Arnold Midgley

As a competitor, Arnold Midgley’s alpine skiing career began in 1948 with local competition through the Ottawa Ski Club, Ottawa, Ontario, part of the Gatineau Zone of the Canadian Ski Association. From 1953 to 1955, he was a member of Carleton College (later Carleton University) Ski Team and from 1955 to 1957 Queen’s University Ski Team, Kingston, Ontario. He competed at the Ontario Quebec Athletic Association Conference becoming Downhill, Slalom and Alpine Champion at Collingwood, Ontario, in 1956, and Slalom and Alpine Champion at Mont Gabriel, Quebec, in 1957.

In 1957 and 1958 while living in England, he became a member of the Ski Club of Great Britain’s training squad and a member of the British Universities Ski Club (BUSC) team racing against the Swiss Academic Ski Club (SAS) during British Ski Racing Week (combined with the Commonwealth Winter Games) at St Moritz, Switzerland, in January 1958. Also competing in the races was the Canadian men’s team training for the Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS) Championships to be held at Bad Gastein, Austria. He had outstanding results winning four races including the Roberts of Kandahar Downhill and Slalom events. In April 1958, he traveled to Geilo, Norway with BUSC to compete against the Bergen University team winning both the Slalom and Giant Slalom events.

In 1958-1959, he was a member of the Canadian training squad in Europe attached to a larger girls’ team based at Kitzbuhel, Austria, where they trained under the legendary Pepi Salvenmoser. He competed in major races at Adelboden, the Lauberhorn at Wengen, the Hahnkamm at Kitzbuhel and at the Arlberg-Kandahar, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany in which Canadian National Team member, John Semmelink, died of injuries suffered in a crash in the downhill event.

Returning to Canada for the 1959-1960 season, he was a member of the first National Alpine Ski Team to train in Western Canada at Rossland and Kimberley, British Columbia. He competed at the United States Championships, Alta, Utah, at the Roch Cup event held in Aspen, Colorado and was selected an alternate member in support of the National Alpine team which competed at the Olympic Winter Games, Squaw Valley, California. When the Team returned from the Olympic Games, he won the Slalom and Combined titles at the Canadian National Championships, Camp Fortune, Quebec. He won the Canadian National Championship in Combined events again in 1962 at Mont Orford, Quebec.

As a coach and member of both national and international skiing bodies, his contribution to the world of skiing continued long after his competitive career was over:

Involvement as a coach:

1960-1964
Coached at the Ottawa Ski Club, Camp Fortune Quebec, Junior skiers in the Gatineau Ski Zone, Quebec Division, Canadian Ski Association. Coached the Quebec Division Junior Team at the Canadian Junior Championships held in Thetford Mines, Quebec in 1960; Banff, Alberta in 1961; and Port Arthur, Ontario in 1963.

Involvement with the Canadian Ski Association at local and national levels:

1960 –1965
Technical Chair, Gatineau Ski Zone, Quebec Division, Canadian Ski Association (CSA) Technical Chair, Canadian Ski Association (CSA)
Member, International Competitions Committee (ICC), CSA Represented Gatineau Ski Zone at CSA conventions

Involvement with the Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS):

1962
Named as an additional member to the FIS Downhill-Slalom Committee and one of the first slate of Canadian representatives named to begin participation in FIS committees.

1963-1975
Named as a member of the FIS Downhill-Slalom Committee (later Alpine Committee). Served as first member on a variety of sub-committees and new committees convened to deal with the changing nature of Alpine competition, including Rules & Control of Competitions sub-committee, Points sub-committee, Alpine Course sub-committee and World Cup Committee.

1963-1979
Member of the Canadian delegation to eight biennial FIS Congresses

1975-1979
Elected to the FIS Council and served until resigning in 1979

Involvement in technical training:

1965-1966
Acted as liaison technical consultant to the western organizing committee (Mount Norquay, Banff, Alberta 1965 and Whistler Mountain, British Columbia, 1966) of the two race duMaurier series of international races which was the start of Canada’s involvement as a host to international competition.

Involvement in international competition promotion:

1972-1978
Active in promotion activities (also within the FIS) for sites bidding for major international competition including the Banff/Lake Louise bid for the 1972 Olympic Winter Games, Lake Louise for the 1974 Alpine World Championships, Garibaldi/ Whistler Mountain for the 1976 Olympic Winter Games and Whistler Mountain for the 1978 Alpine World Ski Championships.

Involvement as an international/national technical delegate:

Served as a delegate to major international competitions starting before the formal role of a technical delegate was defined. Officiated at the 1968 Buddy Werner Memorial Team Race, Vail, Colorado; three times at World Cup downhill events at Aspen, Colorado; World Cup downhill events at Sugarloaf, Maine, and Vail, Colorado; United States Championship downhill events at Copper Mountain, Colorado and at Nor-Am technical races held at Stratton, Vermont.

He was also active on the national scene volunteering his wide experience to organizing committees at a number of racing venues including, Whistler Mountain, British Columbia; Crabbe Mountain, New Brunswick; Osler Bluffs and Georgian Peaks, Ontario; Mont Ste Anne, Le Relais, Owl’s Head, Chantecler, Mont Garceau and Mont Tremblant, all in Quebec.

Involvement as an International Jury Member

Selected by the Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS) to serve as a Jury Member at Olympic Winter Games (OWG) and Alpine World Ski Championships (WSC) events:

» 1970 – WSC / Val Gardena, Italy, Women’s Downhill
» 1974 – WSC / St Moritz, Switzerland, Men’s Slalom
» 1976 – OWG / Innsbruck, Austria, Women’s Giant Slalom

He was also selected for the 1966 WSC Portillo, Chile; 1968 OWG Grenoble, France and the 1972 OWG Sapporo, Japan, but was unable to attend.

In addition to his considerable contribution to skiing as a competitor and administrator, he used his professional engineering skills to design the electrical power and control systems for major snowmaking and power supply installations at a wide variety of skiing venues, including:

» Wentworth and Cape Smokey, Nova Scotia
» Sugarloaf Mountain, Maine, USA
» Mont Tremblant, Mont St Sauveur, Bromont, Morin Heights and Orford, Quebec
» Killington, Mount Snow, Stratton Mountain, Jay Peak and Sunapee in New England, USA
» Blue Mountain, Georgian Peaks, Craigleith, Devil’s Glen and Alpine Ski Club in Ontario
» Nakiska and Canada Olympic Park for the 1988 Winter Olympic Games, Calgary, Alberta
» Vail and Pike’s Peak, Colorado, USA
» Panorama, British Columbia
» Thredbo, New South Wales, Australia

Involvement with the Canadian Ski Museum

» Supported proposal by Mary Brough to gain approval from Canadian Ski Association to establish Museum in 1966
» Chairman of Museum in 1975/76 when Canadian Ski Museum incorporated
» Returned to Ottawa from C. in 1987, rejoined Board of Museum and elected Chair at AGM in June 2002

Please Note: The ski information gathered here is compiled from a number of sources; it may not be inclusive of all accomplishments.
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