John Jay

Biography

John Jay (1915–2000) was a pioneering American ski filmmaker. He helped fashion the ski film into its modern form, and shared his unique style in travel adventure lectures, books, and magazine articles for over sixty years. Jay was an early promoter of skiing, and his films captured the growth of the sport from early rope tows to helicopter skiing.

He was commissioned by Williams College, the Canadian Pacific Railway, and Panagra airline to produce promotional films in the late 1930s. His first feature film was Ski the Americas, North and South (1940).

During World War II he served as meteorologist, photographer and public relations officer with the 87th Mountain Infantry Battalion at Fort...