Rolf Monsen (January 8, 1899 – April 28, 1987) was an American Olympic skier. Rolf Monsen was born in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

, Norway. He competed in

ski jumping Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the final ...

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

, and

Nordic combined Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in cross-country skiing (sport), cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The Nordic combined at the Winter Olympics has been held since the first 1924 Winter Olympics, Winter Olympics in ...

. He was a member of three U.S. Olympic teams, 1928, 1932 and 1936. His best Olympic result was at the

1928 Winter Olympics The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games (; ; ; ) and commonly known as St. Moritz 1928 (; ), were an international winter multi-sport event that was celebrated from 11 to 19 February 1928 in St. Moritz, Swit ...

St. Moritz St. Moritz ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is a high Alpine resort town in the Engadine in Switzerland, at an elevation of about above sea level. It is Upper Engadine's major town and a municipality in the administrative region of Maloja in the Swiss ...

, where he placed sixth in

. Although unable to compete due to an injury, he was chosen to be the U.S. Team flag bearer at the 1936 Olympic Games. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he worked with the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...

to help train Ski Troops at the

10th Mountain Division The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division (military), division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in ...

. He later helped to promote skiing as at the Sugarbush Resort in

Warren, Vermont Warren is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,977 at the 2020 census. The center of population of Vermont is located in Warren. It is set between the two ranges of the Green Mountains, with approximately 2 ...

. He was elected to the

National Ski Hall of Fame The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Ishpeming, Michigan, the birthplace of organized skiing in the United States. Located in the state's Upper Peninsula, the building includes the hall of fame and museum, as well as a ...

in 1964.''Rolf Monson'' (National Ski Hall of Fame)
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References

Related Reading

*Baumgardner, Randy W. (1998) ''10th Mountain Division''(Turner Publishing Company) *Feuer, A.B. (2006) ''Packs On!: Memoirs of the 10th Mountain Division in World War II'' (Stackpole Books) *Pushies, Fred (2008) ''10th Mountain Division Zenith Press)'' *Shelton, Peter (2003) ''Climb to Conquer: The Untold Story of WWII's 10th Mountain Division Ski Troops'' (Scribner) 1899 births 1987 deaths Norwegian emigrants to the United States American male ski jumpers American male cross-country skiers American male Nordic combined skiers Olympic ski jumpers for the United States Olympic cross-country skiers for the United States Olympic Nordic combined skiers for the United States Ski jumpers at the 1928 Winter Olympics Cross-country skiers at the 1928 Winter Olympics Nordic combined skiers at the 1928 Winter Olympics Cross-country skiers at the 1932 Winter Olympics Nordic combined skiers at the 1932 Winter Olympics 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-crosscountry-skiing-bio-stub