Jake Burton Carpenter Reaches Colorado’s Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame

Jake Burton Carpenter has been inducted into the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame. He will be honored Nov. 6, 2010 at the 34th annual Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame Induction Gala at the Westin Westminster in Westminster, CO.

In all, The six new members-Horst Abraham, Jake Burton Carpenter, Ernst Constam, Harry Frampton, Trygve Myhren, and Sandy Treat-will join a prestigious group of Hall of Fame snow sports visionaries who have made significant contributions to snow sports in Colorado. They will be honored during the 34th annual Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame Induction Gala on November 6, 2010 at the Westin Westminster in Westminster, CO.

Horst Abraham is recognized as a sport builder and inspirational individual. He was born in Vienna, Austria in 1941, where he learned to ski on handcrafted wooden skis. Horst returned to Vienna after the war and began to re-write the script for ski teaching. Throughout the 1960's, Horst's work in the domain of ski methodology and technical thinking was beginning to be nationally recognized, and he assembled a group of experts to form the American Teaching Method (ATM). This was recognized as a major breakthrough in the field of ski instruction in the 1980's. Since then, Horst has written “Skiing Right,” the official PSIA handbook.

Jake Burton Carpenter is recognized as a sport builder. As the founder of Burton Snowboards, he has a rich history in the creation and development of snowboarding in Colorado and the world. After attending the University of Colorado for a few years, Jake opened up his workshop in Vermont and launched Burton Snowboards, building snowboards by hand and improving greatly on the Snurfer. He became a part of the first organized snowboard competition at Ski Cooper in 1981, and through the rest of the decade, continued to campaign to have ski resorts open lifts to snowboarders. Snowboarding secured its place on the global stage at the 1998 Winter Olympics with its true spirit and identity intact with many thanks to Jake and Burton Snowboards. Today he continues to contribute to Colorado snowboarding in many ways, which has lent countless benefits to the entire industry, beyond just the sport he helped create.

Ernst Constam is recognized as a pioneer. He is credited as the inventor of the overhead cable ski tow, beginning with his J-bar installed in about 1933. Ski tows based on Ernst's design, without observing his patents, were installed in many budding resorts. He also installed a T-bar on Cooper Hill to help the 10th Mountain Division train to become skiers. Throughout the 1960's, there were more than 80 Constam designs installed at resorts nationwide. Ernst's T-bar helped promote the success of skiing in Colorado, helping to make the state the skiing capital of North America.

Harry Frampton is recognized as a sport builder. As a current managing partner of East West Partners, which is currently developing resort properties around the state, Harry Frampton is deeply involved in the Colorado snow industry. From 1982 to 1986, Harry was President of Vail Associates, during which time he brought a new sense of style and service to the mountains, installing four high speed quad lifts and creating an unsurpassed lift network to transform Vail. He was also instrumental in bringing both the 1989 and 1999 World Championships to Vail and Beaver Creek.

Trygve Myhren is recognized as a sport builder. His leadership, advocacy, and influence over the past 15 years had helped secure the future of competitive disabled skiing and the international success of U.S. disable athletes. Trygve was instrumental in making Paralympic skiing the first adaptive sport to be fully integrated into the Olympic programs. After helping to launch “SkiTAM” in 1995, which continues to be a fundraising powerhouse for the U.S. Disabled Ski Team, Trygve was named Chef de Mission by the U.S. Olympic Committee for the U.S. delegation to the 2006 Paralympic Games in Torino, Italy. His leadership there helped distinguish disabled skiing and Colorado.

Sandy Treat is recognized as a sport builder and inspirational individual. He volunteered for the 10th Mountain Division, the famed soldiers on skis who fought in World War II, and trained and instructed fellow troops at Camp Hale. In 1986, Sandy returned to Colorado and since then, has been one of the most dominant male Master skiers of his class in the Rocky Mountain region. Along with his on-snow accomplishments, Sandy has been a major part of the skiing community through his work to help others in the sport and promote skiing for the Vail Valley and State of Colorado. He has held many board and volunteer positions at local organizations, and talks about his personal experiences with the 10th Mountain Division at Camp Hale every week at the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum.

On November 6, 2010, these deserving individuals will be inducted into the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame at the annual ski gala at the Westin Westminster in Westminster, Colorado. Proceeds from the event benefit the nonprofit Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum.