Birds of Prey pays tribute to John Dakin, the visionary PR guru who helped bring World Cup racing to the Vail Valley
Late PR guru spent his life dedicated to the sport he loved
Cheryl Lindstrom/Courtesy photo
“If you want snow, schedule a downhill.”
John Dakin was known for saying just that every year at the annual Birds of Prey World Cup ski races at Beaver Creek. True to the sentiment, a storm blitzed the Vail Valley early this week, right when teams and crews were prepping for the big competitions. But on Thursday, the sun came out to honor a man who did so much for ski racing in the Vail Valley and beyond.
Dakin held the chief of press position at three Alpine world championships and ran the press centers for each of the yearly Birds of Prey World Cup races for the Vail Valley Foundation. Dakin died April 12 after a years-long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
“I don’t think many people would know this, and there’s a lot of individuals that have been influential in ski racing in this valley, but in terms of the Birds of Prey, John’s fingerprints are all over this course,” said Mike Imhof, president of the Vail Valley Foundation, before Thursday’s men’s downhill. “He was a huge part of the team that was able to get the Birds of Prey course built in 1997.”
Imhof also said that Dakin had not only been the voice of ski racing in the valley since the mid-1980s, but he was also the voice of the Vail Valley Foundation.
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“For decades, he championed our entire mission,” Imhof said. “So, we owe him a lot, and we’re thrilled to be able to honor him publicly today.”
Dakin moved to the Vail Valley in 1986, first as a member of the communications team at Vail Associates. A year later, in 1987, he joined the Vail Valley Foundation. Over the course of 28 years, as the nonprofit’s vice president of communications, Dakin helped create, organize and produce the foundation’s annual athletic, cultural and educational events and programs.
Jen Mason, executive director of the Colorado Snowsports Museum, worked with Dakin at the Vail Valley Foundation and at the Colorado Snowsports Museum after he retired from the foundation in 2015.
“Even though we had John’s memorial in the summer, I’m so happy that we are able to honor him again today,” Mason said. “John knew so many people all over the world, and many of them are here for the World Cup. When I was working with John at the races, every year the person that everyone wanted to see the most was John Dakin.”
Longtime friend Cheryl Lindstrom worked with Dakin at the Vail Valley Foundation for many years, often serving as his deputy press chief. Lindstrom reflected on Dakin’s vision for having the World Cup races in the Vail Valley.
“From an early point in all of John’s work with the World Cup, he felt like it should be a show. It should be an event like football or any other big sport in this country where it’s a big deal, it’s a celebration, it’s when you get everybody together,” Lindstrom said. “He saw what happens in Europe. Everybody goes crazy over World Cup races. If you’ve ever been to Kitzbuhel, Austria, it’s an unbelievable show and he wanted to infuse that sort of enthusiasm in the United States.”
Despite challenging snow conditions and schedule changes — something that Dakin dealt with many times over his career in ski racing — the fans showed up and the rescheduled downhill race started under blue skies.
“We can thank him for the chaos of the weather, but also for today’s blue skies and sunshine. It really brings it full circle to have this tribute in front of so many friends. He’s not only here in spirit, but he’s here in a physical sense,” said Lindstrom as she revealed a small ampoule in her pocket that contains some of Dakin’s ashes that she carries with her. “He’s truly with us today. He’s smiling down at us right now.”
