Category: Media Gallery

Dave Irwin’s life has always been on the mountain’s leading edge.

Today, he is President/Owner of Mountain Image Distributors Ltd. in Canmore, Alberta a company that he started and built up, specializing in sales of all custom imprinted lapel pins and promotional products.

Dave’s ski career is noted by his winning ski style and commitment.  This prompted Swiss journalist Serge Lang, founder of World Cup Skiing, to coin the nickname “Crazy Canuck” in the finish corral following Dave’s run on Switzerland’s Wengen Lauberhorn downhill, January 10^th, 1976.

Canada’s “Crazy Canucks” took the top off the previously European-dominated World Cup downhill ski racing. Together with teammates Ken Read, Steve Podborski and the late Dave Murray, Dave became Canadian folklore.

Dave ended the 1½ year undefeated reign of skiing Austria’s Franz Klammer when Dave won the World Cup downhill at Schladming, Austria, on December 21, 1975. This 1.61 second win remains the largest margin of victory in World Cup downhill.

An 11 year career on the National Team, which started at 17 year’s of age, spanned the period from 1971 to 1982. He competed in two Olympic Winter Games, finishing 8^th in 1976 at Innsbruck and 11^th at Lake Placid in 1980.  Dave also came 3^rd at the Molson World Cup Downhill in Whistler, in 1982 and won the 1980 North American downhill championship at Squaw Valley, California. His many skiing successes earned him induction into five Canadian Sports Halls of Fame.

Dave’s skiing accomplishments include:

 n  Certified Ski Instructor Level IV and Ski Coach Level III.  Dave attained his Level IV in 1982, the only person to reach this level while still a member of Canada’s National Ski Team.

n  Head Coach of the New Zealand National Ski Team in 1982.

n  CBC-TV “Sportsweekend” color commentator in 1982-83 for World Cup Skiing.

n  Marketing Director for Sunshine Village Ski and Summer Resort near Banff from 1983 to 1988.

n  Instructing and/or directing adult ski improvement “Dave Murray Masters Ski Camps” continuously from 1983 to 1998.

n  Placing sixth in the Jeep King of the Mountain’s 1995-96 overall standings with skiing legends such as Franz Klammer, Pirmin Zurbriggen and Phil Mahre.  Top Canadian on the tour, he placed fourth in three consecutive events and helped the Canadian team including Felix Belczyk and Steve Podborski place second twice.

n  Competing in the Golden Gate Productions ski legend events, including the “MCI World Downhill Tour”, “Wendy’s World Downhill Championships” and the “MCI Relay Downhill Tour”. (1996 to 98)

n  Combining with teammates Anderl Molterer and Debbie Armstrong to win the 1997 “Gerald Ford American Ski Classic” Legends Giant Slalom.

n  Race Director and Course Setter for Eclipse Television and Marketing’s “Ford Downhill Series” for the past several seasons, ending the 2001 series.

n  Beating Franz Klammer to win the “2001 Gerald Ford American Ski Classic Downhill” race in Vail.

n  Continuing up until 2001 to be very active in skiing, including having competed in the televised events “Gerald Ford American Ski Classic” in Vail, the Ken Read “Toshiba Celebrity Challenge” at Lake Louise plus a string of charity ski events each season such as the Jimmie Heuga Snow Express for MS.

n  Being named Honorary Chair of the 2002 Nissan Halfway Motors 24 Hour Endurance Ski Event for MS in Thunder Bay Ontario.