SKI TIPS WITH DAN EGAN

BIG SKY RESORT HOSTS US SKI & SNOWBOARD HALL OF FAME

Induction Celebration

BY DAN EGAN EBS COLUMNIST

Fans of skiing and snowboarding take notice, the who’s who of the industry is invading Big Sky March 22-25th. The resort will be a blaze with the biggest names in the winter sports from Olympians, world champion skiers and snowboarders, ski movie icons and industry innovators.

One of the unique aspects of the winter sports industry is getting to meet and ski with the heroes of the sport. Whether it's on a chairlift, sitting at the bar or grabbing a coffee between runs, our legends are approachable and accessible for storytelling, insight, reliving an Olympic or X Games moment or, more importantly, inspiring the next generation. And if you take advantage of this special week of celebration you won’t be disappointed.

The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum is in Ishpeming, Mich., which is the birthplace of the first ski competition held in the United States over a century ago. The hall is dedicated exclusively to skiing and snowboarding in America and provides the ultimate and lasting recognition for those American skiers and snowboarders who excelled nationally and internationally as competitors or contributors to the advancement of their sport in all its forms. Its Honor Roll of over 430 honored members reflects the richness and diversity of American snowsport from the early pioneer ski jumpers and organizers to more recent stars like Scot Schmidt, Glen Plake, Tommy Moe, Picabo Street, Jonny Moseley, Ross Powers, Jake and Donna Burton Carpenter and many more.

The museum was established in Ishpeming in 1954 and has accumulated an outstanding collection of skiing material, both artifacts and archives, which preserves and reflects the great skiing tradition and heritage of skiing in the United States. The building’s architecture represents both the Nordic and alpine traditions of ski sport and contains over 15,000 square feet of exhibits.

If you visit, you can discover the story of the ancient Birkebeiners, see Sun Valley's first snow groomer and learn about the historic 10th Mountain Division and its contribution both in wartime and peacetime to the development of skiing.

Every year the induction ceremony is hosted by a different resort, over the last several years, it has been hosted in Stowe, Vermont; Park City, Utah; Sun Valley, Idaho; and this year here in Big Sky. The event boasts 11 parties and gatherings across five days and features on snow tours, fashion shows, and back-to-back evenings of inductions honoring the Hall of Fame Classes of 2021 and 2022.

The Class of 2021 which will be inducted on Friday March 24th features, Gwen Allard, a pioneer of adaptive skiing; Herman Dupré, a snowmaking visionary; Sven Coomer, ski boot design legend; retail renegades Renie and Dave Gorsuch; ski movie star Mike Hattrup; freestyle legend Alan Schoenberger; Olympic champion Bode Miller; and groundbreaking mountaineer Jan Reynolds.

Saturday will see the Class of 2022 inducted. This class is equally amazing, with snowboarding legend Tina Basich; Ski Racing Magazine founder Gary Black; Olympic snowboarding medalist Shannon Dunn-Downing; stuntman John Eaves; resort executive Rusty Gregory; freeski pioneer Kent Kreitler; the father of freestyle snowboarding Terry Kidwell; Olympic coach Phil McNichol; and record-breaking speed skier CJ Mueller.

Women take center stage this year. Gwen Allard forged adaptive skiing across America, and Jan Reynold broke mountaineer records around the world climbing the highest summits. Plus this year marks the first-ever induction of female snowboarder athletes: Shannon Dunn-Downing and Tina Basich, both icons and pioneers of