I'm going to do a little bit of name-dropping here: Klaus Obermeyer, Phil and Steve Mahre, Scot Schmidt, Warren Miller, Wayne Wong, Bode Miller, Spokane's own Susie Luby. What do those people have in common? They've all been inducted into the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame, the highest honor in snowsports.
Since 1956 the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame has been recognizing individuals for their achievements and contributions. Every June, the hall of fame has compiled a list of nominations that will be voted on by a select group of peers/experts in the sport of skiing. To be nominated into the hall of fame, you must fit into one of three categories:
ATHLETES: Candidates are recognized in a wide range of skiing and snowboarding disciplines for their national and international accomplishments.
SNOWSPORTS BUILDERS: Candidates in this category must have been involved at a significant level and made a clear national impact in ski or snowboard sports.
HERITAGE: Candidates here must have been retired from their qualifying activity for 25 years or have participated in it for at least 25 years.
Over the past five years, my long-time ski buddy Dan Herby and I have attended several induction ceremonies as a few of our close friends from our ski competition days have been voted into this prestigious group.
Herby and I went to our first one in 2017, when it was held at Squaw Valley, now Palisades Tahoe. We thought this would be a great one to go to — first off, it was our old stomping grounds from our competitive and film days plus. Plus Airborne Eddie Ferguson, who was our idol when we were young, long-haired kids back in the '70s, was being inducted. Dan and I were both lucky enough to go to one of Airborne Eddie's ski camps as teenagers, and over the years we'd all become friends.
We both found out these hall of fame events are much more than just a ceremony. It's a huge, three-day reunion where we see old friends, mentors and idols, with plenty of parties, skiing history displays, fashion shows and, most important, the skiing.
Last year, the Hall of Fame event was held in Big Sky Montana; because of COVID, the Hall had to postpone the 2021 class induction, so it covered both the 2021 and '22 inductions. With several of our friends being inducted, Herby, myself and our buddy Brandon "Moondog" Moon headed to Big Sky.
But the No. 1 reason for Herby was that our old friend MIKE HATTRUP was being inducted. The three of us grew up competing in freestyle in the Pacific Northwest and then Tahoe in the early '80s. It seemed each week that Hattrup and Herby battled back and forth on the moguls course on who would get to stand atop the podium.
I was fortunate enough to go on some wild and hilarious road trips with Hattrup back in the mid '80s as we skied in some of Greg Stump's films. Hattrup was selected for the U.S. Ski Team in 1987 and then he skied in one of the most groundbreaking ski films of my generation, Greg's Stump's Blizzard of AAHHH'S alongside Glen Plake and Scot Schmidt, who are also hall of fame members.
JOHN EAVES was another freestyle skier to be inducted. A true freestyle icon who we looked up to as young, aspiring freestyle skiers, Eaveman was one of the top freestyle skiers in the late '70s and early '80s, winning more than 42 World Cup podiums. His skiing skills caught the eye of Willy Bogner, who was the cameraman/director of the skiing scenes for several of the James Bond movies. Eaveman performed ski stunts and doubled for 007 in several Bond movies. One of Eaves' more notable ski stunts is the bobsled chase scene in For Your Eyes Only, where he doubled as 007, who was played by Roger Moore. The bobsled chase scene is still one of the most famous scenes in film history.
A cool little backstory on the skis Eaves used to do the stunts in a For Your Eyes Only: His ski sponsor, Olin Skis, custom made six or seven pairs of skis of different sizes for all the different stunts. All the skis had the serial number 007 written into the sidewall. Eaves donated his last pair of 007 skis at this HOF event. They were auctioned off and sold for $25,000.
A few other notable friends who were inducted:
CJ MUELLER was one of the pioneers of speed skiing and the first person internationally to reach a speed of 130 miles per hour on skis. Crazy John was a three-time world record holder and Olympian.
U.S. and Canadian Ski Team Coach PHIL McNICHOL led the U.S. Ski Team's Men's Alpine program during its most successful period in history. He coached Olympians and world champions like Bode Miller, Ted Ligety and Daron Rahlves just to name a few.
Sun Valley's KENT KREITLER was one of the more instrumental skiers in the early days of big mountain freeskiing. Kreitler also helped break ground in newly formed competitive events like slopestyle and the X Games.
Big Sky proved to be the perfect venue; the first day we were blessed with 12 inches of fresh, cold snow and bluebird skies. We hooked up with Hattrup and Kreitler and had an epic session of skiing some steeps just off Lone Peak.
On the second day, Hattrup's Old Posse — "The Goon Squad" — rolled into town and with a 6-inch dusting overnight. This was a reunion of tight-knit friends and a time to celebrate Hattrup the best way possible — by skiing fresh snow and acting like teenagers once again. The chairlift rides and the periodic stops were filled with stories, jokes and lots of laughs. Hattrup nailed it perfectly when he said, "Having my family and friends here makes it that much sweeter, and to be able to celebrate something like this with those that mean the most to you. Just like a powder day, it's way better when you're with close friends and family."
On Saturday morning, you guessed it — we were a little tired from all the skiing, parties and late-night stories and laughs. OK, midnight... that's late for an old guy like me, but when you wake up to another 12 inches of fresh snow, you rally. A cup of joe and a few of Ibuprofen, and it's go time. You can't get this day and experience back.
The hall of fame is more than just a title for all these retired athletes.
"Being inducted to the Hall of Fame is super meaningful for me," Hattrup said. "First because the people who vote on it are all my peers and the people that I've worked around and with over the last 30 some odd years. To be recognized for having some small influence on shaping our sport is as big an accolade as I could ever wish for."
The 2023 ceremonies will be happening in Park City, Utah, where another eight people will be recognized for their accomplishments. The fastest American on skis, ROSS ANDERSON, who reached a speed of 154.06 in 2006. And there are the founders of POWDER magazine, JAKE AND DAVE MOE. I'm excited to see the Moe Brothers get inducted, as POWDER magazine helped shape my lifestyle and my life. The magazine was a driving force to pursue ski photography and to write about skiing.
I reached out to Jake Moe to get his take on what this honor means to him: "During the last 70 years, there's been an estimate of a hundred million folks in the U.S. that have experienced the sport of skiing," he told me. "And during that time, 450 have been recognized as deserving to be in the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. In that context, the enormity of this award makes me pause and reflect on the 50 years of POWDER magazine's existence. And, it is best summed up by the readers of POWDER, personally telling me that the magazine 'changed their lives!' As they have retold, they dropped 'everything' and moved from the East to the West to experience the joys of deep powder skiing...all because of the stories and photos published in POWDER magazine. The hall of fame is truly a cherished honor for me."
And it's a deserved honor as well. I look forward to hearing the emcee say these words: "You are now being inducted into the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame, where you will forever be remembered." ♦
Bob Legasa has been a Snowlander contributor since 1994. He's also a Hayden-based independent videographer, TV producer and snowsports event promoter with his Freeride Media company.
