(Photo Caption Above) - Stewards of Skiing: On Nov. 17, 2018, at the annual dinner for the New England Ski Museum held at the Bull Run Restaurant in Shirley, Mass., ISHA board members David Ingemie and Art Currier presented NESM president Bo Adams and executive director Jeff Leich (ED) with the ISHA Steward of Skiing Award. (l-r) David Ingemie, Bo Adams, Jeff Leich, and Art Currier. Photo courtesy of Pam Fletcher, Nashoba Valley Ski Area, Westford, Mass.
MANCHESTER CENTER, VT (Dec. 6, 2018) – The high-speed six-pack lifts, super-efficient snowguns, and waterproof/breathable ski apparel that skiers and riders take for granted didn’t come from nowhere.
Today’s downhill skiing, cross country, telemark and snowboarding sits on the shoulders of a rich 150-year-plus modern-era history of sliding downhill … and going back up again.
The nonprofit International Skiing History Association (ISHA) recognizes the sport’s heritage and honors organizations at the forefront of preserving this rich history.
On Nov. 17, 2018, ISHA presented its second Steward of Skiing History Award to the New England Ski Museum (NESM), based in Franconia, N.H. Dedicated to “Preserving the Future of Skiing’s Past,” since 1977, the museum directors, members and staff have worked hard to collect and display objects that tell the story of skiing.
In addition to a plaque, NESM will be recognized in the November-December 2018 issue of Skiing History, ISHA’s bimonthly magazine that covers the sport’s illustrious past, and through social media.
Established in early 2018, the Steward of Skiing History Award honors museums and other organizations that share the heritage, history and legacy of skiing with the world. ISHA’s first Steward of Skiing History Award recognized the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum, based in Ishpeming, Michigan.
In accepting the honor, NESM executive director Jeff Leich said, “Often the work of organization and preservation takes place behind the scenes, and it is heartening to have ISHA understand and acknowledge the museum’s role in this important aspect of our mission.”
The Steward of History plaque is displayed in NESM’s library at its Eastern Slope branch in North Conway, N.H.
Adds ISHA president Seth Masia, “With its academic-quality historical research and more than 26,000 curated items in its collections, the New England Ski Museum is an incomparable valuable institution. Whatever we can do to support their work supports all of us who hold the sport’s history so close to our hearts.”
In addition to publishing Skiing History six times a year in print and online, ISHA also maintains skiinghistory.org, the internet’s most extensive website for information about the sport’s history, and presents annual awards for lifetime achievement and the year’s best ski history books, films and creative media.
