HOF Innovator

Carolyn and I had dinner with Brian Fairbank and his wife Vicki last spring in Sun Valley. Brian was inducted to skiing's Hall of Fame a few years ago. Brian, chairman of the Fairbank Group, is best known as the guy who runs the Jiminy Peak ski Resort in Massachusetts. He and his son, Tyler, also run the Cranmore and Bromley ski resorts. I've known Brian for a long time. When I was a news reporter, a conversation with Brian offered honest insights into the economy of skiing. Jiminy is the ski area with the big wind turbine cranking away at the top of the hill. It helps reduce the power bill at Jiminy and it's cool to look at. He's been a leader in thinking up new ways to cut the cost of running a ski area so lift tickets don't rise beyond reach. He was also an early promoter of using shorter skis. and getting skiers to wear helmets.

He is an important innovator to the sport of skiing.