[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 2 (Tuesday, January 5, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E3]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO STEIN ERIKSEN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JASON CHAFFETZ

                                of utah

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 5, 2016

  Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an Olympic gold 
medalist, pioneering athlete and legendary skiing ambassador who had an 
immeasurable impact on the sport and on the State of Utah. Stein 
Eriksen passed away December 27 at the age of 88 following a long and 
storied career.
   For 35 years, Eriksen served as the Director of Skiing at Utah's 
famed Deer Valley Resort, where the renowned Stein Eriksen Lodge was 
named in his honor.
   His ski career began in 1947 when the 19-year-old Norwegian athlete 
won the downhill and combination event at the Holmenkollen Kandahar 
event. At the 1952 Oslo Olympics in his hometown, Eriksen became the 
first skier from a non-Alpine country to win an Olympic gold medal in 
Alpine skiing. Most significantly, Eriksen was the first man to win 
three gold medals in a single world championship in 1954.
   Upon his retirement from competitive skiing in 1954, Eriksen 
continued to shape the sport as a ski instructor and promoter of a new 
style of skiing. His elegant technique and gymnastic movements were 
transformative for the skiing world, ushering in a new era of freestyle 
skiing. He was the first well-known skier to do a flip on skis and 
reportedly did a back flip every day until he reached his 80s.
   Eriksen was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Utah 
Sports Commission in April, where he was lauded as one of the most 
influential athletes and businessmen in winter sports. Eriksen and his 
wife Francoise were the parents of 5 children.
   Today, I ask all Members of Congress to join me as we honor the life 
and legacy of skiing pioneer Stein Eriksen, whose indelible impact on 
winter sports will be felt by many generations to come.

                          ____________________