Lives

Racer, pro-tour exec, entrepreneur

Paul Carson
Passing Date: June 5, 2021

Paul Carson, competitor, pro-tour visionary and entrepreneur, passed away June 5 at his home in Ketchum, Idaho, after a 14-year battle with cancer. He was 68. A native of the Toronto area, Carson grew up racing out of the tiny Don Valley Ski Centre. He made the Canadian national team at 17 and was...

Adaptive skiing pioneer

Hal O'Leary
Passing Date: June 3, 2021

Hal O’Leary, a pioneer in promoting recreational activities for people with disabilities, and one of the founders of The National Sports Center for the Disabled, died in June at Denver Hospice at the age of 94. Born in Montreal, O’Leary earned a business degree from the University of Montreal,...

Freestyle pioneer and training innovator

Bob Salerno
Passing Date: May 26, 2021

Bob Salerno, one of the freestyle movement’s first stars, a dominant competitor, innovative trainer and ski-deck pioneer, died May 26 of natural causes. He was 68. A native of Ogden, Utah, Salerno spent his youth at Snowbasin and neighboring resorts, first as a student and later as an instructor....

Burke Mountain Academy co-founder and first student

Martha Coughlin Corrock
Passing Date: May 14, 2021

Martha Coughlin, co-founder and first student at Burke Mountain Academy, passed away in Challis, Idaho, on May 14. She was 66. Coughlin grew up in skiing North Conway, New Hampshire. In the winter of 1969-70, at the age of 14, Coughlin trained periodically with Warren Witherell at his new Alpine...

Olympian, resort developer

George Hovland
Passing Date: May 9, 2021

George Hovland, Jr., Olympian and resort developer in Duluth, Minnesota, passed on May 9, due to complications after hip surgery. He was 94. Born in Duluth, Hovland won the Minnesota slalom and cross-country championships at age 16 and later was caption of the University of Minnesota ski team. He...

Olympian, snowboard world champion

Julie Pomagalski
Passing Date: May 9, 2021

Julie Pomagalski, a two-time Olympian for France in snowboarding and former world champion, died in an avalanche in the Swiss Alps on May 9. She was 40.  Pomagalski was with a group of four freeriding on Gemsstock Mountain, near Andermatt, Switzerland. A second member of the party was also killed....

Norwegian Olympian, slalom world champion

Inger Bjørnbakken
Passing Date: February 13, 2021

Inger Bjørnbakken, the only female Norwegian world champion in Alpine skiing, died in a fire on February 13, at age 87. Born in Baerum, Norway, Bjørnbakken was the top female Norwegian racer in the late 1950s. She won seven national championships, then tied for sixth place (with Astrid Sandvik) in...

Ski resort exec, NSAA chief

Cal Conniff
Passing Date: January 8, 2021

Calvert Conniff, president/executive director of the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) from 1973 to 1990 and a 1990 U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame honoree, died on Jan. 8, a month shy of his 91st birthday.  Cal devoted his life to the betterment of the sport and business of skiing. His...

Activewear pioneer

Monika Tilley
Passing Date: December 23, 2020

Monika Tilley, an innovative fashion designer and activewear pioneer, died December 23 in Manhattan. She was 86. Born in Vienna, Tilley earned a master’s degree from the Vienna Academy of Applied Arts and came to the United States in the late 1950s. She first worked as a magazine illustrator, then...

Aspen and FIS official

Devid Stapleton
Passing Date: December 10, 2020

Aspen native David Stapleton, a FIS race official and safety activist, died December 10, 2020, from complications due to COVID-19. He was 86. Stapleton grew up on his family’s ranch, which became the Aspen airport, and raced for the Aspen Ski Club beginning in 1945. He qualified for the Junior...