Category: Culture / Lifestyle
Utah ski legend Stein Eriksen died Sunday at his home in Park City, surrounded by his family, Deer Valley Resort said in a statement. Eriksen was 88.
Known for decades for his impeccable style and panache on skis, Eriksen, competing for Norway, won the gold medal in giant slalom and the silver in slalom at the 1952 Winter Olympics in his hometown of Oslo. After winning three gold medals at the World Championships in Sweden in 1954, he immigrated to the United States, working in Colorado, Vermont, California and Michigan before helping to develop Park City Mountain Resort.
He then became director of skiing at Deer Valley, where he served in the role for more than 35 years. A five-star lodge at the resort is named in his honor.
“People kind of step aside when they see him coming. They don’t do that with other people,” longtime friend Jim Gaddis said in 2009, himself as a national champion racer for the University of Utah. “They’ll say, ‘There goes Stein.’ People want to watch him. It’s just amazing.”
Considered a founder of modern skiing, Eriksen developed a forward somersault that is credited as the forerunner of the inverted aerials performed by freestyle skiers today, the resort said.
Source: The Salt Lake Tribune
Published: November 8, 2024