The International Skiing History Association (ISHA), the nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve and advance the knowledge of ski history and to increase public awareness of the sport’s heritage, will honor seven historians at its 26th annual awards ceremony during Skiing History Days at Squaw Valley, California, March 21-25, 2018.
The Mar. 23 awards banquet will be held in conjunction with the NASTAR 50th anniversary celebration and national championships expected to attract hundreds of the country’s best recreational racers for a week of parties, skiing and racing at the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. The ISHA Awards banquet is open to the public; tickets are available at www.skiinghistory.org/events.
Leading Chinese ski historian Shan Zhaojian, considered the father of modern skiing in China, will be honored at the banquet with a Lifetime Achievement Award; he has led a long campaign to see the remote Altai Mountains of China, between Mongolia and Kazakhstan, be recognized as the possible birthplace of skiing more than 10,000 years ago. The Chinese delegation will stage a demonstration of ancient Altai skiing on the afternoon of March 23, accompanied by Sierra longboard racers from the Plumas Ski Club.
The awards banquet will also include a special NASTAR 50th anniversary presentation.
First established in 1993, the ISHA Awards honor the year’s best creative works of ski history, including books, films, websites and other media projects.
The 2017 winners are:
* ISHA’s Ullr Award will be presented to Philip Palmedo, author of Roland Palmedo: A Life of Adventure and Enterprise (Peter E. Randall, 2018); and Peter Shelton, for his book, Tracks in the Snow: Stories From a Life on Skis (Western Eye Press, 2017).
* ISHA’s Skade Award will be presented to Stan Cohen for his book, From TV Mountain/Snow Park to Missoula/Montana Snowbowl: 62 Years of Skiing in Missoula (Pictorial Histories, 2017); to John Lundin for Early Skiing on Snoqualmie Pass (The History Press, 2017); and to Ingrid Wicken for 50 Years of Flight: Ski Jumping in California 1900-1950 (Vasa Press, 2017).
* The Cyber Award, honoring the best website of the year, goes to Pierre Dumas, creator of Repertoire des Sites de Ski du Quebec (Historical Directory of Quebec Ski Areas) (Laurentian Ski Museum).
“The winners are the past year’s top creators of new ski historical work in books, film and websites,” says John Fry, ISHA board chairman. “They share with us a passion for engaging the public in the sport’s colorful history.”
Highlights of Skiing History Days for registered ISHA participants include the NASTAR Team Race, a cocktail party at the home of longtime ISHA members Eddy and Osvaldo Ancinas, guided mountain tours with an inspection of the 1960 Olympic race courses, and the ISHA Awards banquet on March 23. The banquet will be held in the Olympic Village Dining Hall, where the athletes ate during the 1960 Games.
For more information and to purchase banquet tickets, view www.skiinghistory.org/events or call 802 366 1158.
The International Skiing History Association (ISHA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve and advance the knowledge of ski history and to increase public awareness of the sport’s heritage. It is recognized worldwide as an important resource for comprehensive, accurate information on the history of ski resorts, personalities, equipment, technique and events. ISHA’s 1,500 members – including resort and industry leaders, World Cup and Olympic racers, leading authors and historians, and passionate skiers from two dozen nations – share a love of the sport and its rich past. Six times a year, the association publishes a bimonthly magazine called Skiing History.