Former competitive ski champion and retailer Roger Buchika of Atkinson, NH died Dec. 18 at the age of 67.
Below are excerpts from his obituary, published by EagleTribune.com of North Andover, MA.
“Under the tutelage of Olympic skier Brooks Dodge, Buchika earned the National Junior Slalom title. He was a 1966 graduate of Middlebury College, where he starred on the winning Alpine Ski Team, dominating collegiate competitions. In 1965 he was named to the United States Ski Team, and after graduation, he was a top ranking amateur in the East. He continued his ski racing career for many years and was a National Masters Champion.
Buchika joined his father in the business in 1970, and expanded to locations in Salem, NH and Bethel, ME. He established Great American Ski Rental Company, with locations throughout the White Mountain ski areas of New Hampshire. Bicycle lines were added and Buchika turned this small family business into a nationally recognized and award winning retail establishment. He was a member of the Board of Directors of Ski Merchandising Corporation, and a life long advocate for the sport.
Buchika has been a major influence in the success of the sport in the local and regional area, and has been honored many times for his outstanding contributions to the sport of skiing.
He has been named New England Retailer of the Year, Snow Country America's Top Shops, Gold Medal Shops by Ski Magazine, one of the top Ski Shops in North America, Best Ski Shop in New England, Best in USA, and most recently the BEWI award for snowsports marketing, and the New England Sports Representatives Hall of Fame Award. He was named Innovator of the Month by the Haverhill Chamber of Commerce, and inducted into the Haverhill Sports Hall of Fame.
Buchika’s name will live on in Salem, NH, where a store he sold in 2007 will operate as Buchika’s Ski & bike.
