The Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the newest members of the Hall of Fame. The five inductees -Ron Allred, Jack Benedick, Charles Elliott, John Garnsey and Chris Klug- will join a prestigious group of 184 Hall of Fame snow sports visionaries who have made significant contributions to the Colorado ski industry. The 35th annual Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame Induction Gala will be Friday evening November 4, 2011.
Each spring, members of the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame voting panel elect five new Hall of Fame Inductees. Nominees must have contributed significantly to the sport and industry of skiing and snowboarding in the State of Colorado as an Athlete, Sport Builder, Inspiration or Pioneer.
Ron Allred: Sport Builder. Telluride collapsed in 1978 when the 100 year old mining industry closed its doors.Literally, the next day, Ron Allred started an effort to create a new economy based on Telluride becoming a year round mountain resort community. The company that Ron headed built a new ski mountain, golf course, airport, retail, master developer of the Mountain Village, and a unique gondola transportation system to connect the Old Town and the new Mountain Village. This effort has taken thirty-three years so far, and the energies of the entire community.
Jack Benedick: Athlete & Inspiration.After losing both legs during his Vietnam tour of duty, Jack turned to skiing as a form of rehabilitation. Once he learned to ski, his passion, innovation, drive and leadership have created a lasting impact on adaptive skiing; specifically, the evolution of the U.S. Disabled Ski Team to the U.S. Adaptive Ski Team, and the success of the athletes. A remarkable athlete, Jack won numerous medals in the Paralympics after which he became adaptive sports' most influential advocate.
Charles Elliott: Pioneer. From 1936 to 1944, Elliott was the driving force behind an incredible growth and interest in skiing in the San Luis Valley region, specifically Wolf Creek. His accomplishments during this time include construction of shelter facilities, fundraisers, establishment and training of a local Ski Patrol, installation of rope tows, and serving as its coordinator for the early operations. Now at age 98, he is the oldest member of the Grey Wolf Ski Club, consisting of 600 local members who are 50 or older.
John Garnsey: Sport Builder. John started his career on the Waterville Valley ski patrol. In 1974, he moved to Vail and was responsible for various mountain operations on Vail Mountain and at Beaver Creek Resort. In 1985, he was named senior vice president for the 1989 FIS World Alpine Ski Championships in Vail and headed the successful campaign to bring the World Championships back to Vail in 1999. In May of 1999, Garnsey was named executive vice president and chief operating officer of Beaver Creek Resort, instrumental in establishing the resort as providing arguably the best guest service and safety culture. In 2008, Garnsey became co-president of Vail Resorts, overseeing both Vail and Beaver Creek. Recently, Garnsey co-chaired the committee that secured the winning bid for the 2015 World Alpine Ski Championships at Beaver Creek and Vail.
Chris Klug: Athlete & Inspiration. Chris's snowboard racing prowess has garnered him numerous World Cup, Grand Prix, National, and U.S. Open titles during snowboard racing's infancy. Finally accepted as an Olympic sport, Chris competed in snowboarding's first appearance in the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan in 1998. What few people knew about Chris as he raced at Nagano was that he had contracted a rare liver disease in the early 90s. After successful transplant surgery in July 2000, Chris was named to the US Olympic Team again in 2002. Chris is the only organ transplant recipient to ever compete in the Winter Olympics. Chris has devoted his "retirement" in Aspen to spreading the message of life-saving organ donor awareness.
Please join us in congratulating these 5 outstanding individuals!Hall of Fame Annual Awards; Top of the Hill, Competitor of the Year, Adaptive Athlete and Collegiate Skiers will be announced at a later time.
