November 11, 2008 (Stowe, VT) – Recently the Vermont Ski Hall of Fame, a part of this town’s Vermont Ski Museum, held their annual induction dinner for the Class of 2008, at the posh Stowe Mountain Lodge. Those awarded this special honor were adventure-skier and former biathlete Jan Reynolds, skiing historian Allen Adler, GMVS’s legendary founder Al Hobart, the late founder and visionary of Stowe Mountain skiing Sepp Ruschp, and the late Ned Gillette, a former US Olympic cross-country skier. All inductees are amazing and deserving group of individuals.

Ned had been a good friend to me and to his huge network of amigos around the planet. He had done everything on skis, he was a renaissance man of the sport if there ever was one. Gillette was killed in Pakistan in 1998 while trekking, along with his wife and former US Ski Team member Susie Patterson, who survived the unimaginable.

Gillette was a man of infinite interests who followed the advice of William James, who penned the words….”the strenuous life tastes better.” A native of Barre, Vermont he started out as a crackerjack cross-country racer. For a time hew was Dartmouth’s top xc skier, and won the NCCA Championships his senior year for the Big Green.

In 1968 Ned was named to the US Olympic XC Ski Team. His sense of humor and his easy going style were Gillette trademarks. We hiked together for two days during the US Ski Team’s hike on Vermont’s Long Trail and laughed a lot. I felt so accepted by him as a freshman at Fort Lewis College in Colorado.

Following his racing days he explored other ways to stretch his wings. He became a gifted and enthusiastic climber, and began another chapter of his life full of expeditions and adventures, with a large dose of creativity and daring. While doing that Ned and I worked together with the annual Norwegian Ski Council seminars that were conducted around the US promoting Norwegian ski gear, while I was working for NorTur promoting the brands of Epoke and Landsem skis. What fun we had. His favourite ski for many of his trips was the indestructible Epoke 900 – to my knowledge no longer in production.

Ned accomplished many things during that era – trips to circumnavigate Ellesmere Island, Everest , and Denali. Among these was a daring adventure he made with his friend Galen Rowell to climb Deanli in one day, or when he skied the tallest mountain in China, or trekked the Silk Route, or rowed the infamous “sea tomato”. It was vintage Ned. His pictures and text began appearing on the pages of National Geographic and Outside magazine, to mention but a few of his credits.

It’s now been over ten years since Ned was taken from us, but his memory and legacy live on inspiring those ready to challenge a new route or daring climb, another mountain top to summit, to ski off-piste or on groomed tracks, snap another photo on a bluebird day, and another day to laugh with friends.

Ned did it all and accomplished much while serving as a beacon to may who dream big dreams. I’m glad he was my friend.