Sunday, April 29, 2012
New Members of the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame Announced
The Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame has announced 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 36th 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 Vail slopes led to seven years on the U.S. Ski Team, winning seven 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 Testwuide 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 Walton 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 Board of Directors for Colorado Ski Country USA and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Ski Areas Association.
