Intermountain Ski Hall Of Fame Class Of 2020 Announced

The Class of 2020 Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame welcomes inductees Randy Montgomery, Howard Peterson and Larry Warren. These inductees have numerous qualities worthy of the recognition, but there is a common thread that is paramount: an undeniable zeal to advance winter sports in the region to a higher level.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the postponement of the September 24, 2020 induction dinner and awards ceremony that was scheduled at the Alf Engen Ski Museum, plaques highlighting the accomplishments and photos of the trio will be installed in the museum’s hall of fame in September, as per usual, says museum Executive Director Connie Nelson.  Date for the induction ceremony is yet to be determined.

The 2020 installation will bring the total number of honorees to 83. The Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame was launched in 2002, the same year the museum was opened after serving as a media sub-center during the 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games at this Utah State Park.

The newest Hall of Fame inductees includes:

• Randy Montgomery: A tireless promoter of Utah winter sports, Montgomery’s contributions range from being assistant marketing director at the Park City Ski Resort to vice president for marketing at Snowbird; serving as executive director of Ski Utah to directing Utah’s sports promotion agency, the Utah Sports Authority, which was responsible for overseeing construction of $59 million in Olympic winter sports facilities. In 1999, at the time of his death due to a motorcycle accident, Montgomery was working for the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and was executive director of the Alf Engen Ski Museum Foundation.

• Howard Peterson: He was an outspoken promoter of winter sports for Utah. And very effective. As a visionary leader of the U.S. Ski Association, he moved the organization to Utah in 1988 so athletes could be close to training and competition venues.  He encouraged the U.S. Olympic Committee to consider a bid city that would commit to building and sustaining legacy after the Games, which led to Salt Lake City’s selection as the U.S. bid city in 1989. Later, his role in developing and managing the venue as a training and recreational site led to his developing a sustainable business model and forming the Soldier Hollow Foundation. He also developed the Soldier Hollow Charter School and led a fundraising effort that raised $1 million for a day lodge at the site.  Peterson died in May 2020.

• Larry Warren: His contributions to winter sports are primarily in the form of words founded in a multi-faceted 45-year career as a journalist, including 27 at KUTV-2 in Salt Lake City and later as manager of Park City’s KPCW radio station. Warren’s words also appeared in freelance magazine articles and books he wrote relating to various ski history topics. In addition, his voice intoned numerous film and video productions and he was a lecturer, columnist, and polished master of ceremonies at numerous functions, including the Ski Affair fundraiser for the University of Utah Marriott Library. His stories have appeared on The Today Show, NBC Nightly News, CBS This Morning, CNN and The Weather Channel. Warren received the 1995 Excellence in Ski Journalism Award from Ski Utah.

Museum Director Nelson informs that nominations for the Jean and Will Pickett Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame, named in memory of two late promoters of skiing in the region, are welcomed from the public. A selection committee comprised of ski historians, race officials, former racers and others with extensive knowledge of the region’s ski scene reviews nominations. That group presents a selection to the volunteer board of the Utah Ski Archives for final selection. The archives board’s other primary role is to conduct the annual Ski Affair, a fund-raiser for the library, an event cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Utah Ski Archives at the J. Willard Marriott Library collects, preserves and makes available to the public the history of skiing/snowboarding in the region. Since its founding in 1989, the archives have grown to become one of the largest such archives in the country, used by historians, researchers and reporters worldwide.