Santa is a star of the slopes

Published 1:17 pm Thursday, December 24, 2009

STEVENS PASS — Chances are, if you’ve visited Stevens Pass around the holidays, you’ve seen him.

He’s got the beard, the belly and the twinkling blue eyes.

He wears a red suit made from Gortex and grips candy-cane striped poles.

All that’s missing is the sleigh, and this Santa doesn’t need it.

He’s an ace on skis.

Santa — otherwise known as Don Bryant — has been swooshing down the slopes at Stevens Pass Ski Resort for 15 years.

His repertoire of Christmas songs, whistled effortlessly as he zooms down the mountain, has earned him the nickname the Whistling Santa.

“I think the only reason they still believe in Santa Claus is because we see him in the RV lot every year,” said Mike Clark, a father of a 7- and 9-year-old from Granite Falls.

The sight of skiing Santa in his red suit is a part of the holiday season for this and other families.

Santa makes his first appearance Dec. 1 and skis nearly every morning until Christmas. He arrives before the lifts start so he can give out candy canes and wish “Merry Christmas.”

Santa is an expert-level skier who used to love tackling the toughest double-diamond runs — before he lost vision in one eye. He may no longer hit the moguls, but Santa’s got skills.

He adeptly zips down the mountain whistling “White Christmas,” “Silver Bells” or “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

On the slopes, reactions vary.

Children stare after him open-mouthed or yell “Santa!” Some kids — and adults — want their picture with him. Sometimes, the little skiers just fall over in surprise.

Wednesday, Jessica Clark, 9, spotted him and tried her best to catch up. Instead, she lost control and nearly collided with Santa. “Sorry I cut you off Santa!” she told him at the bottom of the mountain.

Santa didn’t mind.

“I do this because I enjoy it,” he said. “The smiles, the reaction — this makes people happy. It’s rewarding.”

If you’re wondering, Stevens Pass isn’t paying him. He has no affiliation with the resort.

Bryant, 71, started donning the red suit when his daughter suggested he’d make a great skiing Santa. He’d been skiing at Stevens Pass much longer — since age 9 in 1947, when his aunt introduced him to the sport. He started whistling in the ’60s when another skier told him he needed a little more rhythm.

He lived in Kirkland and worked at Boeing for more than 30 years in quality control. His family spent many weekends camped out in the RV lot at Stevens Pass.

Santa now drives a Prius and stays in a log cabin near the mountain with Carolann Bryant, whom he refers to as Mrs. Claus.

Santa cares a lot about the mountain, and can be prickly if, for instance, he thinks the guy manning the lift isn’t doing a good enough job cleaning off the chairs.

At first, Stevens Pass bought his lift ticket and even helped find him his first suit — made of corduroy.

Times and management at Stevens Pass changed, and Bryant now pays his own way. More accurately, his sponsors pick up the costs. Yes, that’s right, Santa has sponsors, including ski gear makers Volkl and Tecnica.

They pay for his lift ticket and the thousands of candy canes he hands out each December.

“He makes a great Santa,” said sponsor Patrick Otter of Otter Insurance Agency in Lynnwood. “He’s always been a great advocate for children.”

Otter has known Bryant for 40 years, since he was a little guy on skis. Bryant taught dozens of children how to ski through the decades.

Kids just seem to love him, Otter said.

“Everybody needs a little Santa.”

Debra Smith: 425-339-3197, dsmith@heraldnet.com.

A chat with Santa Claus

Q: How do you have time to ski with all those lists to check and elves to oversee?

A: The head elf does a wonderful job. Santa just has to get there in time and the head elf has the list waiting for me. Mrs. Claus is a huge help. She makes cookies for the elves and today she made some fudge for Santa.

Q: Is it hard keeping the belly with all that skiing?

A: Santa doesn’t burn calories like he used to. Santa probably needs to lose a few pounds.

Q: Are there chair lifts at the North Pole?

A: No chair lifts; that’s why I go to Stevens.

Q: Have you ever considered snowboarding?

A: No, Santa thought about it … it would probably be dangerous for Santa.

Q: Which is faster: sleigh or high-speed quad?

A: Sleigh!