OGDEN, UT – The snow may not be falling yet, but skiers and snowboarders are already breaking out their gear, finalizing their passes, and planning trips around the globe. Leading the charge, the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame kicked off the ski season with their annual golf tournament and silent auction in support of the Hall and its various initiatives. 15 foursomes played an 18-hole scramble at verdant Mt. Ogden Golf Course, then about 100 ski and snowboard supporters gathered at UTOG brewpub for the formal announcement of inductees and silent auction. The golf tournament alone raised over $25,000 in greens fees and other donations. A team comprised of HoF athletes won the competition with a 15-under score of 57. The Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame team captained by Hall President Justin Koski took second with 13-under.
“What a terrific host Mt. Ogden Golf Club has been these last two years for our tournament,” beamed an ebullient Koski, the young and dynamic Hall president leading the Hall into the 21st century with skill and aplomb. “They are always incredibly accommodating, and they are passionate about golf, snowsports and event hosting. It was a wonderful day and venue.”
“This is the second consecutive year the course hosted the event, and it was just as much fun as before,” echoed golfer and Hall supporter Andy Mink. “It’s a really fun golf course with a lot of hills and tucked in these beautiful mountains, but best of all they are so supportive of such an important cause. Great day, great course.”
Mt. Ogden proves a great choice for the event. Drop dead gorgeous, the course traverses over, around, and through the hills at the feet of the mighty mountains. Some holes ascend dizzying heights, while others tumble through the terrain. The par-5s are especially strong. Moreover, the conditioning was top notch as good as any public course in the United States, a remarkable and laudable feat on a municipal budget. Head superintendent Matt Bain is a wizard.
There are a lot of hills. I don’t think we had a flat lie in the fairway all day,” Mink noted chuckling. His team. Ski Talk Radio, finished “middle if the pack at 8-under. I loved how green it was too. We come from Reno, where there are no trees,”
“I like the dog-leg left holes, because I hook the ball,” quipped Koski, and he brings up another point about Mt. Ogden. Mountain golf courses naturally present tough terrain problems for golf designers to route the holes around. Billy Casper started the design and local architects finished the layout, but it presents and even mix of strategic questions. Perfect for a scramble, golfers of all abilities can and did traverse the course quite reasonably. While narrow in places, short hotters stand just as much a chance to score as well as experts.
Ski and snowsports enthusiasts can make tax deductible donations to the Hall through the HoF’s brand new website, www.skisnowboardhall.org. “We also have a new resort partnership program where you get discounts on season passes and day passes to resorts all across the country – as much as 25% off, and all those proceeds go straight to the Hall,” Koski added. “And we also have volunteer opportunities for everyone to participate in Hall of Fame weekend. Email us, and become part of the various ad hoc teams assisting on snow or with registration or other events. You get to meet everyone, be part of the inside of the event, and even be a part of skiing history.”
That’s absolutely true. Hall of Fame weekend is part skiing fantasy camp, and everyone is invited. You get to shake hands with all the athletes you read about on your night stand. You even get to shred with them.
Here is a look at the nine inductees who will be enshrined in the Hall on April 10, 2027. The Class of 2026 includes, (from the press release):
Dave Holli (Ishpeming, Michigan): Holli has given more than 60 years of service to preserving ski history. He was recruited to join the Hall’s Board of Directors in the late 70’s. In the Hall of Fame’s early years, he served as the local conduit to national organizations like the US Ski Team, SIA, and NSAA. His leadership as board chair was critical during a pivotal time. During the 80s and 90s, Holli secured major funding, including raising $1.2 million to build the museum, and expanded the Hall of Fame’s national reach through strategic partnerships. As a philanthropist and leader, his contributions have helped preserve ski history nationwide.
Brad Holmes (Lake Tahoe, California): Holmes transformed skiing through competitive excellence, groundbreaking freeskiing, and an unmistakable personal style, leaving an enduring mark on the sport and helping shape modern skiing culture. As the youngest person in 1984 to ever join the U.S. Ski Team, Holmes set off on a journey that led to a World Junior Championships title, more than 70 career wins as a mogul freestyler, Matchstick Productions film stardom, and solidification as a cultural icon in the sport. As a member of the K2 Factory Team, his signature model “The Outlaw” helped usher skiing into a new era focused on creativity, freedom, and expression.
Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah): Ted Ligety is one of the most accomplished alpine ski racers in history, winning at every level of the sport over a two-decade career. His accolades as an athlete include being a four-time Olympian with two golds in alpine combined and giant slalom, seven World Championship medals, including five gold, 25 World Cup wins and 52 podiums in five different disciplines, six World Cup season titles, and one of four men ever to accomplish World Championship gold in three disciplines in 2013. He is a global athlete ambassador for Deer Valley Resort and an inductee of the Intermountain Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame.
Scott Markewitz (Salt Lake City, Utah): Markewitz began his photography career in 1986 and quickly established himself as a leading ski photographer. His work appeared on 21 Powder magazine covers and more than 500 national and international magazine covers. He photographed commercial campaigns for major ski industry brands and photographed elite skiers worldwide. In 2000, he received the Ski Utah Excellence in Journalism Award and was the only photographer named to SKI Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Skiers of All Time. In 2002, he won the Red Bull Snowthrill World Champion’s Choice Award. And in 2004, Men’s Journal named him one of the world’s greatest adventure photographers.
Jim Morrison & Hilaree Nelson (Telluride, Colorado): Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson formed one of the most accomplished partnerships in modern ski mountaineering, making pioneering expeditions and first descents across the Himalaya and beyond. In 2018, they completed the first ski descent of the Lhotse Couloir from the summit and were named National Geographic Adventurers of the Year. Nelson tragically died during an expedition on Manaslu in 2022. Morrison continued pursuing the dreams they shared, completing the first ski descent of Great Trango Tower in Pakistan in 2024 and, in 2025, the first ski descent of Everest’s direct North Face via the Hornbein and Japanese Couloirs.
Tim Petrick (Burien, Washington): Tim Petrick served in executive leadership at K2 from 1992-2015, working his way up to President and CEO. During that time, he helped move K2 from a top-five U.S. ski brand to the leading American ski brand, even as European manufacturers dominated the global market. One of his most significant contributions to the sport was his role as an executive leader behind K2’s shaped ski launch in the 1994/95 season. Making the bold decision to bring a full-shaped ski collection to market, including the famous K2 Four, played a critical role in accelerating the shaped-ski revolution in design.
C.B. Vaughan Jr. (Manchester, Vermont): Vaughan Jr.’s impact on soft goods reverberates throughout the snowsport world. Beginning as an athlete, Vaughan Jr. set a world record as the fastest human on skis in 1965, reaching 106.53 MPH. With a vision for performance products, he created CB Sports, which reached $45 million in sales in 1985 and became best known for its ‘Super Pants,’ which kept athletes warm and came off quickly for racing. With a special emphasis on grassroots marketing, CB Sports became a go-to brand for ski schools, teams, up-and-coming racers, and key ambassadors. CB Vaughan Jr. passed away in 2025.
Stephani Victor (Park City, Utah): Over a remarkable 20-year career, this five-time Paralympian won five Paralympic medals: two gold, two silver, one bronze, four World Champion titles, four discipline World Cup titles, an Overall World Cup title, 24 World Cup victories, 12 U.S. National Championships, and 75 World Cup podiums. First-ever back-to-back Super Combined Gold medalist (2009 IPC World Championships, 2010 Paralympic Games) — one of only three Americans, and the only woman, to win Olympic gold in Alpine Super Combined. Accolades include US Adaptive Skier of the Year and USOC Paralympic Sportswoman of the Year; Victor continues advocating for adaptive equality through leadership during and after retirement from the sport.
