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Eight legends have been inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame this year, headlined by Pennsylvania resort and snowmaking icon Herman Dupré.
Others include James Bond skiing stunt double and Bogner Fire and Ice star John Eaves; plastic boot inventor and ski gear innovator Sven Coomer; ballet skiing protégé and freestyle skiing legend Alan Schoenberger; retail geniuses Renie and Dave Gorsuch; the voice of Nordic and cross-country skiing, Peter Graves; ski movie star and backcountry guru Mike Hattrup; and extreme and big mountain touring pro Jan Reynolds.
“This is another incredible class of well-deserving stars who have committed their lives and careers to the betterment of skiing and snowboarding in America,” said David Ingemie, board chairman for the Hall of Fame.
Due to the pandemic, formal induction ceremonies for this year’s class will take place in the spring of 2023. Ceremonies for the classes of 2019 and 2020 will be held in March 2022.
Career Highlights
Herman Dupré began making snow using garden hoses in the 1950s while also working to build rope tows and eventually chairlifts at his family farm, which became Seven Springs Resort, Pa. Among his many achievements in snowmaking was the invention of the low-e tower snow gun.
John Eaves is one of the most iconic competitors and ski film stars in history. He had 42 World Cup podiums and was the three-time Aerial and overall World Freestyle Champion. He stunt doubled for James Bond in A View To A Kill and starred in the Bogner film Fire and Ice, bringing glitz and glam to skiing. He is also a filmmaker, musician, and model.
Australian-born Sven Coomer made plastic boots comfortable and skiable, a development that revolutionized the way we ski. Boots he designed 50 years ago for Nordica set the pattern for all race boots down to today. At age 16, Sven was the youngest Olympian at the 1956 Summer Games, competing in the modern pentathlon. He also became an influential ski instructor and coach.
Alan Schoenberger is a World Ski Champion, Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame inductee and all-around snowsport ambassador. Beyond winning the World Ballet Skiing Championship and earning 14 first or second place freestyle podiums, Schoenberger produced seven alpine theatrical touring productions and performed 1,250 shows. Venues ranged from fall ski shows to the World Cup Finals in Vail and the Salt Lake Winter Games. He engineered the SkiBed ski simulation device that made it possible to ski live on stage.
Renie and Dave Gorsuch formed a wife and husband team that achieved at the highest levels across the spectrum of ski sport. They competed for the U.S. in the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics; were active community leaders in Vail and Beaver Creek; their Gorsuch stores in Aspen, Snowmass, Vail, Beaver Creek, and Park City provide an elite ski retail experience and hospitality; and Gorsuch catalogs reach 3,000,000 households across the U.S. and abroad, offering a mix of luxury equipment, iconic photography, and witty advocacy.
Peter Graves is an American television sportscaster and public address announcer specializing in Olympic, lifestyle, and action sports. He worked 11 different Olympics, and became the voice of Nordic skiing at U.S. World Cup events and the international American Birkebeiner cross-country ski race from 1977 to 1985.
Explorer Jan Reynolds raised the bar for skiers worldwide when she completed the highest descent from a summit on 24,757-foot Muztagata in the Pamirs in 1980. She held the high-altitude skiing record for women for a decade. Esquire Magazine selected Jan as “Athlete of the Decade” for her many firsts and world records, including grueling first descents in winter on the Himalayan Everest Grand Circle expedition.
Mike Hattrup was named to the U.S. Freestyle Mogul Team in 1987, but is best known for his appearances in numerous ski films, including the most important ski movie of his generation, Greg Stump’s Blizzard of Aahhhs. Among numerous accolades for his skiing, Hattrup was named by POWDER Magazine in 1998 as one of the 50 Best Skiers in North America, and in 2006 as one of the 48 Most Influential Skiers of Our Time.
Source: SAM
