Beat von Allmen (1941 - )
Blending the demands of recreation with the delicacies of nature is a monumental task. To the delight of skiers worldwide, Swiss-born ski racer-turned-ski coach-turned civil/mechanical/environmental engineer, Beat von Allmen is equal to the task. His uncanny mountain resort design talents are enshrined at ski areas throughout the world, including numerous venues in the Intermountain West.
As a member of the Swiss National Ski Team from 1963 to 1967, including its 1964 Olympic team, Beat strived for perfection. This trait transcended his ski coaching years with the University of Vermont and the Snowbird Race Teams he started in 1971, and later his ski area design consulting firm, Alpentech, in Salt Lake City. His expertise brought him international acclaim and won him the Ski Area Design Award from the National Ski Areas Association for his work with Utah’s Solitude Ski Area. For the American Society of Civil Engineers, he delivered papers on skier safety, slippery skiwear, ski slope crowding and transportation/terrain sustainability. He created touring maps for skiers and hikers in the Wasatch, Uinta, and Stansbury Ranges. More recently, he designed mountain transportation systems for skiers as found in the Swiss Alps, such as the proposed Alta Railway.
In the annals of planning, designing, expanding and connecting safe mountain recreation in sensitive natural areas, Beat von Allmen epitomizes the balance between development and nature.
