When Alan Engen was born, Dr. Wherritt put wooden tongue depressors—like miniature skis—on the bottom of his little feet and handed the newborn to his legendary father, Alf Engen.
“I think I can safely say that I came pretty close to being born on skis,” says Alan. He learned to ski when he was two.
Thus began a lifetime of ski achievements. He competed at nine, earned a place on the United States Ski Team in the 1960s, and won the United States Ski Association Intermountain Masters Alpine title six times. He served Alta for 50 years as an instructor, the ski school director, and then the Director of Skiing.
Alan and Alf—both world class ski jumpers —put on jumping exhibitions to demonstrate “Summer Snow,” a cornstarch-like substance. Father and son schlepped the product to the Los Angeles Fair Grounds for exhibitions on a 130 foot jump. In the grand finale the twosome jumped through a flaming hoop. After the demo, they shoveled the “snow” into gunny sacks and hauled it away.
Alan has dedicated more than six decades to skiing (click here to watch a video about Alan’s career) and is a member of the U.S. National Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. The Engens are the only family to have four Hall of Fame members: his father, Alf; two uncles, Sverre and Corey; and Alan.
Importantly for the entire skiing community, Alan is an accomplished scholar, author, and historian. His dream to showcase hundreds of Alf’s ski trophies and memorabilia in a small museum grew instead into the $10.5 million Alf Engen Ski Museum at Olympic Park in Park City, Utah. It was funded entirely by private donations (including Utah’s famed Quinney and Eccles families).
Alan also is an active contributor to SeniorsSkiing.com where he serves on the online publication’s Advisory Council.
His advice to senior skiers: Use new boots, bindings and skis because the technology will help you enjoy skiing more.
This article is adapted from the original which first appeared in SkiUtah.com.
