David Murray (September 5, 1953 – October 23, 1990) was an

alpine ski racer Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether ...

. He was noted for being a member of the

Crazy Canucks The Crazy Canucks was the nickname for a group of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, World Cup Alpine skiing, alpine ski racers from Canada who rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s. Jungle Jim Hunter (skier), Jim Hunter, Dave Irwin, Dave Murray (ski ...

, the Canadian downhill racers of the late 1970s and early 1980s known for their fearless (and sometimes reckless) racing style. His teammates in the group were

Ken Read Kenneth John Read (born November 6, 1955) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Canada. He was a specialist in the downhill and a two-time Olympian. He won five World Cup races during his ten-year international career, all in downhill. ...

Dave Irwin Dave Irwin (born July 12, 1954) is a former alpine ski racer who represented Canada at two Winter Olympic Games and won a World Cup downhill. He was one of the " Crazy Canucks", a group of Canadian downhill racers who rose to prominence on the W ...

, and

Steve Podborski Stephen Gregory Podborski (born July 25, 1957) is a Canadian former World Cup and Olympic downhill ski racer. Racing career Born in Toronto, Ontario, Podborski started skiing at the age of two and a half at Craigleith Ski Club in Craigl ...

Biography

Murray took up ski racing relatively late, at the age of 15. As part of the Crazy Canucks, Murray was considered the team mediator. He earned three podium finishes including two second-place finishes behind fellow Crazy Canuck Ken Read. In

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

, he was ranked third in the world in downhill, but he never won a World Cup event. At the

1980 Winter Olympics The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States. Lake Placid was elected ...

in Lake Placid, he finished tenth in the downhill. Murray retired from competitive skiing following the 1982 season. After retiring, he returned to

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, becoming the director of skiing at

Whistler Blackcomb Whistler Blackcomb is a ski resort located in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. By many measures, it is the largest ski resort in North America and has the greatest uphill lift capacity. It features the Peak 2 Peak Gondola for moving between ...

and founding the Dave Murray Ski School in 1988. It has since become one of the most renowned ski schools in Canada, attracting visitors from across the nation. The downhill course at Whistler has been named the "Dave Murray Downhill." It hosted

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

Downhill and

Super-G Super giant slalom, or super-G, is a racing discipline of alpine skiing. Along with the faster downhill, it is regarded as a "speed" event, in contrast to the technical events giant slalom and slalom. It debuted as an official World Cup event ...

races from

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

- 95 and was used again at the

2010 Winter Olympics The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...

; it has been noted as being among the best in the world. After a battle with

skin cancer Skin cancers are cancers that arise from the Human skin, skin. They are due to the development of abnormal cells (biology), cells that have the ability to invade or metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. It occurs when skin cells grow ...

, Dave Murray died on October 23, 1990; he was 37 years old. Murray's daughter, Julia Murray, who was only 22 months old when he died, was a member of Canada's Ski Cross Team, and competed at the

2010 Olympics The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...

in Vancouver. His wife, Stephanie Sloan, was a pioneer in freestyle skiing and a world champion.

References

External links

*
Dave Murray dies
CBC archives * {{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Dave 1953 births 1990 deaths Alpine skiers at the 1976 Winter Olympics Alpine skiers at the 1980 Winter Olympics Olympic alpine skiers for Canada Canadian male alpine skiers Skiers from Vancouver Deaths from skin cancer 20th-century Canadian sportsmen

Biography

See also

References

External links