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Colorado
Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame  Edwin "Ned" Grant 1908-1968 Inducted into the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame 1993 | Home | Back to Alphabetical List | Year of Induction List | Back to Athlete | Back to Ski Sport Builder | Back to Inspirational |
Ned was born in Denver in 1908, and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1930. Dartmouth College has a long history of winter sports, and is the only college in the country to be represented on every US Winter Olympic team since the beginning. In those days, the Dartmouth Outing Club ran the skiing, and Ned was caught up in the events of the day - jumping, Cross-country and alpine skiing. He also played ice hockey.
When Ned returned from Dartmouth he joined the Arlberg Club, was elected to the board of Governors, and became the second president, succeeding Graeme McGowan. The two of them even went to Steamboat Springs in 1931, and gave a demonstration on how to ski. He also tried out for the 1932 Olympic Ski Team in Lake Placid, but did not make the team. He did win, however, the first downhill race in 1934 sponsored by the US Amateur Ski Association. About this time he met Thor Groswold, who was not only a superb skier but a real expert on skiing equipment. The Groswold Ski Co., was formed with Thor's expertise and Ned's backing. Soon the business was manufacturing 10,000 pairs of skis a year, and was not meeting the demand. Groswold skis became known all over the country. Dick Durrance, an Olympic skier and Dartmouth class of 1936, handled publicity for the growing company.
In 1940 the company received a request for bids on ski equipment from the US Army. Ned politely wrote back, pointing out a number of problems with the specifications, including the lack of poles! The army listened. Groswold Ski Company shipped skis to the 10th Mountain Division, as well as snowshoes.
After the War, Ned skied more with his family. Two sons went to Dartmouth, and a daughter helped found the Cornell women's ski team. In 1967 he bought a ranch in Steamboat Springs, and skied there that winter with his old Steamboat friends. Ned died that spring.