Ceremony to be held Oct. 19 at Killington Resort
The who’s who of Vermont’s ski and snowboarding world will gather at Killington’s K1 Lodge on Saturday, Oct. 19 to celebrate the Induction of the class of 2024 into the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. The event, hosted by the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum in Stowe, was announced Monday, July 29.
One of the highlights of the event will be the premier of short biographical films created for each inductee shown before their acceptance speeches.
This year’s Hall of Fame inductees include Kelly Clark, the winningest athlete in snowboard history: Carl Ettlinger, a ski safety crusader; Peter Graves, the voice of skiing in America; and Henry Lunde, a pioneering contributor to the Vermont ski industry.
Additional awards will include the Paul Robbins Journalism Award presented to Lisa Gosselin Lynn, the First Tracks Award to Abby Crisostomo and Hana Saydek of Unlikely Riders, and the Bill McCollom Community Award to Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports.
Since 2002, the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame has recognized more than 80 people who have made snowsports history in the state. The purpose of the Hall of Fame is to honor athletes, special contributors, and pioneers of Vermont skiing and riding who promoted and/or contributed to their sports in Vermont; to document the histories of inductees in the museum’s collection, and to recognize their accomplishments through the induction ceremony. The Hall of Fame committee looks at candidates in three categories: Athletes, Pioneers, and Special Contributors.
All are welcome to join the inductees, awardees, and fellow ski and snowboard enthusiasts at a reception and induction ceremony on Oct. 19 at 5 p.m. Tickets are limited.
For tickets and more information, visit: vtssm.org/hall-of-fame.
Kelly Clark
Kelly Clark, a five-time Olympian and three-time Olympic medalist who grew up snowboarding at Mt. Snow, needs little introduction. With over 200 starts in international professional competition (of 137 podiums 78 were wins) she’s the winningest athlete in snowboarding history. As a trailblazer and dominant force in the sport of halfpipe snowboarding, she continually innovated and “raised her own bar” in every competition. But to her success is more than medals on a shelf.
Clark’s pursuit of greatness inspires others to push the envelope of innovation. She wants her life to be the message. It is no secret that she is a woman of faith and purpose and it is seen in her life. She consistently makes it about more than just herself and strives to inspire people everywhere to live their dreams. She wants the height of her success to be the foundation from which others are launched.
“The greatest legacy I could leave would be to see my ceiling be the floor for the next generation. It is bigger than me, but it can start with me,” Clark said.
She founded the Kelly Clark Foundation in 2010 to help get more kids out on the hill at an entry and high competition level. In 2022 she established Kelly Clark Snowboarding with a goal to make snowboarding easier for people. On the Burton Snowboards team for the last 25 years, she still enjoys contributing to the sport through their partnership.
Carl Ettlinger
As a distinguished researcher, Carl Ettlinger discovered methods to reduce ski injuries which led to the production of testing devices, training workshops, and videos to make skiing a safer sport. His collaborative research and resulting innovations have saved the skiing public from tibial fractures costing conservatively an estimated $600 million dollars annually.
After serving as a decorated second lieutenant in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, he returned to the University of Vermont in 1969 to complete a masters in mechanical engineering. While there, he began his master’s thesis, “On the Prevention of Ski Injuries,” which laid out the case for the cause of, and solution to, tibia fractures in Alpine skiing. This resulted in the development of the first commercially successful anti-friction device (AFD). At his shop in Underhill, he established Vermont Ski Safety Equipment (VSSE) and created the world’s leading laboratory for testing, designing, and analyzing snowsports equipment.
Along with Drs. Shealy and Johnson, he established America’s first formalized snowsports injury research program in Vermont, called the Sugarbush Study. The study became a world leader in the field and researchers from around the world consistently recognize the study as the gold standard of ski injury data, and it has been used consistently by scientists studying injury prevention, mitigation, trends, and other analyses.
In 2006 he and colleague David Dodge combined their decades of knowledge and research to form Vermont Safety Developments. Their understanding of ski binding engineering principles and the mechanism of injury for ACL injuries helped them innovate traditional bindings with an “intelligent platform.” Together, they created several patented binding designs that could more accurately measure and respond to injury producing loads.
Ettlinger co-authored more than 70 peer-reviewed journal articles and abstracts – most of them in collaboration with his longtime friends and colleagues, Dr. Robert Johnson and Dr. Jasper Shealy. Many of these papers served to guide and inform the International Society for Skiing Safety (ISSS). He was the technical editor for Skiing magazine, from 1972 until 1993.
Peter Graves
A Bennington, native, Peter Graves began his cross country ski racing career at Mount Anthony Union High School and was named to the Eastern Junior National team in 1970. He raced four years as a member of the varsity cross country team at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado under Olympic coach Dolph Kuss, graduating in 1975. Graves later went on to serve four years as an assistant U.S. Ski Team coach under legendary Mike Gallagher.
Today, he is known as the voice of skiing in America. For over 40 years he has made a name for himself as a television sportscaster and race announcer for alpine, cross-country, snowboarding, and freestyle skiing. He has also covered skiing as a writer, reporter, and broadcaster, contributing to publications such as Ski Racing, Ski Trax, and Cross Country Skier magazine, and commentating for ABC and ESPN, where he was one of the network’s first skiing commentators. Since 1977, Graves has illuminated countless iconic moments on skiing’s grandest stages, from Olympic showdowns to World Cup triumphs, with his insightful commentary and vibrant storytelling.
Spanning decades and hundreds of Olympic, World Cup, and World Championship events, Graves’ unmistakable voice has become synonymous with the world of skiing. From narrating the closest cross-country ski race in Olympic history at the 1980 Lake Placid Games, anchoring the poignant post-9/11 Olympic opening ceremonies in Salt Lake City, to his expert commentary at the Vancouver 2010, Sochi 2014, and Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Games, Graves has provided the sonic backdrop to some of the sport’s most monumental occasions.
His versatility extends beyond skiing, as he has also lent his voice to cycling events at multiple Summer Games and numerous World Cups and championships. Graves’s multifaceted career extends beyond broadcasting. He has served as a U.S. Cross-Country Ski Team coach, led the Harvard Nordic ski team for six seasons, owned a ski touring company, and directed cross-country events for Special Olympics International.
Despite his global reach, Graves remains rooted in his Vermont community, always promoting Vermont athletes and skiing and snowboarding in the state. His enduring legacy as a pioneering voice in sports broadcasting, coupled with his unwavering dedication to the skiing community, solidifies his status as an icon in the world of winter sports.
Henry Lunde
Hank Lunde has been a pioneering contributor to the Vermont ski industry and the sport of skiing throughout his career at Killington Ski Area (1969 – 1996) and Stowe Mountain Resort (1997-2008) until his retirement in 2009.
Born in Barre, Vermont Lunde started skiing at Barre Skyline and Mt. Mansfield ski areas in 1950. He graduated from Spaulding High School and Norwich University with a BS in civil engineering. After spending time with the U.S. Army and later working for Penn Central Railroad constructing and maintaining railroad bridges, tunnels, and track right-of-way, Lunde and his wife Sandra decided Vermont was home and accepted a position as construction manager at Killington Ski Area.
He learned early on that the sooner a beginner skier gets to the top of the mountain, the sooner they become a lover of the sport. Through his contacts with various lift manufacturers, he was instrumental in developing lift designed for higher speeds, capacity, customer comfort while creating efficiencies and productive pushing the envelope resulting in large snowmaking acreage what is today’s industry standard. With industry partners he improved daily snow grooming procedures.
Lunde rose through the ranks eventually becoming president at Killington and then of SKI Ltd.
In 1997 he became the president of Mt. Mansfield Company to defend Stowe Mountain Resort’s title of “Ski Capital of the East.”
With the of support and input from 27 different groups he developed a long range planning process that defines a future direction for Mt. Mansfield Company, the town of Stowe, and Lamoille County. Once permitting challenges reached a successful conclusion, construction began for SMR’s infrastructure improvements including, snowmaking water quality, lift upgrades, and a golf course.
Today, skiers of all abilities enjoy the industry standard in resort infrastructure that Hank helped develop in his nearly 40 years in the ski resort business.
Lisa Gosselin Lynn: Paul Robbins Journalism Award
As the executive editor of SKI magazine in the 1990s, Lisa wrote about ski areas around the globe. She also had the chance to work with writers such as Annie Proulx, Amy Tan, Pam Houston, and David Goodman on stories about the ski towns they loved.
While places like Tahoe or Telluride were tempting, Vermont — with its ski history and its strong sense of community— was where Lynn knew she wanted to make her home one day.
It took a decade. Lynn went on to be editor-in-chief of award-winning national publications Bicycling, Audubon, and Islands before the opportunity to lead EatingWell’s editorial division brought her back to Vermont in 2006.
In Vermont, she met her husband, Angelo Lynn, publisher of The Addison Independent, Vermont Sports and what was, at the time, a small newspaper called Vermont Ski + Ride.
In 2015, she joined Lynn’s Addison Press and turned Vermont Ski + Ride into a glossy quarterly magazine with 25,000 print distribution in seven states and a digital presence. It is now the largest outdoors publication in the Northeast.
In recent years, Vermont Ski + Ride has twice been recognized by the New England Newspaper and Press Association with its highest honor, General Excellence. Lynn’s articles have also won top honors for features, profiles, and reporting on racial, ethnic or gender issues. Her articles have appeared in Yankee, Men’s Journal, Town & Country, Newsweek, and other publications.
Abby Crisostomo and Hana Saydek: First Tracks Award
In 2020 the Vermont non-profit Unlikely Riders was established to promote diversity and inclusiveness in Alpine, backcountry and Nordic skiing, snowboarding, and other mountain sports. Founders Abby Crisostomo, Hana Saydek, Amanda Moran, and Bettina Guevara were motivated by a desire to create a welcoming community for underrepresented groups to get outside and enjoy winter sports in Vermont.
Today Crisostomo and Saydek manage the organization, bringing extensive experience in social justice and community organizing to the forefront building a supportive and diverse community of riders.
Together, Crisostomo and Saydek have established Unlikely Riders as a transformative organization in Vermont. Through community ski and ride days, skiing and riding instruction, gear and clothing distribution, wilderness medicine, avalanche education, and ski and snowboard instructor courses, Unlikely Riders is breaking down barriers to entry in skiing and riding.
Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports: The Bill McCollom Community Award
Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports is a nationally recognized organization and a place where youth and adults with disabilities gain self-confidence and independence by participating in adaptive sports programs and activities.
By offering the largest variety of program opportunities and unique, specialized equipment, Vermont Adaptive promotes independence and furthers equality through access and instruction to sports and recreational opportunities including Alpine skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports.
With nearly 400 active volunteers, plus generous partners and sponsors, and an amazing base of clients and friends, Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports has been at the forefront of sports and recreation for those with disabilities for more than 30 years.
