In St. Anton, Austria, Hannes proved that all that was to be the ski industry was possible. There he started one of the world's first ski schools and ski shops, starred in some of the first ski movies ever made (which received considerable international attention and acclaim) , and developed his now famous Arlberg ski and ski teaching techniques. The effect of his many talents and activities raised the international profile of skiing, which in turn led to growing interest and participation in alpine skiing and culture throughout the world, particularly in America, where with his blessing some of his instructors were recruited to teach. With the Nazi takeover of their beloved Austria, Hannes, a staunch pro-Austrian nationalist, fled to the Americas. There he joined many of his self-proclaimed disciples, who were already teaching at, leading, and developing some of the Americas first ski resorts: Peckett's on Sugar Hill, as well as Black Mountian and Mt. Cranmore in New Hampshire, Stowe, Vermont, Mt. Baker, Mt. Hood, and Mt. Rainier in the Pacific Northwest, Sun Valley, Idaho, and Badger Pass, and the Sugar Bowl in California.
