Meeting Famous People At Tahoe Mountain Resorts

Recently, I was skiing with a friend at Heavenly when we spotted famed actor Cliff Robertson in the cable car line.

"How much fun is it meeting famous people as a reporter for Resort Sports Network?" my friend asked me. "It must be so interesting and inspiring."

My advice to friends is to take up any hobby except meeting famous people. There is nothing more dispiriting than meeting famous people, for almost all famous people hate to be met. Take it from me.

Marilyn Chambers, well-known adult film actress, explained this to me a few years back when she chased me away from her in a lift line at Squaw Valley by swinging her ski pole at my head. After that incident I resolved never to meet any famous people again, but unfortunately I failed to inherit any of the great wealth of the American robber barons so I went to work as a ski journalist. Soon, I was meeting famous people by the score. One of the first was Glenn Close, starlet of blockbuster films such as "The Big Chill" and "Fatal Attraction."

Naturally, being the sharp reporter, when I saw her at Northstar I had to corner her. My first question was simple. "Ms. Close, did your parents name you Glen because they always wanted a boy?"

I was fortunate in meeting her so early in my career, for the experience steeled me for the thousands of meetings I was destined to have with famous people.

I learned how to deal with famous ingrates. Let them know I have met people far more famous than they are. Don't let them think they impress you. That is the trick.

Illustration: You run into Arnold Schwarzenegger at some celebrity classic. Of course he hates to be met, but assume he's trapped next to you in a lift line. What do you say?

There are three possibilities.1) "Excuse me, your face is so familiar. I just know I've seen you in the movies. Are you Chuck Norris?" 2) "Bless my soul, it's Arnold Schwarzenegger. You meet the darndest people in lift lines. That's where I met Clint Eastwood. Now, there's a real actor." 3) "Pardon me, Mr. Schwarzenegger, but knowing you don't like being met, I want to assure you I have no interest in meeting you. After you've met Marilyn Chambers, Glenn Close, and Cliff Robertson like I have, everybody else is kind of second fiddle."

Sometimes it's fun to think how wonderful it would be if one met enough famous people to the point that one eventually stopped meeting them and instead started being met by people like oneself. It takes all kinds to maintain a famous people supply at Sierra Nevada resorts.