Rudyard Kipling and skiing in Vermont

According to a story, about the WPA Vermont state guide in the New York Times today, evidently Mr. Kipling is credited with introducing skiing to Vermont, through the agency of skis originating with Arthur Conan Doyle. One of those literary bits of trivia that are rather unexpected.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/08/us/08vermont.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&th&adxnnl=1&emc=th&adxnnlx=1218197883-/nwFlSGY7b5mBZfPvT/wiA