Alta Icon Alan Engen and Wasatch Mountain Club Earn Top Honors At Ski History gala

Ski fun in 1934 with the Wasatch Mountain Club. Credit: Special Collections J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah.

Every year, the country’s largest ski history research organization, the Utah Ski Archives, awards honors to movers and shakers in the ski industry.

This year the Wasatch Mountain Club earns the History Maker award for offering outdoor recreation for 100 years. It was founded with just 13 enthusiasts who enjoyed hiking, ski touring, and snowshoeing. A few years later it played a key role in the growth of skiing by offering “ski trains.”

Today it has about 1,000 members, and outdoor activities have changed with the times. The club’s non-competitive, muscle-powered offerings now include river running, mountain biking, back packing, and more. It also focuses on conservation and education.

The coveted S. J. Quinney award goes to Alta’s iconic Alan Engen for his life-long influence on skiing. Engen began as an award winning national and international ski champion, and his dedication to the sport continues to evolve today. He became the Director of Skiing at Alta, he’s in the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame, he’s a ski historian, and he’s authored several in-depth books about skiing. Then he found the Alf Engen Ski Museum in Park City, UT. It’s an interactive, must-see for everyone who visits here.

About the Utah Ski Archives

The Archives collection currently contains 500,000 images, 250 manuscripts and 6,000 audio, video and films. The collection is open to the public and is located in the University of Utah campus library in Salt Lake City. Every year, it holds a gala fundraiser to help support its mission of preserving ski history. And the gala honors individuals and organizations that are a major influence on ski industry.


Award winner Alan Engen smiles next to the photo of him at about age 2 wearing a diaper and ski boots and gleefully holding his first pair of skis. Credit: Harriet Wallis

One Comment

  1. Harriett, I have a group Senior skiers coming to Park City on January 29 for 5 days of skiing. Would you be willing to address our group for a question and answer session about Utah Senior skiing.
    Leigh Kalna

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