Colorado Snowsports Museum and Hall of Fame announces Class of 2024

The Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame recently issued the following press release on its Class of 2024:

VAIL, Colo. – May 23, 2024 – The Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the Class of 2024, an inspiring group representing a wide range of people across the snow sports industry. From speed skiing and alpine racing on international fronts to the snow sports devotees building the sport behind the scenes, this year’s inductees have dedicated their lives to snow sports, making a lasting impact in Colorado.

“This year truly represents Colorado’s snow sports industry with inductees having connections to Durango, Breckenridge, Aspen, and Vail,” said Jennifer Mason, Executive Director of the Colorado Snowsports Museum and Hall of Fame. When asking Jennifer if one inductee stands out to her from the Class of 2024, she explains: “We’re honored to celebrate all the inductees, but we’re especially excited to recognize the accomplishments of the legendary Sigurd Rockne, in person with him, a few months before his 92nd birthday. We look forward to celebrating Sigurd alongside his third-generation Breckenridge family!”

The Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame Class of 2024: 

Ross Anderson | Athlete

Native American Ross Anderson became the fastest skier in the Western Hemisphere. Born in New Mexico, he grew up in Durango, Colorado, and started racing gates at an early age. He was on skis by three at Purgatory Resort, where his father was on the ski patrol. By six, he was ski racing but was drawn to speed skiing. He later became one of the top U.S. Speed Skiing Team athletes, winning bronze at the 2005 World Championships, and is an eight-time national champion. Ross Anderson has held the record for the fastest American ever on skis: 154.06 miles per hour (247.930KPH) achieved in 2006. Ross is also known for leveraging his athletic success to bring skiing to native youth. He began engaging in programs, initially at Purgatory Resort, together with the Southern Ute tribe, as well as the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of Oklahoma and the Mescalero Apache tribes of New Mexico. Over the years, he has also partnered with fellow athletes, such as Suzy Chaffee and Billy Kidd, an Abenaki (northeastern tribe), at Chaffee’s Native Voices Foundation, to advocate for native youth. Ross was inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in 2023.

Bjorn Erik Borgen | Sport Builder

Bjorn Borgen has been a force in elevating the sport of skiing through a lifetime of providing leadership and support for athletes, venues, and major events. His efforts and persistence were pivotal in bringing the FIS World Championships to the Vail Valley in 1989, 1999, and 2015. He consistently supported athletes in the United States, and his home country of Norway, making it possible for athletes to achieve their dreams on and off the snow through the creation and funding of educational scholarships. Through board service and leadership for the US Ski & Snowboard Team, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail, and the Vail Valley Foundation, his efforts have resulted in the successful completion of major projects in the U.S. and abroad, from the Ski & Snowboard Club Vail Clubhouse and race venue expansion to the USSA Center for Excellence in Park City to the expansion and enhancement of Kvitfjell Resort in Norway.

John McBride | Sport Builder

John McBride is now the Head Alpine Coach for the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club (AVSC) after an impressive career with the US and Canadian National Alpine Teams. Raised in Aspen, John trained with the Aspen Ski Club. He was named to the US Development Team and went on to race for the University of Vermont. He coached AVSC from 1989-1995 and then the US Ski Team for a decade where he led his athletes to a US record number of wins and podium finishes on the World Cup in addition to Olympic and World Cup medals. He coached Bode Miller to Olympic medal performances and 2 overall Crystal Globes and Daron Rahlves to 28 World Cup podiums and 12 World Cup victories. He returned to Aspen and coached at Challenge Aspen, a competitive ski team for individuals with cognitive or physical impairment. A year later, the Canadian Team recruited him to lead their speed team through the 2014 Sochi Olympics. He led the Canadian team to 20 podiums in addition to Eric Guay’s gold medal at the 2011 World Championships and a bronze medal by Jan Hudec in the Super G at Sochi.

Sigurd Rockne | Pioneer

Before his days of working for Colorado ski resorts, Sigurd was an accomplished ski racer winning three Norwegian Championships, starting first in the Hahnenkamm in Kitzbühel, ranked in the FIS top 15, and was named to the Norwegian ski team for the 1956 Olympics. After the Olympics, and a compound tibia fracture, Sigurd received a letter from Stein Eriksen to work for him as a ski instructor for Aspen Highlands, the first year the ski resort was open. Sigurd landed in America on December 5, 1958, and was a ski instructor for Stein in Aspen for three years. Sigurd, however, was famous for being one of the founders of the Breckenridge Ski Resort. He was intimately involved with laying out where the runs would be and the lifts to service them. He was an early ambassador and promoter of Breckenridge. Sigurd undoubtedly contributed to the early growth of skiing in Colorado and helped create and run one of our state’s most popular world-class resorts, even to this day.

Lindsey Vonn | Athlete

Lindsey Vonn’s extraordinary achievements have solidified her place in history as one of the greatest American skiers of all time. Throughout her 15-year career, Lindsey achieved 82 World Cup victories and became the first-ever women’s Olympic downhill champion. She redefined the boundaries of alpine skiing, setting numerous records including 18 victories on the same course (Lake Louise), 20 crystal globes, and 43 downhill victories. A true sports icon, Lindsey’s impact has transcended the world of skiing through her creation of the Lindsey Vonn Foundation. Lindsey used her platform to provide programming for education, sports, and enrichment programs to help young girls grow as athletes, leaders, and individuals. More recently, Lindsey became a Brand Ambassador for Three Forks Ranch. This resort is in the heart of the Rocky Mountains just 40 miles north of Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

“On behalf of the Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame, we are incredibly proud to announce the Class of 2024, which features two truly extraordinary athletes, two remarkable sports builders who played enormous roles in allowing dozens if not hundreds of athletes to fulfill their World Cup and Olympic dreams, along with one legendary pioneer who in the early days of Breckenridge Resort’s development, saw its potential and executed its growth making it a world-class resort,” said Bill Tomcich, board member of the Colorado Snowsports Museum and chairman of the Hall of Fame Committee.

Hall of Fame candidates are nominated under the established criteria of Athlete, Sport Builder, Inspirational, or Pioneer categories, with the Hall of Fame Nomination Committee evaluating and confirming the nominees to move on to the final ballot. The 140-member Hall of Fame Voting Panel is comprised of current Hall of Fame members, key snow sports industry representatives, snow sports resorts, and the Hall’s board of directors. Learn more about our Hall of Fame here, https://www.snowsportsmuseum.org/hall-of-fame 

The annual induction ceremony – an inspiring, family-friendly event – will occur on Saturday, September 7, 2024, at the beautiful Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail, Colorado. The event is a great way to celebrate the inductees and Colorado snow sports, and ticket prices start at just $50 for adults, with all proceeds going to support the Colorado Snowsports Museum, a non-profit organization, and the State of Colorado’s official snow sports museum. Tickets will be available soon.