Dave Murray

His accomplishments in life can’t be measured solely by his racing results. He was a much more complex man than just a ski racer. He was a deep thinker who realized skiing was just for the moment. He was a powerful influence on all of us. He gave us balance and perspective we wouldn’t have had without him. He was a creator.
– Steve Podborski

Dave Murray was one of the founding members, along with Jim Hunter and Dave Irwin, of the legendary Crazy Canucks and men’s alpine ski racing in Canada. He was also “…the conscience of (our) team. There were times when things would get heavy and he had the ability to point out when we were going a bit off the deep end.” (as quoted by Steve Podborski in the Ottawa Citizen, October 25, 1990)

Murray joined the national team in 1971 and remained with it for 11-years until his retirement in 1982. He was named to two Olympic Winter Games teams, 1976 at Innsbruck, Austria and in 1980 at Lake Placid, New York, USA. and three Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS) World
Championship Teams in 1974, 1978 and 1982, He competed on the FIS World Cup circuit for six years from 1976 until 1982, finishing in the top 10 15-times, his best season being 1975/76 when he finished in the top 10 in Downhill events on four occasions.

Following his retirement he became involved in a number of enterprises. He joined the Whistler Mountain ski Corporation as its Director of Skiing, developed and became National Chair of the “Canadian Masters Alpine Series” (Canada’s National Adult Recreational Racing Series), founded the Dave Murray’s Whistler Summer Ski Camp and was a product consultant and promotional spokesperson for a number of well-known companies involved in the skiing industry. He was also a Level III Coach for the Canadian Ski Coaches Federation (CSCF) and a Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance Level III instructor.

In 1979, ranked third in the world in downhill by the Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS), he was named British Columbia Athlete of the Year. Six years later, in 1985, he was inducted into the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame.

Competitive highlights in national and international (FIS No. 10201) competition (top ten finishes):
1974
8th place, Downhill event, FIS World Ski Championships, St, Moritz, Switzerland

1975
6th place, Combined events, FIS World Cup, Megeve, France
7th place, Downhill event, FIS World Cup, Schladming, Austria

1976
10th place, Downhill event, FIS World Cup, Wengen, Switzerland
7th, place, Downhill event, FIS World Cup, Wengen , Switzerland
7th place, Combined event, FIS World Cup, Wengen, Switzerland
8th place, Downhill event, FIS World Cup, Kitzbuhel, Austria

1977
8th place, Combined event, FIS World Cup, Wengen, Switzerland
2nd place, Giant Slalom event, Shell Cup Canadian National Championships, Mont Ste Anne, Quebec
6th place, Slalom event, Shell Cup Canadian National Championships, Mont Ste Anne, Quebec

1978
2nd place, Downhill event, FIS World Cup, Les Houches, France
2nd place, Downhill event, FIS World Cup, Schladming, Austria
8th place, Downhill event, FIS World Cup, Val Gardena, Italy

1979
9th place, Downhill event, FIS World Cup, Crans Montana, Italy
3rd place, Downhill event, FIS World Cup, Lake Placid, USA
9th place, Downhill event, FIS World Cup, Val d’Isere, France
2nd place, Downhill event, Canadian National Championships
6th place, Slalom event, Canadian National Championships
1st place overall, Shell Cup Canadian National Championship
Tied with Steve Podborski for 10th place overall FIS World Cup Downhill standings

1980
10th place, Downhill event, XIII Olympic Winter Games, Lake Placid, USA
7th place, Downhill event, FIS World Cup, Val d’Isere, France
3rd place, Downhill event, Shell Cup Canadian Championships, Lake Louise, Alberta

1981
2nd place, Downhill event, Canadian National Championships

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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