Jim Quarles, Racer and retailer

Jim Quarles, racer and retailer

Jim Quarles, alpine and cross-country racer,retailer and distributor, died January 25, 2008 in Montreal. Born in Montreal in 1933, Quarles was a member of Canada's National Ski Team.

From 1957 to 1963, Quarles was a member of the Canadian National Alpine Ski Team, competing in the 1958 FIS World Championships in Bad Gastein, Austria. He raced in the Hannenkamm at Kitzbuehel, and in events at Garmisch, St. Moritz and elsewhere in Europe.

With the late Les Streeter, he owned and operated Streeter and Quarles, which for a period in the late 1960s, was the largest specialty ski retailer in North America. One showcase store was located at 4 Rockefeller Center in in the heart of midtown Manhattan. After the dissolution of Streeter and Quarles stores, he spent more than 20 years importing and distributing alpine and cross country ski equipment, with the Fletcher Leisure Group in Canada.

He later switched to cross country, racing in the Canadian Ski Marathon for some 20 years, earning the silver Coureur de Bois award and winning the men's veteran team trophy many times.

He chaired fund-raising activities for the Canadian National Ski Team, and served on the board of the Canadian Sporting Goods Association for 19 years.