George Savage, one of the founding members of the Professional Ski Instructors of America, passed away on April 16, 2010, in Bend, Ore., of heart failure. He was 87 years old.
George had a long and illustrious career in the ski industry, beginning in the late 1940s as a ski instructor in Sun Valley. There, George met and married the love of his life, Ann Blattner. In the off-season, George and Ann would travel to New Zealand, where George ran the ski school at Cornet Peak. After Sun Valley, George became director of the ski school at Mt. Spokane and then at Mt. Pilchuck, Wash. He eventually moved to Mt. Baker, Wash., where he and Ann ran the ski shop and ski school for 24 years until their retirement in 1994.
George became director of certification for PSIA and served as its president in 1966. He also served on the board of directors for the Pacific Northwest Ski Instructors' Association, and he was the association's first certification vice president. PNSIA honored him as "Instructor of the Year" in 1979.
The irrepressible George kept skiing until age 83, when a broken hip sidelined him. A member of the Veteran Ski Instructors, George was honored as the 1997 Larry Linnane Skiing Legend.
George is survived by his wife, Ann, his son and daughter-in-law Charles Savage and Carlin Thompson of Bend, and by his daughter and grandson Maron and Tien Faulkner of Portland, Ore.
A memorial will be held in Bellingham, Wash., on May 8 from 1-3 p.m. at Windows on the Bay (formerly the Bellingham Yacht Club).