Skiing Business

Press Release
2011-11-15 15:14:35 | 1428 views SHARE

ISHPEMING, MI (Nov. 14) - Olympic and World Championship medalists Joe Pack and Eva Twardokens headline a lineup of eight skiing greats who will join the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame’s Honor Roll with the Hall’s announcement of its Class of 2011. Also among those selected was ski area pioneer, the Nick Badami, who played a pivotal role with the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association and the Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games.

The class is made up of a broad spectrum of elite skiers, writers, ski industry leaders, and a passionate enthusiast for skiing history. The induction ceremony will take place Saturday, April 14 in Seattle, with an enshrinement at the Hall of Fame in Ishpeming later in the year. Also among those selected are ski area pioneers Phil Gravink, ski historian Mason Beekley, speed skier and author Dick Dorworth, ski show pioneer Harry Leonard and World Cup and Pro Skiing racer Tyler Palmer.

“Our eight inductees represent a diverse cross section of some of the greatest figures in skiing whose passion for the sport was shown throughout their careers,” said U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame Chairman, Bernie Weichsel. “The Hall of Fame is proud to recognize their achievements and contributions to our sport.”

“Nick Badami was a difference maker for our sport,” said USSA President and CEO Bill Marolt. “The leadership he brought to our organization, and our industry skiing industry, is still felt today. He was one of the key architects of the USSA as a best in the world Olympic sports organization.”

Badami had a four-decade career in the ski industry as a business owner, executive and volunteer. After retiring from a successful business career at the age of 49 he bought Alpine Meadows in California and later Utah’s Park City Ski Area. He served in leadership roles at the National Ski Areas Association, U.S. Skiing and both the Bid and Organizing Committees for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. At the USSA he played a vital role in the transformation of the organization to become a highly respected Olympic sports organization. As chairman of Powdr Corporation he grew his resort holdings before retiring in 2003. Badami passed away in 2008.

Joe Pack was one of the stars of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics whose performance resulted in a silver medal in the freestyle skiing aerials event. Over his career he reached the World Cup podium 12 times, including three wins. He won two World Championship bronze medals to go along with his Olympic silver medal, which he won in front of his hometown fans at Deer Valley Resort in Park City. After retiring from skiing he became a professional golfer based in Hawaii.

“Joe was a standout performer amongst an amazing team of aerialists,” said Marolt. “His silver medal at Deer Valley in front of the hometown crowd will remain one of the greatest moments in U.S. Ski Team history.”

Reno native Eva Twardokens made her World Cup debut at the age of 17 in 1982 and was Ski Racing’s Junior Racer of the Year in 1982 and 1983. In a 12-year career she earned three podiums and 34 top tens, including the giant slalom bronze in the 1985 World Championships. She was a two time Olympian finishing sixth in the GS in Lillehammer in 1994. Today she is a fitness advocate and holds a Masters National Weightlifting title.

“Eva was an inspirational athlete on an amazingly talented team when she started her career with a World Championship medal in 1985,” said Marolt. “Her hard work paid off throughout her U.S. Ski Team tenure.”

A 1969 junior champion, New Hampshire’s Tyler Palmer was a dominant racer on the newly formed World Cup tour in the 1970’s. In 1971, he was the first American male to crack the top three overall in slalom. During his career he won two World Cup slaloms, reached the podium four times and had nine top tens. Later he raced on Bob Beattie’s World Professional Ski Tour where he won five races. A National Masters Champion several times Palmer was a coach for junior racers at Sun Valley until his retirement in 2010.

“Tyler was a key figure in ushering ski racing into its modern era,” said Marolt. “He followed Billy Kidd and Jimmie Heuga with his own World Cup slalom wins and went on to be dominant figure in pro ski racing’s heyday.”

Dick Dorworth was a ski racer, world speed record holder, coach, instructor and journalist. As a ski racer he was named a collegiate All American in 1962 and in 1963 he set a world speed record of 170 kph, in Portillo, Chile. He went on to become a certified instructor in both France and the USA, including ski school director at Aspen, and a U.S. Ski Team coach. The publisher of several books on skiing and a recipient of an Ullr Award from the International Skiing History Association, Dorworth’s articles have appeared in nearly every skiing magazine and journal.

“Dick was an outstanding athlete and always a trendsetter who wasn’t afraid of leading the way,” said Marolt. “As an athlete, he really made his mark in the new sport of speed skiing but left his legacy as an author and storyteller for the sport of skiing.”

Mason Beekley, who died in 2001, was a successful businessman and passionate skier who eventually directed that enthusiasm to the support of preserving skiing history. During his lifetime he developed an extraordinary library dedicated to skiing and one of the world’s most extensive collections of ski art leading him to form the International Skiing History Association in 1991 which today has over 2,000 members worldwide and publishes Skiing Heritage magazine.

Eva Twardokens

Phil Gravink was a key player for 35 years at the national level in ski area management. After graduating from college he started out helping run his family’s farm in New York State before founding an area known as Peek N Peak. He went on to head Gore Mountain and later New Hampshire’s Loon Mountain from 1977-91. Under his leadership, he developed Loon into a leading modern resort. He was also a key player in influencing the policies of the U.S. Forest Service. He served as a National Ski Areas Association director for 18 years including a term as chairman. He received the NSAA’s Sherman Adams Award for his leadership as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award and the BEWI Award.

Harry Leonard was skiing’s impresario, visionary and cheerleader during the 1960’s and 70’s. He organized the first ski consumer show in Chicago in 1958, which was a success that spread nationwide within the next few yeasr. With his partner Jerry Simon, he brought to the shows a creative genius and enthusiasm that made them fun and entertaining. He pioneered the use of the Ski Deck that brought skiing right into his shows as well as great skiers who were the headliners for these events.

The selection was conducted by the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame’s National Selection Committee followed by a vote of over 100 skiing experts and enthusiasts who make up its National Voting Panel. The induction will take place at Seattle’s Bell Harbor Center on April 14, 2012 as the concluding event to Skiing Heritage Week, which will be held at several ski areas in the Pacific Northwest next spring. For more information on Skiing Heritage Week and the induction of the Class of 2011 visit: www.skihall.org.