A COMET GLITTERING ACROSS THE NIGHT SKY ALAN SCHOENBERGER

accomplished skier, gymnast, figure skater and barrel jumper.

The idea of merging dance with skiing was always in the back of Schoenberger’s mind, and he found his first stage on the just-then emerging international freestyle circuit. With his mimecharacter “Puppet” and highly choreographed performances set to Johann Sebastian Bach rather than rock ’n’ roll, Schoenberger transformed ballet and defined the discipline for three seasons. He was hardly a one-trick pony: He also claimed second place in the combined (aerials, moguls and ballet) at the 1975 World Hot Dog Championships in Italy.

Another chance to perform came in 1975, when Schoenberger was hired to ski and dance on an early, primitive revolving carpet on the booming national ski show circuit.

COURTESY U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD HALL OF FAME

Alan Schoenberger’s path to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame—outdoors as a freestyle champion, then indoors as a matchless stage performer, instructor, educator and coach—was shaped first and foremost by his parents.

He inherited a love of dance from his mother, Eunice, a schoolteacher and dance aficionado. His father, Francis, was an IBM engineer and an

Thus began a never-ending quest to perfect the indoor revolving carpet, or ski bed. This exercise includes varying its pitch, roll, and speed; finding the ideal carpet type and color; aligning complex music scores and lighting; and even creating specialty skis.

There were notable supporters along the way— like Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak—whose early colleagues were able to coach Schoenberger on the basics of controlling his ski bed via computer.

His mom’s influence also emerged, and Schoenberger sought counsel from the famed Manhattan dancer and choreographer, Merce Cunningham. Her encouragement would lead to an