Arthur (Art) Tommy

Art Tommy was the middle son in a highly talented Ottawa skiing family. Like his brothers, Andy and Fred, he was selected to represent Canada on the National Alpine squad, remaining a member of the team for 8-years from 1953 to 1960. He was also named to the 1956 Games at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy but was unable to compete after pulling ankle ligaments a month before the Games.

Unquestionably, he was one of the world’s best Alpine skiers of his generation, winning most of Canada’s major events including the Quebec Kandahar, the Ryan Cup and Taschereau, and finishing 11th in the Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS) overall World Cup standings in 1954.

Following his retirement from active competition, he helped coach a number of teams over a period of 15-years; the Canadian Alpine Ski Team, the Gatineau and Outaouais Ski Zone teams and Quebec Provincial Team. He also successfully entered the ski industry as a co-founder of one of Canada’s outstanding ski and sport retailers, Tommy & Lefebvre, and was named ski retailer of the year on several occasions. He was also a founding partner in the Edelweiss Valley Ski and Golf Resort which was designated a National Alpine Ski Team training site in 1987 and was home to both the Canadian Masters’ Association and Handicap Skiers Association (Quebec Division).

In 1985, he started the Canada-wide Master Retailer program which raised more than $500,000 for the national ski team. Dedicated to skiing, he was an active and vocal promoter of the sport for which he raised, not only considerable amounts of money, but also the visibility of the sport at both local and national levels.

Partial Competitive Highlights

1950
1st place, Taschereau Downhill, Mont Tremblant, Quebec

1951
2nd place, Taschereau, Downhill, Mont Tremblant, Quebec

1952
1st place, Downhill, Quebec Kandahar, Mont Tremblant, Quebec
1st place, Slalom, Quebec Kandahar, Mont Tremblant, Quebec
2nd place, Combined, United States Eastern National Championships, Stowe, Vermont
6th place, Combined, United States National Championships, Stowe, Vermont

1953
1st place, Combined, Laurentian Zone and Alpine Championships, Mont Tremblant, Quebec
2nd place, Giant Slalom, Mont Tremblant, Quebec

1954
11th place, Combined, Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS) World Championships
(best result to that date by a Canadian competitor at the World Championships)

1955
3rd place, Downhill and Slalom Compulsory Eligibility Trials for the

1956
Olympic Winter Games. Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy
8th place, Downhill, National Championships 1st place, Slalom, National Championships
1st place, Downhill, Quebec Kandahar, Mont Tremblant, Quebec

1958
2nd place, Downhill, Quebec Kandahar, Mont Tremblant, Quebec

1959
4th place, Combined, Men’s Kandahar, Mont Tremblant, Quebec
1st place, Slalom, Adams Memorial, Mount Orford, Quebec
1st place, Downhill, Quebec Kandahar
3rd place, Men’s Downhill, National Championships, Mount Orford, Quebec

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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