Skiing pioneers from the slopes to the fashion show runway were inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame on Friday, September 19.

Honorees included big mountain skier Scot Schmidt, freestyle pioneer and world champion John Clendinin, 2006 Olympic moguls bronze medalist Toby Dawson, freestyle aerials champion Kris “Fuzz” Feddersen, acclaimed ski film producer Joe Jay Jalbert, and ski show pioneer Jerry Simon.

The Hall of Fame is located in Ishpeming, Michigan, the birthplace of organized competitive skiing in 1905.

“It’s been over a century since organized skiing was formed here in Ishpeming, but the fiber of the sport is still strong in this community, which is home to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame,” said Tom Kelly, Hall of Fame chairman. “For the new honored members, being in the Hall of Fame and Museum and seeing the names of the hundreds who have been honored before them is a very moving experience.”

The honorees came from varied backgrounds and experiences, but all contributed to the development of competitive skiing, bringing the number of members in the Ski Hall to 394.

One of the most recognized and filmed skiers in the world, Montana native Schmidt pioneered a style and remarkable ability that inspired generations of adrenaline-sport athletes. Labeled by Powder magazine as “the original freeskier,” Schmidt’s impact in the 1980s set the stage for dramatic changes in the sport, playing a pivotal role in shaping the ski industry today. His skiing has been showcased in more than 40 films and he has pioneered product testing in his more than 30-year partnership with The North Face.

Feddersen has had a lifetime of impact on freestyle skiing as an athlete, coach, and business leader. In 14 years as an aerialist on the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team, Feddersen amassed 23 podiums and a pair of top five Olympic demonstration event finishes. As a coach, he played a key role in the gold medal sweep of U.S. aerialists at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano. As a co-founder of Flying Ace Productions, he has brought the excitement of action sports to tens of thousands worldwide. He also appeared in a number of Warren Miller films.

Aspen, Colorado native Clendenin was one of the early pioneers of freestyle skiing, bursting onto the freestyle exhibition scene in the late ‘60s. One of the sport’s early stars, he founded the International Freestyle Skiers Association in 1973 and won World Championship titles in 1973 and 1974. His legendary Clendenin Ski Method and book, Four Words for Great Skiing were influential in introducing thousands to the sport. Clendenin also appeared in a host of ski films from noted producers Dick Barrymore, Joe Jay Jalbert, and Greg Stump.

Lost as a boy in a Korean market, Dawson was orphaned and raised by parents in Vail, Colorado where he discovered moguls skiing. He made the U.S. Ski Team at age 19, winning his first World Cup in 2001. He reached the pinnacle of his career taking the World Championship in 2005 and Olympic bronze a year later. Today he continues as a recognized global leader in the sport, introducing his birth nation to moguls skiing and serving a key role with the upcoming 2018 Olympics in Pyeong Chang.

An accomplished ski racer, Jalbert’s film career began as a production assistant and ski double for Robert Redford in the 1969 classic film Downhill Racer. From official films to industry product launches to television specials, the Emmy award-winning producer has more than 800 productions to his credit, including four official Olympic and 14 FIS World Championship films. His innovative production techniques combined with enterprising distribution methodology has made him one of the most sought-after ski film producers for more than four decades.

From the start of his ski industry career in 1964 working with Harry Leonard’s ski shows, Simon’s impact touched every corner of the sport. Through his work with wife Barbara Alley on ski fashion shows, pioneering the Skiing Mechanics and Managers Workshop, and producing the SkiGroup resort marketing shows nationwide, Simon helped educate industry leaders and grassroots employees as well as create marketing partnerships. One of his crowning accomplishments was the creation of the International Ski Film Festival—skiing’s version of the Oscars. He died in 2010. Since then, the Jerry Award, named in his honor, has been presented annually by the Ski and Snowboard Film Institute (part of the Hall of Fame) to producers of the best films in the industry at the Ishpeming International Ski Film Festival during Skiing History Week.

The inductees were selected by votes cast by a National Voting Panel of more than 200 representing all areas of the sport.

Image courtesy of Tom Kelly