Youth skiing supporter, Martin Hale, dead at 81

A longtime supporter of youth ski racing in the Flathead Valley, Martin Hale died Sunday, July 8.

Hale, who was an accomplished skier himself, was 81.

Hale was a national junior champion ski racer, and later a coach, mentor and longtime ski school director at Big Mountain. He was inducted into the Flathead Ski Heritage Center hall of fame with the inaugural class of 2013.

In 2016 the Slalom Run off of Chair 2 at Whitefish Mountain Resort was renamed Nice Day to honor Hale’s years of support for youth ski racing. Hale was known for using the simple greeting of “Nice Day!” to welcome skiers to Big Mountain no matter the weather conditions.

Tim Hinderman says Hale was humbled to have the run named in his honor and its is an appropriate recognition.

“It gradually evolved and 30 years later he’d call me up on the phone and just say, ‘Nice Day,’” Hinderman said. “It was his trademark.”

Hinderman, executive director of the Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation, was coached as a ski racer himself by Hale and later worked alongside him coaching.

“He grew up in Whitefish and he really understood the economic, history and culture of skiing here,” he said. “He saw where skiing fit in the Flathead Valley and for the people in the valley.”

Hale was born in Whitefish and graduated from Whitefish High School in 1955. He skied for the high school race team and rose to national attention in 1955 when at age 17, he became the Junior National Combined Champion.

He set his sights on the Olympics, but broke his back in a training run at Sun Valley.

Hale went on to teach in the Big Mountain Ski School and in 1970 took over as the Ski School Director. He coached many young skiers on the local race team, including Tommy Moe, who went on to become an Olympic gold and silver medalist.

Jane Solberg, who skied alongside Hale as part of the high school race team, recalled Hale’s commitment as a ski coach and ski school director.

“Martin grew that part of the ski mountain,” she said. “He cared about kids and building up the program.”

Hinderman agreed saying Hale was an advocate for supporting kids who wanted to ski and do whatever he could to make sure that school groups could afford to come to the mountain.

“He did everything he could to make the experience accessible to anyone who wanted to try it,” said Hinderman. “It was the same with anyone who had an interest in ski racing, he would do whatever he could to figure out how to make it work and remove the obstacles.”

A scholarship in Hale’s honor to provide opportunities for kids to ski has been set up with the Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation, Hinderman noted, and that will carry on Hale’s tradition of working to get youngsters on the slopes.

Hale is survived by his four children. A memorial service for Hale will be held at 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 29 at Christ Lutheran Church in Whitefish.

A full obituary appears in the July 18 edition of the Pilot.