December 23, 2011 (Winchester, New Hampshire) – On December 20, John Frado, husband of Cross Country Ski Areas Association Executive Director Chris Frado, suffered head and brain injuries along with some broken ribs as a result of a fall from a barn roof that he is building at their home in southern New Hampshire.

Frado has been a pivotal figure in the cross-country ski business in North America since the early 1970s. During his career he designed and operated the national award winning trail system and environmental education center at Northfield Mountain, Massachusetts.

He is also a principal at the consulting firm Nordic Group International. Since 1985, he has been involved with over 120 trail, resort, and park projects in the U.S. and Canada. Among other achievements, his work at Great Glen Trails Park in Gorham, NH, won international acclaim for state-of-the-art trails, lodge and trail system.

He is also a founder and Director Emeritus of the Cross Country Ski Areas Association and was instrumental in developing the National Ski Patrol’s Nordic Division. He has authored numerous articles and manuals on sustainable trail design, environmentally pro-active recreation planning, and recreation management.

Frado is enormously respected and held in great affection throughout the industry both here and abroad for his generosity and vision. SkiTrax joins the Nordic community in wishing John a speedy recovery.