Colorado became home to Rudi at the age of six. He was born in Germany, and at 16 he was introduced to skiing. He became an instructor with the Colorado Ski School at the then "new" West Portal Ski Area, later to become Winter Park.

That same year he won his National Ski Patrol badge, and in 1942 he joined the 10th Mountain Division as a skiing and mountaineering instructor. In 1955 he and his family moved to Steamboat Springs to take over the skiing program as Manager of the Howelsen Hill Area, and was ski instructor of the junior competition program. Among those famous skiers he helped develop are Loris Werner, Jon Elliot, Jim "Moose" Barrows, Jere Elliot, Chris McNeil, Jeff Davis and Lonny Vanatta. In 1972-73 he was named by his fellow Professional Ski Instructors of America as "Instructor of the Year".