Avon, CO – The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame will induct a class of eight athletes and sport builders Friday at a ceremony at Colorado’s Beaver Creek ski resort. Among the inductees will be two of the greatest Paralympic athletes of all time, Chris Waddell, of Park City, Utah, and Sarah Will, of Edwards, Colo.nWaddell and Will will be joined by adaptive skiing pioneer Jack Benedick (Golden, Colo.), legendary big mountain skier Doug Coombs, noted industry writer and instructor Stu Campbell, veteran ski jumping champion Ansten Samuelstuen, the father of southern skiing Sepp Kober (Hot Springs, Va.) and longtime U.S. Ski Team press officer and journalist Paul Robbins.

Friday’s induction at Gerald R. Ford Hall in Beaver Creek marks the first time Colorado has played host to the prestigious ceremony. The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame is joined in partnership by the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in Vail, as well as Vail Resorts, in hosting the induction, with proceeds benefiting both historical organizations.

“Beaver Creek is proud to host the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame induction ceremony and we are thrilled to honor and recognize these incredible individuals who have had a lasting impact on our sport,” said John Garnsey, co-president, Vail Resort and chief operating officer of Beaver Creek Resort. “We congratulate the newest members of the Hall of Fame and pay tribute to those who are no longer with us.”

“Hosting the Hall of Fame’s premier annual event in one of America’s premier Mountain resorts, Beaver Creek, is a major part of the Hall’s goal of bringing knowledge of the Hall and it’s honored members to today’s active skiers and snowboarders where they recreate,” said Hall of Fame Chairman Bernie Weichsel. Last year’s induction was held at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah, after several years at the SnowSports Industries American tradeshow in Las Vegas.

“The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame is excited to bring the induction of this outstanding class to Beaver Creek,” said Hall President and CEO Tom West. “The response from skiers and others in the ski community in Colorado and across the country has been outstanding.”

The adaptive skiing champions are the first to be named to the Hall of Fame since the late Diana Golden Brosnihan was named in 1997. It’s the largest class of inductees since 1984 for the Hall of Fame, which is located Michigan’s Upper Peninsula – the birthplace of organized ski competition in 1905.

Waddell, who was recently honored with induction into the Visa Paralympic Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, during the Paralympic Winter Games, and Will each won 12 Paralympic medals. Benedick, who lost his legs in Vietnam, was a Paralympic medalist who pioneered the U.S. Adaptive Ski Team in the 1980s.

“Chris Waddell and Sarah Will were model athletes,” said U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association President and CEO Bill Marolt. “Not only did they have the perseverance and drive to accomplish great athletic goals, but both have given back to their sport their entire careers. It was an honor to work with them as members of the U.S. Adaptive Ski Team.

“Jack Benedick was an amazing pioneer and really singelhandedly helped build the adaptive skiing program,” said Marolt. “His early efforts were a big part of the strength of the Paralympics today.”

The late Stu Campbell lived in Stowe, Vt., and was a writer, instructor and resort executive who impacted millions of American skiers over a career that spanned five decades.

The late Doug Coombs may be the most recognizable skier in this year’s class for his appearances in many ski films. He died while attempting to rescue a friend in a skiing accident in 2006 near Chamonix, France.

The late Paul Robbins spent three decades as a ski journalist and a U.S. Ski Team press officer. He possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of skiing and ski racers of every discipline that he willingly shared with anyone who asked.

“Paul Robbins left a lasting impact on ski racing,” said Marolt. “His wit, charm and beret were Paul’s trademark. But his vast knowledge and tireless work ethic were instrumental in telling our U.S. Ski Team story for three decades.”

Kober is known as the “Father of Southern Skiing.” After emigrating from Austria in 1957 and instructing that winter at Stowe, Vt., under the directorship of Sepp Ruschp, Kober struck out on his own to become the first ski instructor and ski school director south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Kober brought his talents for skiing to the first southern rope tow areas at Weiss Knob, W.V. and Wisp, Md. From there he pushed the boundaries of skiing further south to The Homestead Resort near Hot Springs, Va., where he took on duties as director of skiing and winter sports.

For the next four decades Kober was instrumental in ski resort development across the region. His experience with trail layout, rental equipment, lift systems and ski instruction was vital to the growth of southern skiing during the boom years of the sport.

Today the South Eastern Ski Areas Association, which Kober founded, consists of 20 ski areas serving four to five million skiers annually and is considered the largest feeder of skiers to the mountain resorts in the West and New England. He led the Southeast as a charter member of the National Ski Areas Association.

Ansten Samuelstuen, of Louisville, Colo., first competed in the United States as a ski jumper in 1951 and set a U.S. and North American distance record of 316 feet at Howelsen Hill in Steamboat Springs, Colo., that stood for 12 years.

After emigrating to the U.S. in 1954 he successfully won three national titles in ski jumping, (1957, 1961 and 1962) and held four North American titles (1954, 1955,1957 and 1964). In 1962 he set a Canadian distance record at Revelstoke, British Columbia, of 262 feet, becoming the first person to hold both the U.S. and Canadian records at the same time.

He competed for the United States on two Olympic teams (1960 and 1964) and was the top U.S. jumper with a seventh place finish at the 1960 Olympic Games in Squaw Valley, Calif.

In addition to the ceremony in Beaver Creek, the new honored members will also be recognized in September by ceremonies in Ishpeming, Mich., the home of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame.

The weekend of activities will also include a vintage ski race to honor the late Jimmie Heuga, who passed away in February. Participants will wear vintage ski gear from the era of their choice, with prizes for the best costumes. Top racers in each of four categories (adult and youth, wood or metal) will win an Epic Pass from Vail Resorts. Other prizes will include antique skis, snowshoes and more.

The Jimmie Heuga Memorial Vintage Ski Race will run from noon to 2:00 p.m. Saturday on the Hay Meadow, with the finish near the base of Centennial Lift #6.

Heuga, who won Olympic bronze in the 1964 slalom behind teammate and silver medalist Billy Kidd, dedicated his life to bettering the lives of multiple sclerosis victims after becoming afflicted with the disease himself.

“Jimmie Heuga has made a lasting impact on skiing and quality of life of thousands with MS so it is fitting that Beaver Creek, a resort right in his backyard, created a ski race in his honor that will transport all of us ‘back to the good old days,'” said Colorado Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame President Susie Tjossem. “Jimmie’s friends and admirers can make a few turns together and share happy memories of Jimmie and the great history and heritage of skiing in Colorado.”

Nominations for Honored Membership in the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame are received throughout the year from across the country. A Selection Committee under the chairmanship of Paul Bousquet reviews all nominations. Successful nominations are placed on a ballot that in 2009 was voted on by a panel of 100 electors. This year’s class brings the number of Honored Members to 368.