Snow Business: U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017 Chosen

ISHPEMING, MI — Eight noted skiing athletes and "sport builders" have been announced as the members of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017.

They will be formally inducted in April in Olympic Valley, CA, site of the 1960 Olympic Winter Games.

The induction events are slated for April 12 through 15. Squaw Valley will provide a fitting backdrop for the various events, with the legacy of the 1960 Winter Games and a long lineage of celebrated athletes, including more current U.S. Ski Team members, than any other resort in the country.

This year’s Class of 2017 inductees was announced at Hall of Fame the in the Upper Peninsula town of Ishpeming, MI, on Sept. 15.

Among the inductees are freestyle icon “Airborne” Eddie Ferguson, freestyle’s somersault king Herman Gollner and legendary cross-country coach Marty Hall.

Also joining the class are two of the most accomplished ski mountaineers alive — twin brothers Mike and Steve Marolt, along with the late, 130-mph world record holder in alpine speed skiing, Steve McKinnney.

Rounding out the Class of 2017 is the motor sport and snowboard pioneer Shaun Palmer, and Thom Weisel a passionate fund raiser for the U.S. Ski Team whose work over four decades helped to bring home more than 200 Olympic and World Championship medals.

A national voting panel selects the incoming class in the fall of each year.

The class of 2017 will be inducted and honored in Olympic Valley, CA, on April 14, 2018 and enshrined the following September at the Hall of Fame in Ishpeming, MI where in 1905 the National Ski Association of America (now U.S. Ski & Snowboard) was formed.

Photo Credit: U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame

Chris Dehnel is a Patch Editor. He has been writing about skiing and snowboarding for about 2o years.