Robert (Bob) Richardson

Robert “Bob” Richardson’s love of skiing led him to great heights as an athlete, coach and builder of the sport in Canada, with multiple victories and strong performances on both national and international circuits.

Born in Magog, Que., in 1927, Richardson lived with his grandmother until her death in 1945, after which he moved to Mont-Tremblant. He began skiing in 1942, at the age of 15, after joining friends to help cut a trail at Mont Orford. The initiative was led by a local dentist, Dr. Marston Adams, who lent him a pair of skis. A natural athlete, Richardson quickly took to the sport and later said, “I seriously taught myself to ski, practising right and left turns until they felt right. I absolutely loved the sport.”

Encouraged by Joseph Ryan, owner of Mont-Tremblant, and legendary ski school director John Fripp, Richardson began racing and rose quickly through the ranks. In 1951, he won the Canadian championship in the combined event at Saint-Sauveur.

He was named to Canada’s national team for the 1952 Olympic Winter Games in Oslo, Norway. There, Richardson made headlines for quietly gathering fruit and food from the Olympic dining hall and giving it to impoverished local children outside the athletes’ village—a generous act that only came to light later.

In 1953, he won the prestigious Quebec Kandahar at Mont-Tremblant. In 1954 and 1955, he claimed both the Colonial Airlines Ski Trophy and the Canadian championship title in the combined.

After returning from Oslo, Richardson was hired to supervise summer construction at Mont Gabriel and later became ski school director in winter. His expertise in ski area planning and trail design was instrumental in the development of several major Quebec ski areas, including Mont Orford, Glen and Owl’s Head.

He served as ski school director at several hills: Mont Gabriel (1956–58), Mont Habitant (1959–60), Glen Mountain (1963–65) and Owl’s Head, where he remained from 1966 until his retirement in 1995. A Level 3 instructor with the Canadian Ski Instructors’ Alliance (CSIA), Richardson was also a director and examiner with the CSIA from 1959 through the 1970s.

Richardson was also the first person known to ski Whistler Mountain. In 1960, before development began, he was invited by Sidney Dawes, then president of the Canadian Olympic Committee, to assess Whistler as a potential Olympic site. On a week-long helicopter survey with Dawes and B.C. premier W.A.C. Bennett, Richardson skied the full vertical descent from Whistler’s summit—making history in the process.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

• 1949 – 3rd, combined, Canadian championships
• 1950 – 2nd, combined, Canadian championships
• 1951 – 2nd, combined, Quebec Kandahar; 1st, combined, Canadian championships; 2nd, downhill, Quebec championships
• 1952 – 2nd, combined, Quebec Kandahar
• 1953 – 1st, combined, Quebec Kandahar; 3rd, combined, Canadian championships; 1st, giant slalom, Quebec championships
• 1954 – 2nd, combined, Quebec Kandahar; 2nd, combined, Canadian championships
• 1955 – 1st, combined, Canadian championships
• 1956 – 2nd, combined, Quebec championships

Note: The information gathered in this biography was compiled from a number of sources; it may not be inclusive of all accomplishments. Copyright © Canadian Ski Hall of Fame & Museum. For personal and/or educational use only. All rights reserved.