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32nd Annual Ski Hall of Fame Induction Gala on Oct. 18

Daily Staff ReportVail CO, Coloradonewsroom@vaildaily.com

VAIL, Colorado In announcing its inductees for the Class of 2008 today, the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame celebrates the careers and lives of five distinguished individuals whose contributions to the sports of skiing and snowboarding have helped shape the snow sports industry as we know it today.The five inductees – Paul T. Bailey, Chuck Ferries, Merrill G. Hastings Jr., Bill Jensen and Knox T. Williams have left a lasting legacy for future generations of snow sports enthusiasts. They will be honored at the 32nd annual Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame Induction Gala on Oct. 18 in Denver.Im absolutely thrilled to welcome this esteemed class of Hall of Fame inductees, said Hall of Fame Executive Director Susie Tjossem. “The Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum and Hall of Fame has grown exponentially over the last year and while I look forward to honoring our newest class, I also look forward to the opportunity to share both recent accomplishments and future endeavors with museum members and attendees of the Induction Gala.”The black-tie induction gala will be held at Denver Marriott City Center and serves as the major fundraiser for the nonprofit. Tickets are $175 (corporate tables are $3,000), and attending the event is a great way to honor the current class and the Halls previous 169 members.In addition to honoring the 2008 class, the Hall of Fame will give two awards-“The Top of the Mountain Award” which recognizes institutions or entities that have contributed to the development of skiing in Colorado and “Competitor of the Year Award” to recognize an athlete with Colorado ties who has distinguished him or herself in international competitive snow sports. The Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club at Howelsen Hill will be honored with the “The Top of the Mountain Award” for producing more Olympic athletes than any other ski club in the United States. Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club at Howelsen Hill has been in existence for nearly a century and has the oldest ski jump still in use in Colorado. Lindsey Kildow Vonn will be the recipient of the “Competitor of the Year Award.” In 2008 Lindsey Vonn won the overall Alpine Skiing World Cup title to complete the first American sweep of the men’s and women’s overall titles in 25 years. She also won the US Alpine Championships Combined (downhill and slalom) title, marking her best ski season to date.To attend the Oct. 18 Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame Induction Gala or for more information about the Colorado Ski Museum Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame, call (970) 476-1876The Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame Class of 2008 includes:Paul T. Bailey -Paul was a founding member of the Copper Mountain Ski area and Chairman of the Board from Copper Mountain’s inception in 1972 through 1978. Paul was president of the Loveland Basin Ski Team and treasurer of the Rocky Mountain Division. He helped bring World Cup skiing to Copper Mountain and continues to be an active supporter of ski-related organizations such as Colorado Ski Country and the U.S. Ski Team. Paul started racing at the age of 58 and has enjoyed much success on the racing circuit. This past season he was the National Nastar Champion in the 85 and over category.Chuck Ferries Chuck has had an outstanding career as a U.S. Alpine ski racer and U.S. Ski Team coach. Chuck was a member of the Squaw Valley U.S. Olympic Ski Team, a member of the U.S. World Championship Team, and a member of the Innsbruck U.S. Olympic Ski Team. He contributed his time, skills and financial resources while serving as president of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association from 2002-2006 and brought recognition to Colorado and the ski industry while serving as president of Scott USA. He was inducted into the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame in 1989.Merrill G. Hastings Jr. – Merrill served in the 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army and after returning to the U.S. a decorated hero, joined the construction crew in building Arapahoe Basin. Merrill was a Berthoud Pass ski school director and a national ski patrolman starting the ski association that evolved into the Rocky Mountain Division of PSIA. He started Skiing Magazine in 1948 and successfully ran it for 16 years. In March of 1998 Merrill was named to Ski Industry Hall of Fame by Skiing Magazine.Bill Jensen Bill began his career working as a lift operator. He quickly rose up through the ranks landing at the helm of Vail Resorts serving as the President and CEO. He helped to secure and successfully host the Alpine World Championships and annual Birds of Prey World Cup races. Bill’s sharp insight, customer service focus and implementation of innovative programming helped him make Vail one of the most popular resorts in the world today.Knox T. Williams -Knox developed an avalanche safety program recognized throughout the world. He built the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, the oldest avalanche forecast center in the United States, into one of the most respected centers in the world. He developed a methodology for archiving weather and avalanche data which has allowed for more accurate mountain weather and avalanche forecasting in Colorado and managed to preserve the CAIC through 35 years of government cutbacks.Bagging a bit of ski historyChicoBags conserve resources, promote environmental awareness, raise funds for the nonprofit Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum and Hall of FameThe Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum and Hall of Fame is trying to save the sports history and future one bag at a time.In an innovative fundraiser underwritten by Vail Resorts and Colorado Ski Country USA, the Vail-based ski museum is selling 2,000 environmentally friendly, reusable grocery bags called ChicoBags (www.chicobag.com).Curb your consumption, reads the ChicoBag website. Stop the waste, save oil, save trees. All worthy goals for snow sports enthusiasts, particularly ones with a keen sense of the ski industrys past and a passion for its future.Tag lines on the special-edition ski museum bags read: Conserve Resources, Preserve History: Grab a ChicoBag, and Colorado Ski Country: A Higher State of Conservation.Machine-washable and compact (fitting in an integrated pouch that measures 3 inches by 4 inches), ChicoBags fit in a pocket or a purse, weigh only 1.5 ounces and expand to 18 inches by 18 inches with a carrying capacity of 20 pounds. Theyre made of strong and durable woven nylon.ChicoBags make a practical and utilitarian environmental statement, helping to reduce the 300 to 700 plastic bags used by the average American every year bags that do not biodegrade in landfills.And if paper is your choice at the check-out stand, consider this: according to the American Forest and Paper Association, the United States used 10 billion paper grocery bags in 1999, requiring 14 million trees to be cut down.Trees, as any skier will tell you, are one of the most prized resources in and around mountain resort communities, said Susie Tjossem, Executive Director of the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum and Hall of Fame, and ChicoBags also cut oil consumption and therefore reduce the effects of global warming. What skier or snowboarder cant get behind that?The Whole Foods organic grocery chain is selling standard versions of the ChicoBag in a lead-up to Earth Day on April 2, but those bags and the ones offered for $5 at http://www.chicobag.com are not customized with ski museum and ski country tag lines and logos. Nor do they benefit such a worthy cause as the nonprofit ski museum.The custom ski museum bags are available for $7 (100 percent of the proceeds benefit the facility dedicated to the preservation of the states rich ski history) at the ski museum in the main Vail Transportation Center or online.For more information on these events please call the Colorado Ski Museum at 970.476.1876


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