He helped fashion the ski film into its modern form, and shared his unique style in travel adventure lectures, books, and magazine articles for over sixty years.
John Jay was born December 11, 1915, in New York City, the son of a business executive.
He was commissioned by Williams College, the Canadian Pacific Railway, and Panagra airline to produce promotional films in the late 1930s.
[2] During World War II he served as meteorologist, photographer and public relations officer with the 87th Mountain Infantry Battalion at Fort Lewis, Washington and later the 10th Mountain Division where he made training and recruiting films and evaluated equipment for winter warfare.
His 1952 film, Alpine Safari, was nominated for an Oscar in the short-subject category and later became a Warner Bros. release under the title Winter Paradise.