January 9, 2017
Jason Levinthal, developer of the first twin-tip ski, has been selected by press members of the North American Snowsports Journalists Association as the recipient of the 2017 Carson White Snowsports Achievement Award.
Along the way he sold his ski company twice, won a medal in skiing’s first Winter X Games, patented a twin tip ski, was featured in Newsweek and The New York Times, spoke at colleges and TEDx talks, and was credited for discovering and fostering some of the most influential skiers of the past two decades. After selling Line to K2 Sports in 2006, he continued to work for them, steering the Line brand into one of the top five ski brands in North America by 2013, and masterminding the resurrection of the Raichle Flexon ski boot under the “Full Tilt” brand name.
In 2013 Levinthal left it all to start another new ski company called “J” with a mission to do things different by working alongside engineers, designers and manufacturers to build small quantities of limited edition skis. He then hand-signs and numbers each pair for a one-of-a-kind ski.
The Carson White Snowsports Achievement Award honors an individual or individuals who have made a significant contribution to the advancement of snowsports in North America, either achieved with a single, defining accomplishment or through a lifetime of snowsports endeavors. The award is named in memory of the first president of the U.S. Ski Writers Association, the predecessor of NASJA. Two years ago this award merged two prior awards, the Carson White Golden Quill and the Lifetime Achievement.
Previous Carson White Snowsports Achievement Award Winner:
2016 James Niehues – Artist, Ski Resort Mapmaker
Previous Carson White Golden Quill Award Winners:
1968 Dr. Merritt H. Stiles - U.S. Ski Association
1969 Ralph “Doc” DesRoches - Ski Industries of America
1970 Robert P. Beattie - International Ski Racers Association
1971 Harold S. Hirsch - Ski Industries of America
1972 Dorice Taylor - Sun Valley, ID
1973 Willy Schaeffler - U.S. Ski Association
1974 Fred Pabst Jr. - Bromley Mountain, VT
1975 Robert Parker - Vail Associates, CO
1976 Rudy Mattesich - Ski Touring Council
1977 Lowell Thomas - Pawling, NY
1978 Dave McCoy - Mammoth Mountain, CA
1979 Tony Wise - Mt. Telemark, WI
1980 Cliff Taylor - Hogback Mountain, VT
1981 Werner Schuster - Alpine Meadows, CA
1982 Hal O’Leary - Winter Park, CO
1983 Averell Harriman - Sun Valley, ID
1984 Sepp Ruschp - Mt. Mansfield-Stowe, VT
1985 Warren Miller - Warren Miller Productions
1986 Israel and Orville Slutzky - Hunter Mountain, NY
1987 Tom Corcoran - Waterville Valley, NY
1988 Lloyd T. Lambert - 70+ Ski Club, Ballston Spa, NY
1989 Norbert Fischer - Disabled Skiing Advocate
Doug Pfeiffer - Freestyle Skiing Pioneer
1990 Dev Jennings - Ski New England
Bill Lash - Professional Ski Instructors of America
1991 Jim Ward - U.S. Ski Hall of Fame
1992 Stein Eriksen - Deer Valley Ski Resort, UT
1993 Nancy Greene-Raine - Canadian Olympian
1994 John Fry – Founder NASTAR, Snow Country
1995 Dick Durrance - “The Man on the Medal”
1996 Jerry Groswold - Winter Park, CO
1997 Jake Burton Carpenter and Tom Sims – Snowboard Pioneers
1998 Stephen Bradley - Father of Snow Grooming
1999 Bernie Weichsel - Snow Show Producer
2000 Ned Gillette - Snowsports Adventurer
2001 Pete Seibert – Vail Founder
2002 Jeannie Thoren - Women’s Ski Equipment Innovator
2003 Ernie and Rhoda Blake - Founders Taos Ski Valley, NM
2004 Jerry Simon and Harry Leonard - Ski Show Promoters
2005 Jerry Nunn - Ski Patroller
2006 Carl Ettlinger - Vermont Ski Safety Research
2007 David Ingemie - Ski Industries of America
2008 Art Bowles - Introduction of first high-speed quad, Breckenridge Resort, CO
2009 Stu Campbell - Ski Snstructor, Racer & Journalist
2011 Mel Dalebout - Ski Boot Pioneer
2012 Greg Stump – Filmmaker
2013 Joe Cushing – Sno Engineering
2014 Michael Berry – National Ski Areas Association
2015 Bill Marolt – President & CEO USSA
Previous Lifetime Achievement Award Winners:
1993 Steve McKinney - Speed Skier
1996 Klaus Obermeyer - Obermeyer Ski Clothing
1997 Junior Bounous - Ski School Director
1998 Hans Gmsoer - Heli-Skiing Pioneer
1999 Everett Kircher - Boyne USA Resorts
Herbert Schneider - Cranmore, NH Ski School
2000 Anna McIntyre - Race Official, “Mama Halfpipe”
2001 Pepi Steigler - Jackson Hole Ski School Director
2002 Andrea Mead-Lawrence – Olympian & Activist
2003 Ginny Cochran - Cochran’s Ski Hill
2004 Otto Lang - Filmmaker
2005 John Fry - Founder NASTAR, Snow Country
2006 David Rowan - Publisher Ski Area Management
2007 Max & Edna Dercum - Co-founders Arapahoe Basin & Keystone Resort, CO
2008 Cecile Ryden Johnson – Artist, Painter
2009 Peter Ingvoldstad - Ski Instruction Innovator
2010 Charlie Meyers - Journalist
2011 Thom Perkins - Nordic Skiing Promotor
2012 Bob Beattie - Coach, Innovator, Broadcaster, Actor & Driving Force
2013 Richard Steadman - Orthopedic Surgeon
2014 Raelene Davis – Ski Utah
2015 Al Fletcher – Founder, Nashoba Valley, MA
Congrats @JLev
Jason Levinthal, developer of the first twin-tip ski, has been selected by press members of the North American Snowsports Journalists Association as the recipient of the 2017 Carson White Snowsports Achievement Award.
On a single-minded mission to change skiing, in 1995 he built the first twin tip skis as a college project, launching from his parent’s garage the now well-known brand “LINE”. His unique ability to keep his finger on the pulse of what’s next, backed by the persistence, know-how and guts to not be afraid to fail, enabled him to turn his vision into reality. The result is innovative products far ahead of their time, often credited for rejuvenating the sport while paving the way for other new start-up ski brands to follow.
Along the way he sold his ski company twice, won a medal in skiing’s first Winter X Games, patented a twin tip ski, was featured in Newsweek and The New York Times, spoke at colleges and TEDx talks, and was credited for discovering and fostering some of the most influential skiers of the past two decades. After selling Line to K2 Sports in 2006, he continued to work for them, steering the Line brand into one of the top five ski brands in North America by 2013, and masterminding the resurrection of the Raichle Flexon ski boot under the “Full Tilt” brand name.
In 2013 Levinthal left it all to start another new ski company called “J” with a mission to do things different by working alongside engineers, designers and manufacturers to build small quantities of limited edition skis. He then hand-signs and numbers each pair for a one-of-a-kind ski.
The Carson White Snowsports Achievement Award honors an individual or individuals who have made a significant contribution to the advancement of snowsports in North America, either achieved with a single, defining accomplishment or through a lifetime of snowsports endeavors. The award is named in memory of the first president of the U.S. Ski Writers Association, the predecessor of NASJA. Two years ago this award merged two prior awards, the Carson White Golden Quill and the Lifetime Achievement.
Previous Carson White Snowsports Achievement Award Winner:
2016 James Niehues – Artist, Ski Resort Mapmaker
Previous Carson White Golden Quill Award Winners:
1968 Dr. Merritt H. Stiles - U.S. Ski Association
1969 Ralph “Doc” DesRoches - Ski Industries of America
1970 Robert P. Beattie - International Ski Racers Association
1971 Harold S. Hirsch - Ski Industries of America
1972 Dorice Taylor - Sun Valley, ID
1973 Willy Schaeffler - U.S. Ski Association
1974 Fred Pabst Jr. - Bromley Mountain, VT
1975 Robert Parker - Vail Associates, CO
1976 Rudy Mattesich - Ski Touring Council
1977 Lowell Thomas - Pawling, NY
1978 Dave McCoy - Mammoth Mountain, CA
1979 Tony Wise - Mt. Telemark, WI
1980 Cliff Taylor - Hogback Mountain, VT
1981 Werner Schuster - Alpine Meadows, CA
1982 Hal O’Leary - Winter Park, CO
1983 Averell Harriman - Sun Valley, ID
1984 Sepp Ruschp - Mt. Mansfield-Stowe, VT
1985 Warren Miller - Warren Miller Productions
1986 Israel and Orville Slutzky - Hunter Mountain, NY
1987 Tom Corcoran - Waterville Valley, NY
1988 Lloyd T. Lambert - 70+ Ski Club, Ballston Spa, NY
1989 Norbert Fischer - Disabled Skiing Advocate
Doug Pfeiffer - Freestyle Skiing Pioneer
1990 Dev Jennings - Ski New England
Bill Lash - Professional Ski Instructors of America
1991 Jim Ward - U.S. Ski Hall of Fame
1992 Stein Eriksen - Deer Valley Ski Resort, UT
1993 Nancy Greene-Raine - Canadian Olympian
1994 John Fry – Founder NASTAR, Snow Country
1995 Dick Durrance - “The Man on the Medal”
1996 Jerry Groswold - Winter Park, CO
1997 Jake Burton Carpenter and Tom Sims – Snowboard Pioneers
1998 Stephen Bradley - Father of Snow Grooming
1999 Bernie Weichsel - Snow Show Producer
2000 Ned Gillette - Snowsports Adventurer
2001 Pete Seibert – Vail Founder
2002 Jeannie Thoren - Women’s Ski Equipment Innovator
2003 Ernie and Rhoda Blake - Founders Taos Ski Valley, NM
2004 Jerry Simon and Harry Leonard - Ski Show Promoters
2005 Jerry Nunn - Ski Patroller
2006 Carl Ettlinger - Vermont Ski Safety Research
2007 David Ingemie - Ski Industries of America
2008 Art Bowles - Introduction of first high-speed quad, Breckenridge Resort, CO
2009 Stu Campbell - Ski Snstructor, Racer & Journalist
2011 Mel Dalebout - Ski Boot Pioneer
2012 Greg Stump – Filmmaker
2013 Joe Cushing – Sno Engineering
2014 Michael Berry – National Ski Areas Association
2015 Bill Marolt – President & CEO USSA
Previous Lifetime Achievement Award Winners:
1993 Steve McKinney - Speed Skier
1996 Klaus Obermeyer - Obermeyer Ski Clothing
1997 Junior Bounous - Ski School Director
1998 Hans Gmsoer - Heli-Skiing Pioneer
1999 Everett Kircher - Boyne USA Resorts
Herbert Schneider - Cranmore, NH Ski School
2000 Anna McIntyre - Race Official, “Mama Halfpipe”
2001 Pepi Steigler - Jackson Hole Ski School Director
2002 Andrea Mead-Lawrence – Olympian & Activist
2003 Ginny Cochran - Cochran’s Ski Hill
2004 Otto Lang - Filmmaker
2005 John Fry - Founder NASTAR, Snow Country
2006 David Rowan - Publisher Ski Area Management
2007 Max & Edna Dercum - Co-founders Arapahoe Basin & Keystone Resort, CO
2008 Cecile Ryden Johnson – Artist, Painter
2009 Peter Ingvoldstad - Ski Instruction Innovator
2010 Charlie Meyers - Journalist
2011 Thom Perkins - Nordic Skiing Promotor
2012 Bob Beattie - Coach, Innovator, Broadcaster, Actor & Driving Force
2013 Richard Steadman - Orthopedic Surgeon
2014 Raelene Davis – Ski Utah
2015 Al Fletcher – Founder, Nashoba Valley, MA
Congrats @JLev
