Fred Urquhart

President of the Laurentian Zone (1946-1948) of the Canadian Amateur Ski Association (CASA) in the years after World War II, Fred Urquhart was responsible for reviving an almost dormant Zone to a level of success that assured its place as the leading area for skiing competition in Canada in that era. Internationally known races such as the Ryan Cup, Taschereau and Kandahar provided unprecedented levels of quality and intense competition as a consequence of his organizational skills.

His abilities were quickly recognized when, in 1947, he was elected President of the CASA, a position he held until 1949. The after-war years were a period in which, understandably, the CASA was in disarray and it was Fred Urquhart’s leadership that the organization recovered to look forward with confidence to the future. After his retirement, he became manager of one of the largest and most successful national alpine teams ever sent to compete in world competition at Aspen, Colorado, USA. One of the team’s members, Ernie McCulloch, described as
“skier of the half-century” and a member of the team, tied for 4th place in the Giant Slalom event.

He also founded the Ptarmigan Ski Club, a club oriented almost entirely to ski racing, which placed 4-competitiors in the top 10 at the Canadian national championships in 1947. Competitors form the club went all over North America to compete achieving such outstanding results that the best were selected to represent Canada at the 1948 V Olympic Winter Games at St Moritz, Switzerland and the Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS) team in 1950.

In the early 1950s in partnership with his great personal friend, the legendary Herman Smith-Johannsen, O.C. (1875-1987), he organized the successful introduction of the Jackrabbit League, a training program designed to encourage young skiers to become involved in cross-country skiing.

Please Note: The ski information gathered here is compiled from a number of sources; it may not be inclusive of all accomplishments.
Copyright © 2021, Canadian Ski Museum. For Personal/Educational use only. All Rights Reserved.