Lynn DeBruinBilly Kidd won a silver medal in 1964 and still loves getting on the slopes.

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. -- Woolen hats, leather boots and wood skis were the latest technology when Billy Kidd won silver at the 1964 Olympic Winter Games, giving the U.S. men their first-ever alpine medal.

Though the equipment has changed dramatically since that heroic effort, the Kidd who made history by proving an American could triumph over his seemingly invincible European counterparts remains a fixture on the slopes more than 45 years later.

Now 66, the man who dreamt of being a cowboy as a boy, and displayed a go-for-broke style on the slopes, continues to fit right in at this authentic, historic cowboy town, even if he's swapped a helmet for his trademark Stetson on the slopes.

About 100 days a year, the longtime director of skiing at Steamboat Ski Resort steps off the gondola and leads a free, hour-long clinic for anybody and everybody who shows up.

It's readily apparent he still has the form and personality that made him a racing icon, and one of his sport's greatest ambassadors.

One recent, sun-splashed Friday, he led an eclectic group down the blue groomer Heavenly Daze, his students ranging from a 5-year-old Lindsey Vonn wannabe to a 66-year-old Jacksonville, Fla., ski club member.

"It's like riding a bicycle," said Hal Curette of Jacksonville. "You never lose the ability to ski; it just comes slower as you get older."

Even though he's the same age as Kidd, Curette wasn't interested in racing the former Olympian down the mountain.

"I don't think so, unless I want to come in second," he said.

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