Colorado Snowsports Museum and Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2026

The Colorado Snowsports Museum and Hall of Fame are honored to announce the Class of 2026. This class didn’t inherit Colorado snow sports; they invented much of what it became. Helping build the modern infrastructure, culture, and legitimacy of their realm of snow sports, this is not a class built around one moment or medal. It’s a class built around decades of sustained contribution. Each inductee helped transform snow sports into something lasting and globally influential.

“Snowsports are integral to who we are as Coloradans. They’re our spirit, our state pastime, and our identity,” said United States Senator and former Governor of Colorado John Hickenlooper. “None of that endures without people who take that passion and push it to the next level. These trailblazers forged a path that will inspire Coloradans for generations to come.”

Trent Bush | Sport Builder

Trent has moved Colorado snow sports forward on a global scale, creating its culture, building its gear, and protecting its history. As a teenager, he drove the sport’s early growth through Wave Rave Boulder, organizing landmark snowboard events. His career spans four decades, from Twist, Burton/Analog, and SECTION to leadership roles at Mountain Hardwear, Black Diamond, and ARTILECT.

He has driven product design at the highest levels of performance across snowboarding, backcountry, and alpine skiing, shaping Colorado-driven innovation that reached the world, including for the Beijing 2022 US Olympic Uniform program while at Spyder.

Trent embraced, legitimized, and accelerated the growth of snowboarding, including advocating for women athletes. He has been instrumental in ensuring an accurate and meaningful representation for snowboarding through leadership and unwavering dedication to advancing and protecting snowboarding within the broader snow sports community.

Tim and Tracey Canaday | Sport Builders

The Canaday brothers founded Never Summer Snowboards, one of Colorado’s—and the world’s—most successful snowboard brands, which continues to produce boards in its Denver manufacturing facility to this day. Their influence extends beyond their own brand: the factory has also supported independent ski companies, including Icelantic Skis, Fat-ypus Skis, High Society Freeride Company, and Rocky Mountain Underground (RMU), helping sustain domestic ski and snowboard manufacturing.

Never Summer began in 1991 when the Canaday brothers relaunched their earlier venture, Swift Snowboards, founded in 1983 in Fort Collins after first testing homemade boards in the Berthoud Pass backcountry. For more than three decades, Never Summer has driven rider-focused innovation while strengthening Colorado’s reputation for snow sports creativity and craftsmanship.

Jeffrey Grell | Pioneer

Jeff is a pioneering force in snowboarding whose 1983–1984 invention of the“Hybak” high-back binding—built from modified ski boot cuffs—introduced precise heel-side control and revolutionized the sport. He patented the design, demonstrated its impact on Aspen’s Tiehack, and helped transform the sport of snowboarding from a fringe activity into a widely adopted discipline. Working with Tom Sims, he refined binding and board designs that remain industry standards and later co-founded the Rocky Mountain Snowboard Factory.

A 1985 Rocky Mountain Championships slalom champion, Grell also shaped the sport’s future as Aspen’s first Director of Snowboarding, co-author of the PSIA instruction handbook, creator of one of the first snowboard instructional videos, and a longtime coach, clinician, and FIS Technical Delegate—while organizing and backing hundreds of early competitions.

Alan Henceroth | Sport Builder

Alan has built a distinguished career spanning more than four decades in the Colorado ski industry. He has served as Chief Operating Officer of Arapahoe Basin Ski Area since 2005, after previously holding roles as Director of Mountain Operations (1998–2005) and Ski Patrol Director (1988–1998). Under his leadership, Arapahoe Basin has seen significant growth and modernization, including the 400-acre Montezuma Bowl expansion, Black Mountain Lodge, Black Mountain Express Chairlift, and major guest service enhancements.

Earlier in his career, Henceroth worked as a ski patroller and supervisor at Keystone Resort and served as a Forest Technician with the U.S. Forest Service in Alaska, Washington, and Utah. Known for his strengths in financial management, planning, and team leadership, Henceroth has played a key role in shaping Arapahoe Basin’s continued success and creating a culture of a rad work environment that is the envy of the industry.

Chris Pappas | Sport Builder

For 45 years, Chris has been integral in the evolution of Colorado’s snowboarding landscape, distinguishing himself as a pioneer in the sport’s early competitive and big-mountain arenas, as well as a visionary mentor and coach to countless up-and-coming athletes. Chris was an evangelist of early Colorado snowboarding, working with ski areas to open their minds and lifts to snowboarding.

As a competitor, he helped define and break boundaries. Since retiring, Chris has shifted his focus to coaching, and 50 years later, is still moving snowboarding forward. There is no person in Colorado, and maybe the world, who has personally affected as many riders as possible, or has been a greater advocate of the possibilities and joy of snowboarding than Chris.

“Never in a million years did I think these friendships and moments would become part of the pioneering foundation of snowboarding. So awesome seeing this crew recognized for their fun, creativity, and massive contributions to the sport — not just in Colorado, but worldwide,” said Shannon Dunn-Downing upon hearing the news of the incoming class. Dunn-Downing is a 2016 Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame member and pioneering American snowboarder who helped bring women’s snowboarding into the spotlight. She won a bronze medal in halfpipe at the 1998 Winter Olympics, becoming one of the sport’s first Olympic medalists and an influential figure in snowboarding’s growth. She went on to say, “Love these people and everything they helped build for snowboarding.”

Hall of Fame candidates are nominated under the established criteria of Athlete, Sport Builder, Inspiration, or Pioneer categories, with the Hall of Fame Nomination Committee evaluating and confirming nominees for the final ballot. The Hall of Fame Voting Panel is comprised of current Hall of Fame members, key snow sports industry representatives, snow sports resorts, and the Museum’s board of directors. Learn more about the Hall of Fame here: https://www.snowsportsmuseum.org/hall-of-fame

“These inductees didn’t just witness the evolution of Colorado snow sports; they drove it. Their contributions helped build the innovation and community that continue to define our industry today,” said Jennifer Mason, the Colorado Snowsports Museum’s executive director. “Their influence can be seen on the slopes and in the generations of athletes, skiers, and riders they inspired.”

Let’s fill those seats! The Celebration will take place at the Vilar this year.

The annual induction ceremony will occur on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at the Vilar Performing Arts Center, located in the heart of Colorado’s Beaver Creek Resort. The event is a great way to celebrate the inductees and Colorado snow sports. Tickets for general admission start at $75, with all proceeds going to support the Colorado Snowsports Museum, a non-profit organization, and the State of Colorado’s official snow sports museum..