JACKSON, Wyo. — At the Jackson Hole Ski & Snowboard Club Hall of Fame induction banquet in 2018, guests heard numerous joyful anecdotes about the early days of skiing in Jackson Hole, many of which shared a common setting: Snow King Mountain. Many members of the Class of 2018—from professional snowboarder and entrepreneur Rob Kingwill to the “father of Snow King” Neil Rafferty, who built its first rope tow—grew up, literally or figuratively, with Snow King Mountain. In their acceptance speeches, many inductees, like Andy Chambers, recalled fondly how the Jackson Hole Ski Club (JHSC) and Snow King Mountain created a close-knit community for Jackson families: kids walking together from school to the mountain for training, families and friends skiing together on weekends, and Club potlucks throughout each season that brought people together outside the old ski shelter.
The Jackson Hole Ski & Snowboard Club (JHSC) celebrates that rich community and history by inducting a new class into the Hall of Fame every four years. This year, the Club welcomes seven new members, from whose stories emerges a different common theme: a steadfast commitment to advancing the Club’s mission and programming. Established in 2013, the Hall of Fame honors those who have made contributions to skiing or snowboarding as pioneers, competitors, innovators, or inspiration; many are recognized in more than one of these categories, but all of them have made lasting impacts on the JHSC. The current 22 members include some of the most storied individuals in Jackson—from the legendary Bill Briggs, the first person to ski the Grand Teton, to Olympians including Pete Karns, Betty Woolsey, Erich Wilbrecht, and Resi Stiegler. The following individuals will join this illustrious group in an induction ceremony and banquet on June 2 on the Grand View Lawn at Snow King Mountain.
John Griber competed around the world for 20 years as a professional snowboarder and now travels as a cinematographer: in 2021, he won his 6th Cinematography Emmy for the series “Life Below Zero.” In the early 1990s, John heeded the call (by Andy Chambers, Class of ‘18) to build the first snowboard team in the Jackson Hole Ski Club (prompting the organization’s name change, in 2002, to the Jackson Hole Ski & Snowboard Club). Under his leadership, the Club built and grew a program that has produced some of the best riders in the world.
As the JHSC Alpine Program Director from 1986-2000, Scott Bowdler led key advances that grew the Club from a local race program into a strong contender in the IMD Western Region: he built up the JHSC coaching roster with accomplished former NCAA racers, worked with the Intermountain Division and the US Ski Team to boost the Jackson alpine racing scene, and oversaw the on-hill course development for the US National Alpine Championships in Jackson in 2000, which propelled Jackson Hole into the national spotlight.
Mike Hammer, a longstanding supporter of the Club and dedicated Masters program participant, was JHSC’s Alpine race starter for over 20 years, inspiring and encouraging a generation of racers to chase their dreams. He has served on the JHSC Board of Directors and twice as interim Executive Director for the Club, as well as in various certified alpine official roles in the Intermountain West: Head of the Alpine Officials Committee for the Intermountain Division (IMD), Certified Technical Delegate for USSA, and President of IMD in 2007.
A member of the first US women’s Biathlon team, Pam Weiss was a pioneer in the sport who holds a career total 17 medals, including medals at three World Cups in the 1980s. During that time, she also coached for the JHSC Nordic program. In 1982, she was named the US Olympic Committee’s Biathlete of the Year. Throughout her career, she was an advocate for women in Biathlon, and following her competitive years, she served as a member of the JHSC Board of Directors in the 1990s.
Rick Hunt’s ski career runs the gamut, from mountaineering—including first descents in the Bridger Mountains in Montana during college—to downhill racing and cinematography. An enthusiastic participant in, and for many years a sponsor of, the Town Downhill (now the Jackson Hole Downhill), Rick has been an avid supporter of the Club in capacities ranging from a three-term JHSC board member to a leader in the Building our Base Campaign for snowmaking improvements at Snow King.
Med and Petie Bennett moved to Jackson Hole in 1970 and quickly became deeply involved in the Nordic community. When their daughters joined the JHSC Nordic program, they signed on as volunteers whenever they could at Club races. Amidst their busy lives as ranchers, they built a competitive ski career of their own, racing the World Cup Masters circuit together for nearly a decade, sharing their love of skiing with friends and family.
Former JHSC alpine coach and Head of Alpine Events until 1998, Tom Johnston is one of the foremost experts in the world on race hill preparation and venue safety, who since 1998 has been involved in the Olympic Games in numerous capacities, including Chief of Course for women’s speed events in 2002 and Alpine Ski Technical Advisor in 2014, 2018, and 2022. His legacy can be felt from the robust race culture that continues to grow and develop in Jackson to the Olympic alpine course.
The Club welcomes everyone to join us in celebrating these individuals and their contributions to skiing and snowboarding in our community on June 2. Tickets and more information about the Hall of Fame are available on the Ski Club’s website.
