Ski administrator and builder, Dennis Adkin, was born June 5, 1919 at Monitor, Alberta. His first pair of skis was made at the local creamery, the ends turned up by steam. After World War II, he went to London, ON and almost immediately was enticed by a friend to help build up the newly-formed London Ski Club. A couple of years later he became club president, and continued as president or board member until moving to Saskatoon in 1965.
At Saskatoon he quickly became involved in skiing and got the ski club to move from the University site to a better riverbank site south of the city. When Saskatoon pondered alpine ski facilities for the 1971 Canada Winter Games, Adkin’s suggestion of building a hill provided the answer. Mt. Blackstrap was the result, putting Saskatchewan on the skiing map.
As an official of the Saskatchewan Ski Association, known as SASKI, Dennis has used his skills to promote skiing throughout Saskatchewan. He helped wipe out deficits, found corporate sponsors, created most of the promotional material himself, and founded the Saskatchewan SKI Journal to promote the sport.
In addition to extensive work with ski clubs in Ontario, Dennis has been president and executive member of SASKI for 19 years, executive director of SASKI for two years, and a director and executive members of the Canadian SKI Association for some 25 years. He has demonstrated active involvement in Canadian ski development for more than 40 years.
Installed in the Hall of Fame June 16, 1990
