Dean Roberts (1931 - 2015)
As a child, Dean Roberts carried his skis to school so he could “fly” off jumps he built along the way. He held a natural passion for the sport and by the eighth grade, he was a regular at Snowbasin, learning the art of alpine skiing.
At age 17 Dean was a competitive ski jumper and member of both the Weber State and the University of Utah alpine ski teams. In 1959, Dean certified with the Intermountain Ski Instructors Association. Five years later Dean became the owner and director of the ski school at Solitude - the mountain he loved more than any other. In 1994 he became Solitude’s Director of Skiing.
Dean is an Honorary Lifetime member of the PSIA-Intermountain Division, and in 2006 was selected to the PSIA-AASI-Intermountain Ski Instructors Hall of Fame. In 2011 he received his 50-year pin, along with a letter which encapsulates the essence of his remarkable career and echoes the sentiments of a grateful ski industry.
The letter reads in part: “Thank you for introducing thousands to the wonders of sliding on snow.”
