Competitor & Inspiration
Peter Ashley’s nordic career spans nearly 65 years, ranging from competition and coaching in the Jackson Hole Ski Club to serving for over 20 years as Vice President of Nordic Sales for Fischer Sports, the world’s largest Nordic equipment company. Able to ski right in his backyard at the base of Snow King Mountain by age 3, Ashley raced downhill for the JHSC. He found his calling in cross country skiing beginning at the age of 11. He competed in five Junior National Championships from 1965-69 and then skied for four years at the University of Colorado, He was on two of their NCAA Championship teams. After graduation, he returned in 1974 to Jackson and began his coaching career at the JHSC, running numerous high-school events, including the National Junior Championships in 1978. That same year, he became the first National Junior Coach for the US Ski Team. 5 years later he was the Head Women’s Coach, taking the team to the 1985 World Championships in Seefeld, Austria, numerous World Cup races, and the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. As the Director of Coaches Education for the US Ski Team, he distributed the first criteria for coaching the newly introduced skating technique in 1986. Since his retirement from Fischer in 2015, he has volunteered as Chairman of the Board for the non-profit National Nordic Foundation.
