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The name ‘Minty Clinch’, although unique and memorable, is probably not that well known to the general skiing and boarding fraternity in the UK… But it should be. Minty, who died last week at the age of 83, was an indomitable, one-of-a-kind legend in her own lunchtime.
The enormous number of magazine features and newspaper articles she has produced for national newspapers and specialist magazines during the last 50+ years has helped promote skiing to a wider British audience, much of it before most of today’s ski writers were even born.
One of her last published features described how she had recently returned to Verbier, 50 years after first skiing there.
She described how, in 1965, she drove up the 14 bends, from the floor of the Val des Bagnes to Verbier, in her two-tone Triumph Herald. Hardly anyone from the UK had heard of the Swiss ski area in those days, and it was still mainly dirt tracks and farm buildings – a stark contrast to the luxury hotels and chalets you’ll find there today, plus the 410kms of piste visitors now have access to.
She was also the driving force behind the ‘Silver Vixen’ blog, which featured amusing and insightful coverage of her travels, outdoor experiences, and post-middle-aged life. On the blog, she introduces herself as ‘A global gypsy’.
Minty, who was born in 1942, found her way into mainstream journalism through the world of cinema. She travelled to many different countries, visiting film festivals as part of her role as Film Critic for OK magazine.
And if you read the credits at the end of the 1987 cult film classic ‘Rita, Sue and Bob too’, you will spot the name Minty Clinch under the heading of publicity.
In later life, Minty’s expertise in the world of cinema resulted in her producing several biographies in the 80s and 90s about film stars such as Burt Lancaster, Harrison Ford, Clint Eastwood, and Robert Redford – the latter two both being keen skiers.
There is a tale about when Minty first met Harrison Ford. This story may have been embellished a little over the years, but it went something like this.
Minty’s height, deep voice, and deadpan delivery when telling a story made her an imposing and distinctive character. Harrison Ford agreed to meet her for lunch to talk about his life and when she arrived at the agreed restaurant rendezvous, the Maître D showed Minty to Ford’s table.
Harrison Ford, looked up, saw Minty, and uttered an expletive (the nature of which seems to depend on who is telling the story). Minty looked down at him and in her deep, deadpan voice replied: “Not quite what you were expecting Mr Ford?”.
Everyone who met her has their own Minty story, and there has already been a flood of tributes about her, particularly from the world of ski, golf, travel writing, plus a lot more besides.
Pat Zimmer, who founded Top Ski, the off-piste specialist ski school in Val d’Isere, recalls: “Minty and a group of journalists came to Top Ski to meet us in the late 1970s at our office in Val d’Isère. From there, a true friendship started. We shared some wonderful ski runs and memorable golf games. We count ourselves lucky to have met her. Minty will remain in our memories.”
I have many of my own favourite tales, particularly from when Minty and I skied together, but to relate them would take an eternity.
Therefore, for now, here is a memorable photo involving Minty from a Franz Klammer press trip to Austria more than 30 years ago featuring several UK ski writers, including myself. I have posted this image a few times before, but on this occasion it is tinged with sadness because Minty (top left) is the fourth person in this photograph to have left us – the others being Nigel Lloyd, Rob Freeman, and David Allsop, all good friends of Minty.
Away from skiing, I played golf with Minty at home and abroad many times. She was also a keen horse rider – she took part in, and wrote a feature about, the world’s toughest horse race in the high Andes – and in the last few years she discovered croquet to which, by her own admission, she was becoming addicted.
In one of those small world stories, one of Minty’s best friends (who died a few years ago), lived near my hometown in Kent. Minty visited so often she became a member of the local Bridge Club – she was the author of the book ‘Bluffers Guide to Bridge’.
Minty always let me know when she was in town, and we would get together for a catch-up. A few weeks before her death, she was in the area with her beloved pet dog Alfred to take part in a local village dog show.
I had some wonderful times playing golf and skiing with Minty, but when we met up during her visits to Kent, when neither of us had our ‘journo’ hats on, we could relax and laugh over a drink like old friends.
It was on these occasions that I felt I experienced the real Minty Clinch – a kind and warm-hearted force of nature, and a real character, the type of which we rarely see in travel writing circles anymore.
Farewell Minty – and thanks for the memories.
