Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum and Hall of Fame News

The Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the election of Bill Bergman, Toby Dawson, Jerry Gart, Tom Jankovsky, John Meyer, Paul Testwuide and Ralph Walton into the Hall of Fame class of 2012. They will join a prestigious group of Hall of Fame athletes and visionaries who have made significant contributions to the Colorado ski industry when they are formally inducted during the 36^th annual Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame Induction Gala in October.

Max Dercum revealed “Dercum’s Dream,” his vision of creating and developing Keystone, to Iowa attorney Bill Bergman. Dercum had the vision but Bergman possessed the business savvy skills to turn it into reality. He is credited as the individual who transformed skiing into a corporate enterprise. Bergman was able to expand the resort by designing environmentally friendly trails and installing snowmaking capabilities .Bergman laid the groundwork for standard practices in leading resorts that are still used today. 

Adopted from an orphanage in South Korea by Vail ski instructors, Toby "Awesome" Dawson's time on the slopes led to 7 years on the US Ski Team, winning 7 World Cup titles, 17 podium finishes and he became the 2006 Olympic bronze medalist in freestyle skiing. He helped with South Korea's winning bid for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games and is now the South Korean National Ski Team Coach.

The 1976 Marketing Director for Ski Industries of America, Jerry Gart opened 70 Gart Brother's Sporting Goods, famous for SNIGRAB and brought affordable ski equipment to Colorado residents; his ski carpet inside the store gave guests the experience of skiing. He established Denver/Post Gart Bros. Ski School and founded the Colorado Ski Country USA Ski Lift Program.

Tom has worked 25-years as the General Manager of Sunlight Mountain Resort and 24-years on the Board of Trustees for Colorado Ski Country USA. He championed the Colorado Gems and the 5th Grade Passport Program, created the successful Glenwood Springs marketing campaign: Ski, Swim and Stay, which has increased overnight stays and tourism.

After John Meyer moved to Denver in 1981, he began his 25-year career as the American ski writer for the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News. He has written for six Winter Olympic Games, covered four FIS Alpine Ski World Championships and 100 FIS World Cup events. John has been recognized as "America's Ski Writer" and is a dean of Olympic journalists in America.

In 1963, Paul came to Vail as a trail crew member and went on to become Vail Ski Patrol Director and ultimately became Vail's Chief Operating Officer. He secured water rights for snowmaking, which became a model for the rest of the Colorado ski industry to follow. He managed sustainable development of Blue Sky Basin and the rebuild of Two Elks after the ELF arson fires.

In 1970, Ralph purchased then-bankrupt Crested Butte Mountain Resort. In three decades, he pioneered non-stop jet service to the ski area, developed a base village and subsequent subdivisions. He was on the BOD for Colorado Ski Country USA and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the NSAA..

 

The Hall of Fame Induction Gala will be held on Friday, October 26, 2012. Please call the museum at 970-476-1876 to have your name included on the invitation list. Pplease visit the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum & Hall of Fame website at www.skimuseum.net.

 

The Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame is pleased to announce that Bill Bergman has been selected for this year’s Pioneer category in the Hall of Fame, and will be inducted at the 2012 Hall of Fame induction ceremony in October. He will be honored as a Pioneer for his early role with Keystone ski area and creating a business template for ski resorts everywhere. The Hall of Fame election for the other four 2012 inductees will take place from March 15 to April 15

 All five members of the 2012 Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame, including Bill Bergman, will be honored at the 2012 induction ceremony in October.  

Keystone Resort’s history began in a cabin called the Alhambra, named after a nearby mine. In this cabin, 10^th Mountain Division veteran Larry Jump and Max Dercum discussed plans for neighboring Arapahoe Basin. More than two decades later in the same cabin, Max Dercum revealed “Dercum’s Dream,” his vision of creating and developing Keystone, to Iowa attorney  Bill Bergman. Bergman, who had just purchased the Alhambra, was excited at for the prospect of “Dercum’s Dream” and wanted to assist Larry in the pursuit.

 

“I went up to the top of the mountains with Max and almost killed myself coming down on a narrow snowmobile track,” Bergman said as he recalled the time when he knew this place would be special.

 

Dercum had the vision but Bergman possessed the business savvy skills to turn it into reality. He is credited as the individual who transformed skiing into a corporate enterprise, something that originally began with small investors. By partnering with a well-known dog food producer, Ralston Purina, Bergman took Max Dercum’s dream of Keystone and made the resort a leader in the ski industry. These efforts resulted in incredible developments throughout the entire skiing industry. Ralston assumed major ownership of the resort and therefore Bergman was able to expand the resort by designing environmentally friendly trails and installing snowmaking capabilities in 1972. Bergman laid the groundwork for standard practices in leading resorts that are still used today. 

 

Bill Bergman will be inducted to the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame as a Pioneer in the snow sports industry. His template for practices and methods of ski resorts became the investment gold standard, driving ski area expansion. The gala will take place October 26, 2012 at the Omni Resort in Broomfield, Colo. For more information, please visit the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum & Hall of Fame website at  www.skimuseum.net.

On November 4, 2011 the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame inducted five wonderful men into a prestigious group of individuals who have contributed to Colorado snow sports industry. Over 500 people joined us in welcoming Ron Allred, Jack Benedick, Charles Elliott, John Garnsey and Chris Klug to the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame.

This wonderful fundraiser, which benefits the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum and Hall of Fame, took place at the Omni Interlocken Resort in Broomfield. The evening began with a fantastic silent auction with items from generous donators all over the state. When Helmut Fricker blew his alpine horn, the celebration began in the large beautifully decorated ball room. From there a moving film, produced by eef Productions, was shown as a tribute to Ron, Jack, Charles, John and Chris. The video displayed coaches, trainers, loved ones, family and other people who have been influenced by or influential to the inductees.After a delicious dinner and wonderful entertainment, each inductee made a short speech, graciously thanking and acknowledging many individuals.

The event was filled with pioneers, legends and up-and-comers of the skiing and snowboard industry.We look forward to next year’s 2012 induction class and the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame’s annual gala.