Peter S. Ecker (1898 - 1967)
Peter S. Ecker helped propel Utah's winter sports image to world-class status, quite literally, by leaps and bounds. Soon after migrating from his native Oslo, Norway in 1917, he combined his inherent skiing prowess with his keen business acumen to promote ski jumping tournaments at a diving, tree-lined chute east of Parley's Summit near Park City, Utah. During the 1930s, his extraordinary and enthusiastic efforts would attract thousands of spectators to the hill where they marveled at the exploits of daring ski jumpers from numerous countries as they perennially established national and world ski jumping records.
In 1933, those winter spectacles inspired Utah Gov. George H. Dern to name the jump site Ecker Hill. The founder and owner of a popular Salt Lake City photo emporium called Ecker Studios, Peter also kept skiing at the forefront of the news by promoting the sport from his status as president of the Utah Ski Club, a position he held for ten years in the 1930s and 1940s. His early-day contributions set a solid foundation for the success skiing enjoys today.
