David Hubert Douglas was a carpenter by trade who, during the Great Depression, found work at the Château Montebello, a hotel and resort complex in Quebec, Canada. In addition, he participated in the laying and crafting of signs to mark ski trails in what was to become the Gatineau Park. He also built the first ski lift in the Ottawa region, on the Slalom Hill at Camp Fortune, and later constructed and operated another at Dome Hill in Gatineau, while his brother-in-law ran the local lodge. His passion for skiing, however, also extended into participating in the sport. Skiing out of the Ottawa Ski Club, he placed third in the 32 mile cross-country race at the Canadian trials prior to the 1932 Winter Olympics and had earlier won a Canadian national championship. At the Games he entered the 50km cross-country event, but did not finish, owing to the poor condition of the run. He later developed a breakaway skiing pole that was used at the 1938 Canadian Championships, but was quickly banned as it changed the dynamics of the course. Similar poles, however, have been in constant use since the 1980s.
Canada