Sal grew up in Southern California and began skiing at age 18 at Rebel Ridge Ski area in Southern California. He began teaching skiing in 1963 on a ski deck built in a ski shop parking lot.
Sal began working as a trail crew chief when Snowbird first opened in 1971. In 1972, he became the first manager of the Inn at Snowbird, and in 1973, the manager of the Lodge at Snowbird. Sal obtained his certification for the Professional Ski Instructors of America-Intermountain Division (PSIA-I), and joined the ski school as a full time instructor. In 1975, he was appointed Ski School Supervisor.
Over the years, Sal was involved in coaching, certification, and training programs for PSIA and PSIA-I. He served as Dean of the PSIA National Academy held at Snowbird, was Head Coach and Clinic Organizer for PSIA-I Technical and Clinic Teams, served on the PSIA-I Board of Directors, served as Clinic Chairman, and was Certification Examiner. He authored several technical ski articles for PSIA-I and national ski publications.
In June of 1981, Deer Valley Resort hired Sal to be the Ski School Manager for its inaugural opening. This position eventually became known as the Director of Skier Services, which included ski school operations, lift ticket sales, the children’s center, and ski rentals. He held this position until his retirement in 2002.
After 21 years of full-time service, he continued teaching skiing part-time at Deer Valley until 2016. At that time, he formed the Snowy Mountain Consulting and Marketing Group to assist organizations in the resort, recreation, and hospitatlity industries.
Sal was awarded National Lifetime Membership of PSIA and in 2019 he was inducted into the PSIA-I Ski Instructors Hall of Fame for his dedication to the ski teaching profession and his contributions to the sport of skiing.
