Colorado
Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame

William "Billy" Kidd 1943
 
Inducted into the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame 1986
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          Billy has roots in Stowe, Vermont where he learned the fundamentals of ski racing.  He skied for the University Vermont of the Mountains ski team.  He has been a Colorado resident since he attended the University of Colorado, in the mid-sixties.  He has since set his roots down in Steamboat Springs, where he represents the area as a goodwill ambassador, wearing his familiar feather-trimmed cowboy hat.

          Billy was the first American male alpine racer to win an Olympic medal, which was the silver at Innsbruck, Austria in 1964.  He also placed seventh in the giant slalom and 16th in the downhill in those games, and four years later, in Grenoble, he finished 5th in giant slalom and 18th in downhill.  In 1970, he became the first American man to win a world championship, taking the combined gold at the FIS meet at Val Gardena, Italy.  Shortly after that, he turned pro and became the first champion of that series.

          Currently Director of Skiing at Steamboat, he is also a writer for "Skiing Magazine," and of three books (his Billy Kidd's Ski Racing Book is considered to be the most complete on the subject), lecturer, director of junior racing camps and broadcasting for CBS sports.  He also is a design consultant for several ski products, and is the Head Coach for the Special Olympics.


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