Ski Hall of Fame inductees announced

ISHPEMING — Seven important people are getting honored by a local institution.

The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in Ishpeming has announced the list of athletes and sports pioneers elected to this year’s Hall of Fame Class. The seven honorees come from across the country and their contributions to the sport range from freestyle skiing to ski resort management.

The crew will be formally inducted in Aspen, Colorado on April 9th and then enshrined at the Ishpeming facility in September.

Below is the list of the members of the Class of 2015 and their accomplishments, courtesy of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame.

HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2015
To be inducted April 9, 2016 in Aspen
Genia Fuller (originally from Framingham, MA, now Simi Valley, CA) Was an ambassador to the early years of hot dog skiing or freestyle and was an innovator in pole-free ballet. During eight years of competition, her smile, laugh and genuine love for freestyle made her one of the sport’s sweethearts. Her multi discipline abilities in freestyle, aerials and ballet led her to world championship titles in 1975 and 1978.

David Ingemie (originally from Fitchburg, MA, now McLean, VA) has been involved with the marketing of skiing and snowboarding for over 45 years, serving as the president and CEO of Snowsports Industries America (SIA) since 1981, with a planned retirement from his position in January 2016. His boundless energy, enthusiasm and intelligence was monumental for building a healthy national snowsports trade association, garnering high regard for his work throughout the industry.

Henry Kaiser (originally New York City, now Captiva Island, FL) was a forerunner in the ski industry during the 35 years when he served as the publisher of Skiing magazine. He helped
advance the freestyle skiing movement by finding sponsors and providing a platform for the sport on the pages of Skiing. Often referred to as the “First Family of Skiing” he and his wife, Carolyn, helped raise over a million dollars for the U.S. Ski Team, most notably through engagement with the New York Ski Ball. They were also closely involved with the SIA.

Chris Klug (originally from Vail, CO, now Aspen, CO) started to compete in snowboarding in 1983 on his Burton Backhill and continued for the next two decades. During that time, he competed in three Olympic Games winning a bronze medal in snowboarding giant slalom at Salt Lake City in 2002 – an achievement coming just 18 months after he had undergone a liver transplant due to a birth defect that challenged him throughout his career. He authored To The Edge and Back and founded the Chris Klug Foundation to help promote organ donation.

Jim Martinson (originally from Sumner, WA, now Puyallup, WA) grew up ski racing in Washington state but lost both legs in 1967 during the Vietnam War. His frustration in trying to return to skiing led to his development in 1985 of a sit ski he called “The Shadow” and with that revolutionized adaptive skiing. Using his innovation, he went on to win a Winter Paralympic gold medal in 1992 and in 2009 he became the oldest person to compete in the Winter X Games.

Bob Salerno (originally from Ogden, UT, now Santa Monica, CA) is another true legend of freestyle who competed at the top levels successfully for over 25 years. In 1974 he took gold in aerials at the World Championships in Heavenly, CA. In 1998 he claimed first place at the Wayne Wong World Championships in Hot Dog Skiing. He is one of the sport’s leading celebrities being featured in Warren Miller and Willy Bogner films while also devoting his time to enhancing the sport through his writing, filming and creation of ‘Virtual Snow’ ski training simulators.

Edgar Stern (originally from New Orleans, LA, later Aspen, CO and Park City, UT) brought his extraordinary vision and focus on customer service to the ski industry, revolutionizing hospitality at ski resorts. His benchmarks established in the development of Deer Valley Resort became the norms for many of today’s leading resorts. After investing in the Park City Ski Area and luring the U.S. Ski Team to Park City, he turned his attention to what became Deer Valley, which opened in 1981. Through his efforts it has remained one of the top resorts in the country, including playing a pivotal role in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Stern passed away in 2008.