SKI HALL OF FAME NEWS

The U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame and Museum, based in Ishpeming, announced today that it has partnered with the Michigan Snowsports Industries Association to launch a Ski Michigan Gold Card program. The Gold Card will enable skiers unlimited skiing at 18 ski areas across the state this winter. Funds raised from the sale of the card will be used to support the Hall of Fame.

“Michigan has a lot of wonderful ski areas and this Gold Card pass will enable people to discover why so many of America’s best skiers have come from this state,” said Tom West, President and CEO of the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame and Museum. “It’s a great deal as it provides skiing at fourteen different areas throughout the state all winter and there are no black out dates. The only restriction is that the pass can only be used once per day.”

Besides appealing to skiers who are seeking a variety to their skiing this winter, West believes that the pass will be appealing to businesses as a means to thank customers or reward employees. “A business owner can pass the card on to a valued client and say, ‘Here, go skiing for the week-end on us.”

The Michigan Snowsports Industries Association believes that the Ski Michigan Gold Pass will help promote more awareness of Michigan’s ski resorts and stimulate more business for those that are participating.

Steve Kircher, President of Boyne Resorts and a Director of the Ski Hall of Fame said, “Some of the nation’s premier ski states such as Colorado and Utah, have a Gold Pass. With Michigan’s longtime love affair with outdoor winter recreation and being the birthplace of organized skiing in the United States we feel this is a great way to give back to the sport. We are pleased that our two Michigan resorts are participating in this program in support of our industry and the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame and Museum.”

Cost of a pass is $1,000 but $400 of that will be eligible for tax receipt purposes as a donation to the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame and Museum.

U.S. NATIONAL SKI HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES CLASS OF 2006

The U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame and Museum announced today that three former members of the U.S. Ski Team have been elected to the Class of 2006. Freestyle skiers Jonny Moseley and trace Worthington, along with alpine ski team member, Julie Parisien, will have their names added to the Honor Roll of the Hall of Fame at Induction Ceremonies to take place in January 2007. This will bring the number of Honored Members recognized by the Ski Hall of Fame to 349.

Jonny Moseley started out as an alpine skier but turned to freestyle by the age of nine. He became the most talked about moguls skier of his time although he excelled at all three freestyle disciplines.. He won the Junior US National Moguls and Combined Championships two years running in 1991 and 1992. After being named to the US Ski Team in 1993 he gained his first World Cup podium in 1994 and his first World Cup victory the following year. His career record includes 2 US freestyle championship 4 World Cup titles, 15 World Cup wins, a World Championship bronze medal (1995) and an Olympic Gold medal won, in the mogulus event, in Nagano in 1998. His signature "dinner roll" move opened the door for inverted jumps by mogulus skiers.

Julie Parisien is a graduate of Vermont's famed Burke Mountain Academy and was the U.S. Junior Olympic Super G and giant slalom champion in 1989. The same year she won a bronze medal at the World Junior championships. She became a U.S. Champion in 1990 winning the combined title after victories in the downhill and slalom. Her first of three World Cup victories came in March 1991. She was an outstanding three event skier, a rarity in these times of specialization. At U.S. Championship events she won four titles, three in combined and one in Super G. She made three Olympic teams and won medals at almost every level including from US Junior Olympics to the World Championships, a silver medal in 1993, before retiring in 1999.

Trace Worthington, showed early promise in freestyle skiing as a teenager when he won the aerials event at the World Junior Championships. Named to the U.S. National Team in 1989, he won his first of 37 World Cup competitions in 1990 in LaClusz, France. Five years later he returned there to claim aerials and combined gold medals at the World Championships, a historic first for any skier. That was the culmination of a career that ended prematurely because of injuries. In that brief time, however, he won 11 U.S. titles, competed on two Olympic teams and was the World Cup overal and combined champion twice. As a competitor "Trace the Ace", with Jonny Moseley, was a leading force in freestyle skiing. He had 79 podium finishes in World Cup and World Championship competition. Twice and Olympian (1992 and 1994), he followed in the footsteps of his grandfather who competed at the 1912 Olympics in Track and Field.

2006 INDUCTION CEREMONIES MOVE TO LAS VEGAS

David Holli, the Chairman of the Board of the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame and Museum announced that the Induction Ceremonies for the Class of 2006 of the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame and Museum would take place in Las Vegas, NV in conjunction with the SIA Trade Show, January 22 -25, 2007.

Mr. Holli said that the move was designed to give the honor of being inducted into the Ski Hall of Fame more national exposure. “The SIA Show is attended by over 18,000 people associated with snow sports across the United States and we believe it is important to make them aware of the Hall of Fame and the outstanding people whose names are on the Honor Roll. We also believe, that in time, we can generate more support for the hall of fame which will strengthen its position in Ishpeming.”

David Ingemie, the President and CEO of the SIA, and a member of the Ski Hall of Fame's Board of Directors said, "We are very excited by this move by the Ski Hall of Fame. This is a three year commitment by both organizations to build recognition for the Induction Ceremonies and increase exposure to and support for the Hall of Fame by the snow sports industry."

As part of this announcement the Ski Hall of Fame said it will continue to hold a Hall of Fame Week-end in Ishpeming, September and bring the great names of skiing to the birthplace of organized skiing in America.