[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 15 (Tuesday, February 2, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E116]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           HONORING NIC FIORE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 2, 2010

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Nic 
Fiore. Mr. Fiore passed away on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 at the age of 
88. A celebration and tribute to the life of Mr. Fiore and his wife, 
Midge, will be held on Saturday, December 5, 2009, at the Curry Village 
Pavilion in Yosemite Valley.
  Mr. Nic Fiore was born on December 1, 1920, in Montreal, Canada. He 
was one of 12 children. After serving in the Canadian Army during World 
War II, he abandoned his dream of becoming a championship European bike 
racer and taught skiing in the Laurentian Mountains north of Montreal. 
In 1947, Mr. Fiore was recruited by Luggi Foeger, then ski school 
director at Badger Pass. He drove into Yosemite Valley for the first 
time on December 8, 1947.
  Mr. Fiore originally planned on staying only 4 months at the Badger 
Pass ski area. One ski season became the next and he became more 
involved in various operations of the park. While teaching skiing in 
the winter, he worked in the hotels in the park over the summers, 
including serving as maitre d' of the Ahwahnee Hotel and managing the 
Glacier Point Lodge and the Wawona Hotel. In 1956, Mr. Fiore was named 
director of the Badger Pass Ski School, and in 1963 he also began 
managing Yosemite's five High Sierra camps in the wilderness back 
country. Mr. Fiore served as the director of the Yosemite's Ski and 
Snowboard School at Badger Pass ski area for 45 years before assuming 
the role of ``ski ambassador'' in 2001.
  Early in Mr. Fiore's career, he became concerned with the integrity 
of ski instructors. In the late 1940s, he joined the newly formed 
California Ski Instructors Association. Through the organization, he 
advocated for the creation of a national ski instructors association to 
promote the quality and consistency of instructors. In 1961, the 
Professional Ski Instructors of America was founded. Mr. Fiore remained 
vigilant in pushing the national organization to maintain high 
standards for the certification process of ski instructors. He served 
as executive director of the western division of the Professional Ski 
Instructors of America for nearly 30 years. For his tremendous service 
to Badger Pass Mr. Fiore has received various honors; including the 
prestigious Charlie Proctor Award in 1986 from the Sierra Chapter of 
the North American Ski Journalist Association.
  While well into his 80s, Mr. Fiore skied nearly every day and taught 
occasional lessons during the 2003-2004 season. It is estimated that in 
his 50 years with Badger Pass, Mr. Fiore taught 100,000 guests how to 
ski. In 2004 Mr. Fiore underwent heart surgery and in May 2009 suffered 
from a stroke. Mr. Fiore was preceded in death by his wife, Midge. He 
is survived by his two daughters, Cindy and Nicole, as well as eight 
grandchildren.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today to posthumously honor Nic Fiore. I invite 
my colleagues to join me in honoring his life and wishing the best for 
his family.

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