Tom grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. He didn’t get his first taste of skiing until he attended the University of Denver, skiing on their ski team. In 1959, Tom became the Director of the Eskimo Ski Club. The Eskimo program has introduced more children to skiing than any other program in Colorado. Along with his wife Katie, he has worked with the Eskimos for more than 40 years introducing thousands of children to skiing.
Read More
Member Type: Inspiration
During World War II, Pete trained with the 10th Mountain Division and suffered a devastating leg wound. After 17 months in Army hospitals, he returned to skiing and qualified for the 1950 US Alpine Ski Team. His lifelong dream to develop and own a major ski resort came true when he discovered Vail Mountain in 1957. He built the Vail Ski Resort in 1962 and served as the first president of Vail Associates.
Read More
During World War II, Bob trained at Camp Hale and served with the 87th Mountain Regiment. After service, he joined Ski Magazine and was editor from 1956 to 1962. In 1962, he became Publicity Director for Vail Associates and later Senior Vice President of Operations. He helped create Colorado Ski Country USA and Ski the Rockies. As chairman of Vail’s Centennial – Bicentennial Committee, he was a principle founder of the Colorado Ski Museum.
Read More
Hugh, a former Colonel in the U.S. Air Force, has enriched the lives of thousands of blind people. In 1975, Hugh developed the non-profit Colorado Ski School for the Blind. He developed the vital blind skiing technique that has sustained the program ever since. His skiers range from ages 4 to 72. Starting with only three children, by 1985 his enrollment grew to nearly 500 and by 1987, he was teaching over 1,000 people annually.
Read More
Hilaree Nelson was among the most accomplished ski mountaineers and alpinists on the planet. She is well-known for her “firsts” such as summiting and skiing 8,000-meter peaks around the world, notably becoming the first woman to summit two 8,000-meter peaks (Everest and Lhotse) in a 24-hour period. In 2018, Hilaree and her partner Jim Morrison became the first mountaineers to descend the 27,940-foot Lhotse on skis. Hilaree leveraged her platform to bring attention to pertinent issues such as climate change and to empower young girls and women. In 2018, she was a panelist with former Vice President, Al Gore, and international climate change leader and author, Christiana Figueres, at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. She passionately advocated for the protection of wild places and sensible climate policy through work with Protect Our Winters. In 2019, she joined other athletes to testify in front of the Democrats’ Special Committee in Washington, DC urging Congress to act on climate change. She subconsciously and consciously opened doors and changed the rules of equity and access for the next generation. Hilaree was named one of "The Most 25 Adventurous Women of the Past 25 Years" by Men's Journal and one of National Geographic's 2018 “Adventurers of the Year.” Hilaree resided in Telluride. Her two boys Quinn and Grayden were her biggest accomplishment and what she was most proud of in life.
Read More
Enos came to Estes Park as a teenager in the late 1800s. He grew to become one of Colorado’s outstanding mountain pioneers, criss-crossing the Rockies on skis and snowshoes. He served four years as the Colorado State Snow Observer, collecting data on snow depths, weather conditions, and avalanches and authoring 16 books. He has been called the “Father of Rocky Mountain National Park” for his contributions in establishing the park in 1915.
Read More
Few Colorado-based ski writers are respected as widely as Seth Masia, and over the past 25 years he has become a leading historian of the sport. Starting in 1974, Seth was a key editor and writer for SKI Magazine at the peak of its influence, covering equipment, racing, travel and environmental issues; his work was published regularly in Outside and many other magazines. Writing assignments took him around the world, skiing on five continents. Everywhere he went he saw glaciers melting, and he began writing about global warming in 1991. That led to a parallel career documenting and promoting the rise of renewable energy. In 1994 Seth pioneered online ski journalism as manager of the award-winning website Skinet. In 1998 Seth joined the Vail Ski School, where he created Ski Younger Now, one of the early programs aimed at retaining older skiers. Meanwhile, he became a key contributor to Skiing History magazine, and today is the magazine’s editor and president of the International Skiing History Association. His work in preserving our shared snow sports history reaches a worldwide audience.
Read More
Lou first joined the National Ski Patrol at 18 when he volunteered for the Boulder Ski Patrol. He went on to serve with the National Ski Patrol for 50 years serving on Ski Patrols across Colorado at Loveland, Berthoud Pass, Arapahoe Basin, Winter Park, and Vail. He served in many NSPS leadership positions, including section chief, regional director, and assistant division chairman. In 1969, he was awarded the NSPS Yellow Merit Star for his service.
Read More
John was a member of the first U.S. Alpine Ski Team at the Pan American Winter Games in 1937. He was chosen as a member of the U.S. FIS Ski Team. During World War II, he joined the famed 10th Mountain Division and trained at Camp Hale. He served until 1945 and earned a bronze star for his campaign in Italy. After the war, he started the Aspen Ski School and became a co-director.
Read More
During five decades, Ron has brought his engineering and science acumen to the analysis of ski technique and has continuously contributed to the formation of skiers, ski coaches, and instructors all over Colorado, the USA, and the world. His writing and photographic skills have provided a unique perspective for elucidating the intricacies in ski technique from its most basic to its most highly developed levels. A Colorado native having spent most of his life here, Ron, through his authorship of works considered the standard in ski technique analysis, has brought renown to his home state around the skiing world. Ron continues to be an inspiration to many in the snow sports industry. We hope to honor him by not only celebrating his great influence, but also by promoting on-mountain safety.
Read More
