Ernie Blake (1913 – January 14, 1989), originally Ernst Hermann Bloch, was the founder, together with his wife Rhoda, of

Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico Taos Ski Valley is a village and alpine ski resort in the southwestern United States, located in Taos County, New Mexico. The population was 69 at the 2010 census. Until March 19, 2008, it was one of four ski resorts in America to prohibit sn ...

. He was born in Germany, grew up in Switzerland and went to university in Germany and Switzerland before emigrating to the US in 1938. He worked for

US military intelligence The Military Intelligence Corps is the intelligence branch of the United States Army. The primary mission of military intelligence in the United States Army is to provide timely, relevant, accurate, and synchronized intelligence and electronic ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, when he assisted in the interrogation of the leading Nazis

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...

and

Albert Speer Berthold Konrad Hermann Albert Speer (; ; 19 March 1905 – 1 September 1981) was a German architect who served as the Minister of Armaments and War Production in Nazi Germany during most of World War II. A close ally of Adolf Hitler, he ...

. His code name was ''Ernie Blake'', and after the war, he chose it as his real name. Always a keen skier, he met his future wife Rhoda whilst skiing in Vermont, and followed her to

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...

, where she was studying art. He was helping to run other ski areas and flying a small plane between them, when he spotted what was to become Taos Ski Valley.

Early life

Blake was born Ernst Hermann Bloch in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

, Germany, in 1913, the son of Jenny (née Guggenheim), a Swiss mother and Adolph, a German father, who was an industrialist, and produced the raw material used to make felt hats. Ernst was a keen skater, and his mother introduced him to skiing. He grew up close to the Swiss ski resort of

St Moritz St. Moritz (also german: Sankt Moritz, rm, , it, San Maurizio, french: Saint-Moritz) is a high Alpine resort town in the Engadine in Switzerland, at an elevation of about above sea level. It is Upper Engadine's major town and a municipality in ...

, and went to boarding school at the

Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz is an international boarding school in Zuoz, near St.Moritz in Switzerland. Founded in 1904, it is located in the upper part of the alpine village in the area of Surmulins. There are around 300 pupils, including 220 in the bo ...

Zuoz Zuoz () is a municipality in the Maloja Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. History Zuoz is first mentioned about 840 as ''Zuzes''. Historically, Zuoz was the political center of the upper Engadin. It was the seat of the local bishop. Bu ...

, followed by a degree in history at the University of Frankfurt.

Emigration to the US and World War II

In 1938, he emigrated to the United States. During

, he became a lieutenant in the United States army in

military intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist commanders in their decisions. This aim is achieved by providing an assessment of data from a ...

. He served in the

European theatre The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and ending with the ...

, where he assisted in the interrogation of the leading Nazis

and

.''Ernie Blake'' was his code name during the war, and afterwards he chose it as his real name.

Ski career

In December 1940 Blake met Rhoda Limburg at the top of a chairlift on

Mount Mansfield Mount Mansfield is the highest mountain in Vermont with a summit that peaks at above sea level. The summit is located within the town of Underhill, Vermont, Underhill in Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County; the ridgeline, including som ...

Stowe, Vermont Stowe is a town in Lamoille County, Vermont, United States. The population was 5,223 at the 2020 census. The town lies on Vermont Routes 108 and 100. It is nicknamed "The Ski Capital of the East" and is home to Stowe Mountain Resort, a ski faci ...

. He followed her to

, where she was studying art. They decided to marry in summer 1941. They had three children, Peter, Wendy and Mickey. By 1949, they had settled in Santa Fe. Blake was helping to run the Santa Fe ski area and the Glenwood Springs ski area in Colorado, traveling between them in a small plane he flew himself. As a result, he noticed the remote mountains 20 miles northeast of

Taos Taos or TAOS may refer to: Places * Taos, Missouri, a city in Cole County, Missouri, United States * Taos County, New Mexico, United States ** Taos, New Mexico, a city, the county seat of Taos County, New Mexico *** Taos art colony, an art colo ...

and decided to start a ski area there. Blake was inducted into the US Ski Hall of Fame in 1987.

Death

Blake died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

on January 14, 1989.

Legacy

In December 2013, the hedge fund billionaire

Louis Bacon Louis Moore Bacon (born July 25, 1956) is an American investor, hedge fund manager, and philanthropist. He is the founder and chief executive of Moore Capital Management. ''Forbes Magazine'' estimates his net worth to be US$1.81 billion, mak ...

purchased Taos Ski Valley from the Blake family.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Ernie 1913 births 1989 deaths People from Frankfurt People from Hesse-Nassau People from Taos, New Mexico Goethe University Frankfurt alumni Businesspeople from New Mexico German people of Swiss descent American people of German-Jewish descent United States Army personnel of World War II German emigrants to the United States United States Army officers 20th-century American businesspeople