Getting to know the Hall of Fame Class of 2017

[Tricia]

Chuck Ferries and Hermann Gollner

Dan Podesta & Alan Schoenberger with signed Puppet TheSki

Johnny Moseley getting ready to warm up

Yours truly with Lynne Weiland (Banana Pants) and Suzy Chaffee (Suzy Chapstick)

Shaun Palmer and Brad Holmes

Shaun, giving his emotional speech

Airborne Eddie Ferguson being awarded the medal by Marion Post (inductee from last year)

 

[DanoT]

Great stuff Tricia. And your comment about learning a lot more about the accomplishments of the inductees is on the money.
Example: I knew about and remember Steve McKinney as a world record speed skier but did not know that he was a hang glider, and the 2 videos about the 1986 hang gliding and woman's attempted climb, Everest Expedition, were both outstanding.

I was briefly a hang glider myself in the mid 1970s, when as it turned out the gliders of the day were not very safe with only about a 7 to 1 glide ratio, I stalled,crashed and broke my femur. I had that kite sold to someone who also looked after my van for me while in hospital, before the ambulance even arrived.

 

[Philpug]

Great stuff Tricia. And your comment about learning a lot more about the accomplishments of the inductees is on the money.
Example: I knew about and remember Steve McKinney as a world record speed skier but did not know that he was a hang glider, and the 2 videos about the 1986 hang gliding and woman's attempted climb, Everest Expedition, were both outstanding.

I was briefly a hang glider myself in the mid 1970s, when as it turned out the gliders of the day were not very safe with only about a 7 to 1 glide ratio, I stalled,crashed and broke my femur. I had that kite sold to someone who also looked after my van for me while in hospital, before the ambulance even arrived.

Shaun, Steve and Hermann are (Steve was) incredibly athletes with diverse interests...Not only were they at the top of their game skiing, but in other sports too. These guys make Bo Jackson and/or Dion Sanders look almost one dimensional.

 

[Uncle-A]

Just wanted to add another "Well Done" for Tricia. Learned a lot as always from this community, only knew a fraction of what was posted here.

 

[Tricia]

Just wanted to add another "Well Done" for Tricia. Learned a lot as always from this community, only knew a fraction of what was posted here.

Thank you and...I feel like I only scratched the surface.

One of the many things that touched me was how emotional these bad ass inductees got during the event. When guys like Shaun Palmer and Mike Marolt tear up...

 

[AmyPJ]

I swear I saw a RIP Eddie Ferguson thread posted, but can't find it.
Our dear friend is Michael Hart who we saw on Saturday night at an annual fondu and firepit party a bunch of us attend in the snowy woods near Snowbasin, and he was pretty torn up about Eddie's passing. He posted a tribute on FB with an old picture of them from a Mt. Hood summer camp they held. I hope Michael makes it into the Hall of Fame. He was integral in the creation of freestyle skiing and moguls, and while he has been somewhat "aw shucks" about his life in the freestyle world in the past, he's becoming more vocal about those days as he's watching his compadres pass away (Bobby Salerno, now Airborne Eddie.)

@Philpug and @Tricia, maybe next time you're in town we can meet up with Michael. He and @utskier are truly great friends--he kicks all our asses on bikes in the riding months, and can still tear it up on skis, although he says moguls are not his friend anymore. I'm sure he could share some crazy stories and pictures with you. They're who we're taking our Big Sky/Targhee/Jackson Hole trip with that is causing me to miss ski testing!

These legend of Snowbasin videos show Michael, and Bobby, and Tom Leavitt, who we also see regularly on the mountain. There is quite the contingent of original freestylers here.

 

[DanoT]

I swear I saw a RIP Eddie Ferguson thread posted, but can't find it.

I searched Google but couldn't find anything about the passing of Airborne Eddie Ferguson, but I did discover that Hot Rod Eddie Lincoln died in 2009.

Hot Rod Eddie Lincoln won the aerials event at the 1975 Labatts/Datsun Freestyle contest held at Tod Mountain (now called Sun Peaks). Before each jump they would play a few bars on the PA system from the song: "You're Gonna Drive Me To Drinkin' If You Don't Stop Driving That Hot Rod Lincoln". He was also the inventor of the Lincoln Loop.

John Eaves won the overall title and it included a 1975 Datsun 240Z. Eaves who is from Quebec, went on to be a skiing stuntman double for Sean Connery in several Bond movies.

 

[Tricia]

Yes, Airborne Eddie did pass a few days ago.
@Freeride posted a really nice tribute to him on FB.

https://www.inlander.com/spokane/the-hall-of-fame-skier-who-became-a-legend/Content?oid=13328980&fbclid=IwAR2gKanShkdVYq7RKda3DkQsJGY0WzsdqmQit5Smvq4-pf6T6ZTkiRWsCLs

 

[DanoT]

I just got this in my Youtube feed. The result of Googling Eddie Ferguson's passing, I guess.

 

[AmyPJ]

I just got this in my Youtube feed. The result of Googling Eddie Ferguson's passing, I guess.

Very cool.
what always slays me about the old skool stuff is how high they held their arms!

 

[Uncle-A]

Very cool.
what always slays me about the old skool stuff is how high they held their arms!

Did you notice how long those skis are? Not like he is skiing bumps on short ski.

 

[AmyPJ]

Did you notice how long those skis are? Not like he is skiing bumps on short ski.

Oh I know, they were crazy long back then. My husband has some skis like that stashed away in storage.

 

[Uncle-A]

Oh I know, they were crazy long back then. My husband has some skis like that stashed away in storage.

I have a few vintage skis still in my collection, one pair of 200 CM and two pairs of 195 CM. I just can't seem to get rid of them, they ski so smoothly.