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Show vowwessv mest DTK OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Page 11 January 1, 2007 Annual Twelve local skiers, who performed for the cameras of famed ski movie maker Warren Miller, were recently honored at the 4th annual Snowdance at Earl’s Lodge at Snowbasin. The gala, sold out event, which took place on November 18, is a fundraiser for the Snowbasin Alpine Ski Team and the Ogden Valley Business Association. The money realized by each organization from this year’s soiree set a recor Lisa Karam Fuller, Executive Director of the Ogden Valley Business Association, produces the popular event each year, ably aided by volunteers from the OVBA and parents of ski team members. A silent auction, live auction, social hour, gourmet dinner from Snowbasin’s famed kitchen, music from local band Shades of Gray, and a high energy program and presentation were all part of the evening. This year’s program was highlighted by a 25 minute professionally produced video comprised of footage from numerous Warren Miller ski movies. According to Mrs. Karam Fuller, “To say this year’s program was well-received is an understatement. We’re putting our heads together to figure out a way to top it next year, but it’s going to be tough.” The tradition of honoring local ski legends was initiated at last year’s event when accomplished ski racers with a Snowbasin pedigree received special recognition. This year, those who skied in Warren Miller’s films took center stage, as did Snowbasin’s rich history as one of the meccas of the birth and development of freestyle skiing in the Snowdance Dean Perkins ean, who is currently building “| Miller’s first ski | movie, Deep and shot in appeared in the 1981 film Ski in the Sun while in his 50s. Dean was honored at last year’s Snowdance as one of Snowbasin’s legendary ski racers. Within the next couple of years there’s a good chance he'll be honored gain—if he can come up with something he hasn’t already done. Dean Perkins 1970s. With the exception of one ski racing legend, Dean Perkins, who was also honored last year, many of the other honorees won regional and national championships in the freestyle disciplines of mogul skiing, aerials, and ballet—their competitive success setting the stage for an opportunity to strut their stuff in Miller’s acclaimed films. They are all part of the intriguing story of Snowbasin and the local ski culture. During their reign in the hip, high-energy world of freestyle, their innovation, skill, and accomplishment put what was then a little known ski area into the spotlight as a hotbed of innovative talent. These local heroes skied at a time, and in disciplines, that valued daring and skill overlaid with elegance and style. They were the elite athletes in their sport . . . in their era i > Gary Nate —_ - Tom Leavitt lent bet to win a world Seep in moguls on the pro tour. Tom etitive career ended prematurely in a ‘hang. gliding accident, but his considerable skills and distinctive style are still very much intact. Those who have seen him ski won’t be surprised by the following analysis. Through the extensive use of slow motion, it was determined that Tom makes three turns every second, whether he’s skiing a 50 degree slope, a groomer, powder, or crud . whether he’s cruising down Bear Hollow, or dropping into a chute in Hell? s Gary Nate on the slope. film featuring this year’s honorees a reality. Not only did he have to find the footage, he had to recognize the legends in their “in the day” hair, shades, and sprayed-on stretch pants Gary is on the mountain at Snowbasin most days in the winter skiing and shooting photos. You can recognize him as the guy with Warren Miller Films painted, silk screened, or embroidered on everything he wns. n A terrific photographer and skier, Gary deserved the salute and generous “thank you” for the enormous amount of talent and positive energy he has given to the sport of alpine skiing over the years. brothers. Scott also grew up on the slopes of Snowbasin, was also an accomplished gelande jumper, and continues to put in a 100 days a year on the hill. He’s hard Scott Leavitt to spot, other than in the lift line, because he’s always either leading, or close to the front of the pack, of the fastest group of skiers on the mountain. As soon as there’s enough snow coverage, he’s usually charging down the steepest and deepest of Snowbasin’s extraordinary off piste terrain. Scott skied in a number of Miller movies, including Ski Time, shot at Big Sky, Montana. When the snow melts, he loves traveling and immersing himself in different cultures. Outside of trips for skiing and the movies, he is among the most widely traveled of our Russia, Egypt, Finland, Austria, England, France . . . he has spent extensive Jeff Hyde throughout the Rocky Mountain and Western reoi Jeff is very active as a sponsor and volunteer for local events, including the highly acclaimed Ogden Valley Triathlon held each year in Huntsville, and the Snowdance. He donated many items that raised considerable money through the Snowdance auctions. The next Hyde generation may one-up the old man, as Jeff and his wife Bonnie’s son Dakota is accomplished enough on the skeleton to have appeared in a national television ad for Exon Mobile at the age of eighteen. Bob Salerno ss Bob Salerno o _ Freestyle Championship as a relative unknown on the national scene, and surely not the favorite. He startled the freestyle world by winning, and then dominated the sport for the next couple of years. Among his numerous titles were the World Super Hot Dog Champion, Aerials World i Professional and Mogul Champion. He was selected Ski Magazine’s Freestlyler of the Year and more recently fea- ‘i. Scott Leavitt time overseas. ott confides that through all of his eheceiatey outside of Utah, there is a quaint little establishment in the good ole USA’s hinterland of Alaska that remains his favorite. It’s known by the interesting acronym of ABC. That’s all he wanted to say, as he’s afraid it might change from overexposure and too many tourists. Tom and Scott Leavitt live in Ogden, and are associated with Leavitt Mortuaries, owned by their father, Tom Leavitt, Sr. missed a few days of school during the winters. quip Scott Leavitt Dean Perkins on the slope. ean grew up skiing at Snowbasin, and attended both Weber State and the University of Utah where he was not only a member of the ski teams, but the tennis teams. He played tournament tennis throughout Europe as well as competing on the International Ski Circuit as a member of the United States FIS World Cup Team. In addition to his accomplishments on the race course, tennis courts, and the movies, he has long been one of the most successful businessmen in the Western U.S. ski industry, owning Perkins Ltd., and serving for decades as an agent for Roffe and Demetre. Over the years he has maintained a close, enduring friendship with Warren Miller. Dean is a bonafide legend, and looks like a legend, but always acts like the true gentleman that he is. Tom Leavitt Tom _ started ment than most folks could ever hope to ski a forward. As the voice of experience io knew everybody who was anybody in the ski industry, Gary also took a couple of our honorees under his wing and played a big role in helping them get to the top of the freestyle world. Gary’s video stash and good memory played a critical role in making the a Success down anything landed him in twelve Warren Miller movies, and his jumping ability, combined with questionable judgment, established him as the early king of “jumping from things.” the camera’s rolled, he jumped from the tram at Snowbird, a helicopter at Brian Head, and a hot air balloon at Sun Valley .. . skiing away each time. speed, being in history. Tom’s skill Tom Leavitt in action. Jeff Hyde Jeff owns a number of businesses in Huntsville, including Tr er’s Village, and is currently build- sport of skiing, as Jeff Hyde both an athlete and businessman. Jeff was a quick, dedicated learner in his early years at Snowbasin, and ended up among the extraordinary group of young mogul, aerial, and ballet competitors who established the mountain as one of the meccas of freestyle—the high energy, free-spirited, creative alternative to the traditional sport of ski racin Jeff competed in the Western Amateur Freestyle Association and took third overall in the combined in the National Amateur Freestyle Championships in He appeared in the Warren Miller movies Ski Fever and Skiing in the Sun, and coordinated the balloon jump for Sun Valley’s soth Anniversary, which was also filmed by Miller. His business career in the ski industry started with a stint at Alpine Sports in Ogden. Dean Perkins, another of this year’s honorees, then hired to him to work with the Roffe and Demetre lines of ski clothing that Dean represented, and for the past twenty years Jeff has represented Hot Chillys and other ski and outdoor clothing and gear Bob Salerno tured as one of the magazine’s “Legends of Freestyle.” With the travel and time demands of freestyle stardom, Bob wasn’t able to spend as much time skiing at Snowbasin and ae ie perfecting new moves and mps as had in his earlier years. But thoes were oe times that kept him away and at the center of the crazy, creative, high energy culture of his sport The media often contrasted Bob’s friendly, slow, deliberate speech with his lightning quick feet and soaring, inverted, twisting aerials, and it proved a delightful combination that won him friends, fans, and lucrative contracts. In addition to seven Warren Miller movies, Bob appeared in three full length films, numerous commercials, and_ his motions on skis are captured as a skiing James Bond in the Tomorrow Never Dies Video game. Since 1971 Bob has been training, and training other skiers, on simulators. In 1992 he built the first simulators of his own design, which were to become the foundation for Virtual Snow, the company he runs today. Virtual Snow has numerous locations in the U.S. and Canada, and in 2005 the Virtual Snow Showcase DVD was released. Bob currently lives in Santa Monica, California. Bob Burns Bob Burns is credited by most people in the know for inventing freestyle mogul skiing as it is now practiced on the World Cup and Olympic level. SNOWDANCE cont. on page 21 |