There never has been a weather forecast calling for snow that Bill Marolt didn’t like.
For most of his 71 years, or at least as far back as when he started down the slopes on skies, a report of a good base of snow or fresh powder was just what he wanted to hear.
“From Labor Day on, we started counting the days to the first snow,” Marolt said. “It was a family thing and, being in Aspen, the amount of snowfall was a big part of our lives.”
While growing up in Aspen, the snow-covered ski slopes outside his backyard were his playground.
The landscape didn’t change when he went to the University of Colorado and became part of the men’s ski team. Nor did it when he advanced to international competition as a member of the U.S. men’s ski team and competed in the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck.
During the competitive part of his career, Marolt became part of a special group that struck the fancy of the American public and put ski racing on the map.
During his time at CU, Marolt won four NCAA individual skiing titles for coach Bob Beattie and was a teammate of Billy Kidd and Jimmie Heuga. Those four joined previous CU skiers Buddy Werner and Chuck Ferries on the U.S. Ski Team.
“That was a special time for the U.S. ski program and a special group of individuals,” Marolt said. “We were able to raise the interest in ski racing in the United States.”
Werner was the best-known American ski racer internationally when he died April 12, 1964, in an avalanche near St. Moritz, Switzerland. Earlier that year, Kidd earned a silver medal and Heuga a bronze in the slalom at the Innsbruck Olympics, providing the United States with its first Olympic medals in men’s alpine skiing.
Marolt retired from racing in 1968, became coach of CU’s ski team in 1969 and directed the Buffs to seven NCAA titles. He left to become the U.S. Olympic alpine coach in 1984 but returned to CU after the Olympics to become athletic director.
While at the helm of CU’s athletic program for 12 years, the Buffaloes won a national title in football in 1990.
Marolt left CU for Park City, Utah, in 1996 to become president and CEO of what would become the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. He found the snow in Utah to be as rewarding as he found it in Colorado.
However, the magnitude of his job increased dramatically. When Marolt first arrived in Park City, the main function of the office was to oversee the alpine and nordic ski teams. But since then the snowboarding and freestyle ski teams have been added to the agenda.
Marolt took on the added responsibility as if he were next up in a downhill race.
“Our goal was to be best in the world,” Marolt said of the challenge. The U.S. team’s showing in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics allowed Marolt to finish his statement.
“We were the best in the world,” Marolt said.
The U.S. team won eight medals in alpine skiing, four in nordic skiing, five in snowboarding and four in freestyle for a grand total of 21.
Marolt retired after the Sochi Winter Olympics this year and returned to Boulder.
He still on occasion can hear the crunch of snow under his feet. But it also is a return to a place that was a special time in his roots. There’s a connection to names that easily come to mind — Kidd, Heuga, Werner and the others.
“Not only do I think of them, but I see them in my mind on a regular basis,” Marolt said. “Our connection is lifelong.”
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296, imoss@denverpost.com or
Marolt bio
Born: Sept. 1, 1943, in Aspen
High school: Aspen
College: University of Colorado
Family: Wife Connie, daughters Katy and Shannon
Hobbies: Mountain biking, gardening
In the future: Travel
Residences: Boulder and Scottsdale, Ariz.
