A MOUNTAINEERS LEGEND Recognizing John Ohlson By Tiffany Ban, Communications Associate
John immediately following the awards ceremony in which he was honored with the Mountaineers Legend award. All photos courtesy of John Ohlson.
T
he word “legend” often evokes tall tales, stories whose veracity is less relevant than our collective belief in the incredible. Amidst the giant lumberjacks, sea monsters, and ‘there be dragons’ marks on the map, however, there do exist flesh-and-blood legends. Their footsteps are a little smaller and their voices a little softer, but they are there, crafting history. One individual has made such an impact on The Mountaineers. His contributions were so consequential, in fact, that as an organization we had to craft a special award just to recognize his efforts – The Mountaineers Legend Award. While this individual was the inaugural recipient of the award in 2020, we know that in the future there will be others. The Mountaineers community attracts dedicated and passionate volunteers; people who truly make up the heart of our organization. The Legend Award recognizes those extraordinary individuals who have advanced our mission in countless, exceptional ways over the course of many years. By leading courageously, giving generously, and sharing selflessly, Mountaineers Legends inspire others to become their best selves through the transformative power of the outdoor experience. The first recipient of The Legend Award, and the person whose contributions were the inspiration for the award’s inception, is John Ohlson. John is a Mountaineers member, Super Volunteer, and member of our Board of Directors. Had it not been for
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many of John’s countless acts of service for the organization, The Mountaineers would not be what it is today.
A legend in the making John recognized his love for the outdoors as a young child when he was a Boy Scout. “I loved going out in the woods and the mountains,” he said. “I always wanted to see what was around the next corner or up the next thousand feet.” His inquisitive nature led him to MIT and Stanford. He taught Electrical Engineering at USC and the Naval Postgraduate School as a Full Professor. He then joined a satellite communications company in Silicon Valley. “The toughest transition I ever made, hands down.” John retired at the age of 60 and climbed nonstop in the six years following his retirement before slowing a bit, ice climbing in the winter with rock and glacier trips in other seasons. He loved every minute of it. As a young father, he shared this love of the outdoors with his children. John’s two daughters and son accompanied him on many hikes when they were young. During this time, work and fatherhood left little time for alpine pursuits, but John recalled a story that revived his love for climbing, and initiated a lifelong passion for his son. “In the mid-80s, around the time we were doing a lot of hiking, my son David saw some ‘stuff’ in one of my closets,” John recalled. “David said, ‘What’s all this stuff?’ I said ‘Oh, that’s my old climbing gear’, and he said ‘CLIMBING GEAR? Let’s go
