain on skis for both work and leisure, and legend goes that John was practically born with skis on his feet.

Thompson’s journey to the United States began in childhood, but it was not until 1851, at the age of 24, that he ventured west to California, joining his brother Thore. They settled in Placerville amidst the frenzy of the Gold Rush. Despite his efforts, John found little success in mining, and (like any great skier) turned to various odd jobs to make ends meet. But according to his acquaintance and unofficial biographer William Wright (Dan de Quille,) Thompson’s “eyes were always turned eastward toward the mountains - toward where the snow peaks glittered against the deep blue sky.”

Then came that fateful day in 1855 when Thompson signed up to work with George Chorpenning and his “Jackass Mail.” His assignment? Carry the mail over the Sierra Nevadas, from Placerville, California to Carson Valley, Nevada. Alone. In the dead of winter. What had been considered a perilous, nearly impossible job that took over a week, was accomplished by Thompson in just three days.

Thompson took his first run in January 1856, and the following winter he crossed the Sierra Nevada 31 times in all kinds of weather. The local papers reported that his mail bag weighed between 60 and 80 pounds per trip, and it is said that he packed lightly, prioritizing carrying as much mail as possible over personal items. According to the Chicago Weekly Post and Mail , Thompson didn’t carry blankets, and rested his head on a mailbag, sleeping in tree wells or under rocky outcrops. He favored a rocky cave along what is now Route 88, and which was subsequently named in his honor.

And he did it all on skis. Before applying to the Postal Service, Thompson had crafted his own pair of skis while cutting wood on his farm, recalling his childhood in Telemark. Though crude, his skis were incredibly effective, and soon his exploits were talked about across the state and eventually the nation. One Sacramento Union article in 1873 features a group of friends discussing our hero: “You ought to see Snowshoe Thompson… He is as tough as any old buffalo; hardy as a pine knot. I have seen Snowshoe Thompson come down that quicker than a squirrel could jump from a tree… Talk about your acrobats and flying trapeze!… Thompson on snowshoes is lightning!”

Thompson also became famous for his rescue missions . When pioneers became trapped in the treacherous mountain passes, the skiing Norwegian was called in: “We were half frozen when ‘Snowshoe’ found us… I’ve covered ground in a good many ways, from an elephant’s back in India and a jinrikisha in Japan to the fastest coach and eight (horses) in California. But that ride on the back of those snowshoes was the most exciting one I ever had in my life.”

Only once during his expeditions did Thompson Thompson chose to forgo carrying a gun to keep his pack light. However, during the winter of 1857, he was crossing through Hope Valley when he came across a pack of wolves. They lined up after spotting him and came within 25 yards. Thompson decided the best course of action was simply to continue skiing, acting as though he were not afraid. The wolves howled but let him pass.

Only once during his expeditions did Thompson admit to fear. Thompson chose to forgo carrying a gun to keep his pack light. However, during the winter of 1857, he was crossing through Hope Valley when he came across a pack of wolves. They lined up after spotting him and came within 25 yards. Thompson decided the best course of action was simply to continue skiing, acting as though he were not afraid. The wolves howled but let him pass.

Even after the opening of the railroads in California and across the continent, Thompson proved that skis could still outpace locomotives. When the mailman was traveling on the Union Pacific railroad in February 1872 , the train became stuck in the snow. Thompson, who had not brought his skis with him, quickly made another pair and left those on the train behind, traveling fifty miles on his first time. He arrived in Washington more than a week before the train he’d abandoned made it in. The article goes on to recount his speeds at skiing Silver Mountain in 1869, when he traveled 1400 feet in 15 seconds, 1700 feet in 22 seconds, and 2000 feet in 21 seconds: “These were not straight shoots, but were serpentine and amid rock.”

There is no clear answer as to why our hero was referred to as “Snowshoe” Thompson when he was very clearly skiing across the Sierra Nevadas. One theory is that most residents of California and Nevada had never seen skis before, as it was a distinctly Norwegian activity. However, they were familiar with snowshoes, used by Native Americans across North America. As such, he was dubbed “Snowshoe,” and the nickname stuck.

Thompson continued to deliver the mail across the Sierras until he died after only a short illness in May 1876 . Thompson never received payment for his work. He had never signed a contract with the US Postal Service, having signed on instead as a subcontract to George Chorpenning, who owned the mail contract between Placerville, CA and Salt Lake, Utah. As such, despite traveling to Washington DC to petition Congress for the $6,000 owed to him (roughly $175,000 today), he was never compensated. Because his death left his family destitute, it took nine years for his wife to raise his tombstone. He is buried next to his son, near to his farmstead, in Genoa, Nevada.

Rumors have swirled about the skiing pioneer since his death, including that he carried the first silver ore found in the Comstock Lode from Nevada to California in his mailbag, as well as contradictory accounts as to whether he “ never met or saw a grizzly bear, or bear of any kind, ” or stabbed a grizzly bear through the eye . It was also said that when blizzards struck him in the mountains, he would simply dance old Norwegian folk dances on the first flat rock he could find until the storm passed.

Friends described Thompson as “a most industrious, energetic, public spirited, and deserving man… his face wore that aspect of repose, and he had that calmness of manner, which are the result of perfect self-reliance, and feeling of confidence in the possession of the power to conquer… The most remarkable and most fearless of all our Pacific coast mountaineers was John A. Thompson.”

Snowshoe is still remembered as a skiing legend in both the Sierra Nevada and in his native country of Norway. The US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame included him in their Class of 1970 . Each year, Thompson is celebrated through Snowshoe Thompsons Minnerenn in Telemark and the Snowshoe Thompson Ski & Snowshoe Celebration in South Lake Tahoe. This year, History Expeditions retraced Thompson’s historic route from Placerville to Genoa, Nevada (see below).

So next time you see that statue in Palisades, remember Snowshoe Thompson—mailman, pioneer, and the unstoppable king of California's snowy peaks. His story is a testament to the spirit of adventure, resilience, and the indomitable human will to conquer the impossible.