Tag Archive for: University of Utah Ski Archives

Harriet Wallis

Coveted Honors Awarded At Ski History Gala

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Rossignol’s Top Executive And The University Of Utah Ski Team Earned Top Honors.

Top honoree Ron Steele oversaw the company’s sales and distribution of Rossignol, Dynastar, Lange, Look and Kerma brands while he was president of Rossignol.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

The country’s largest ski history and research organization, Ski Archives, held its annual gala and fundraiser to help support its mission. In addition, the event honors individuals and organizations that set a high mark for their influence on the ski industry.

This year, Ron Steele, philanthropist and Rossignol’s executive vice president earned the Joseph Quinney Award. The award recognizes him for his ski industry commitment, vision, and business leadership.

Steele left his home state of Washington to become a champion ski jumper for the University of Utah, and he went on to compete on the U.S. Olympic ski team in Sappporo, Japan. Along the way he was an alpine technician for Rossignol and he rose through the ranks to become its president and now executive vice president. He also serves on ski industry boards.

“I got a great life after coming to Utah,” he quipped.

The award Steele earned, the Joseph Quinney Award, is named for the late ski visionary and founder of Alta.

The University of Utah’s ski team won the NCAA Championship, and the ski team members have high GPAs.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

The other top award, the J. Willard Marriott Library History-Maker Award, went to the University of Utah Ski Team. In 2017, the team won its 11th overall title and its first national NCAA Ski Championship title.

During the winter while the team was out skiing, the unique $2.8 million ski team building, the Spencer F. Eccles Ski Team building, was rising out of the ground on the campus. It’s believed the building is the first-of-its-kind facility on a U.S. college campus.

It’s named after Spencer F. Eccles, a former U of U All-American ski team member, and it was funded by private donations. The donation program was headed by another skier well known in the industry, U of U All-American skier Jim Gaddis. The evening’s award winner Ron Steele was a major donor and played a major role in fund raising for that structure.

The Ski Archives collection is open to the public, and it’s located in the University of Utah campus library in Salt Lake City.

To read more from Harriet click here for her stories on SkiUtah.

 

Harriet Wallis

Glittering Evening At Ski Archives Fund Raiser in SLC

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Movers and Shakers honored.

Twenty years ago, ski enthusiasts and visionaries realized that historic ski photos and manuscripts should be collected to assure they wouldn’t be lost in dusty attics and that old albums wouldn’t be tossed out. The resulting collection is housed on the University of Utah campus in the J. Willard Marriott Library, and it’s called the Ski Archives. It has grown to be the largest cache of skiing and snow sports history in the country, and it’s a prime research collection, and it’s open to the public.

The Silent Auction is part of the annual fundraiser for the collection. Credit: Harriet Wallis

The Silent Auction is part of the annual fundraiser for the collection.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

The Ski Archives is supported by an annual fund raiser and silent auction. During the gala event this Fall, awards were presented to extraordinary individuals. This year’s top honor went to Deer Valley president and CEO Bob Wheaton who earned the S. Joseph Quinney award – named for the ski visionary and founder of Alta Ski Area. Seven medalists in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic earned the History-Maker awards.

Joseph Quinney Award winner

Deer Valley's Bob Wheaton received the prestigous S. Josephy Quinney Award Credit: Harriet Wallis

Deer Valley’s Bob Wheaton received the prestigous S. Joseph Quinney Award
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Bob Wheaton began at Deer Valley in 1980 doing maintenance as the resort was being built, and he worked his way up to become resort president in 1997, a position he continues today. With Wheaton at the helm, Deer Valley has been rated the number one resort in North America seven times by readers of SKI Magazine. He credits his staff for the resort’s success.

History-Maker Award winners:

Josh Christensen, Park City, Utah, gold medalist, slopestyle skiing.

Kaitlyn Farringron, Bellevue, Idaho, gold medalist, slopestyle snowboarding.

Sage Kotsenberg, Park City, gold medalist, snowboarding half pipe.

Ted Ligety, Park City, gold medalist alpine skiing giant slalom.

Danelle and Rob Ulmstead, Park City, Paralympic bronze medalists, alpine super combined.

Keith Gabel, Ogden, Utah, bronze medalist, Paralympics snowboard cross.

In addition, two organizations celebrated milestones. The Utah Nordic Alliance, with emphasis on bringing skiers into cross-country and providing training and race events, was founded 25 years ago. And the U.S. Ski Team celebrates its 40th anniversary in Park City.

SeniorsSkiing.com was a silent auction partner. Credit: Harriet Wallis

SeniorsSkiing.com was a silent auction partner.
Credit: Harriet Wallis