Sigurd Lockeberg

Percy Douglas, at one time President of the Canadian Amateur Ski Association (CASA) stated that he knew of no one who had contributed more to skiing in Canada than Sigurd Lockeberg. Born on 16 July 1886 in Beirum, Norway, Sigurd Lockeberg came to Canada in 1905, settling in Ottawa, Ontario, where he operated a successful machine shop for 59 years retiring at the age of 82.

For over 60-years his enthusiasm and vigor for skiing and its development were untiring and never wavered. Above all was his interest in ski jumping. In 1909, together with his brother Hans, he built a small ski jump in Rockcliffe Park, just a small distance from the Parliament Buildings and “across the road” from the Governor General’s residence. A year later, the Ottawa Ski Club was formed, reputedly the largest in the world at one time with some 14,000 members in 1973, with Sigurd Lockeberg elected its first President, an office he retained until 1913. Between 1910 and 1914, the jumping tower reached an imposing height, reaching over 100 feet, high enough to allow the Canadian Championship to be held on its formidable slope on February 28, 1914, an event won by Lockeberg who became Canadian Champion.

Lockeberg’s interest in skiing’s development went far beyond the confines of the Ottawa Ski Club. In 1920, the Canadian Amateur Ski Association (CASA), which was to become Canada’s national authority, was formed. Lockeberg was appointed a member of the Technical Board and in 1930, became its Chairman, a position he held until 1940. In 1920, he was the CASA delegate to the 11th International Ski Congress (Federation Internationale de Ski) held in Oslo, Norway. One of the issues discussed, the adoption of downhill and slalom racing at the international level, was to have a permanent influence on the development of skiing worldwide.

When the Canadian Championships were held in Revelstoke in 1931, he was sent as a delegate to the CASA meeting and participated in addition as a judge at the ski jumping competition. In 1932, he acted as Chairman of the Canadian Olympic Ski Committee and, with the assistance of Louis Grimes, selected the national team and carried out the preliminary work necessary to participate at the Olympic Winter Games at Lake Placid, New York

At the local level in Ottawa, he remained involved in ski jumping, constructing a new jump in 1933 at Camp Fortune in the Gatineau hills, which remains the centre for skiing activity in the region. In 1938, Camp Fortune made the jumping tower available for the Canadian Championship. Eventually, the tower collapsed and was replaced in 1946 with another which became known as the Lockeberg Jump. A adjacent lodge, constructed at the same time, was also named after him.

Such was his influence in the Ottawa Ski Club that when he resigned as first vice-president in 1949, the minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the Club recorded that “…the Executive could not get along without having Mr. Lockeberg’s valuable advice readily available, and that it had been decided to make him Honorary President with the right to attend Executive meetings and vote on all questions”. It was a position he would hold until his death in 1971.

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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