Corey Engen
Encyclopedia
Corey Engen was the captain of the U.S. Nordic ski
team at the 1948 Winter Olympics
in St. Moritz
, Switzerland
. He was the youngest of the three Engen brothers that pioneered and popularized alpine skiing in the intermountain west, primarily in Utah
and Idaho
.
in his native Norway
. Engen was born in the town of Mjøndalen in Buskerud
county, the third son of Trond and Martha Oen Engen. After his father died of the Spanish flu
in 1918, his mother and brothers moved the short distance to small town Steinberg
. His older brothers Alf
(age 20) and Sverre
(age 18) emigrated to the U.S. in 1929, first settling in Chicago, then relocating to Salt Lake City
, Utah
in 1931. Corey (age 17) and his widowed mother Martha emigrated in March 1933, joining brothers Alf and Sverre in Utah
.
Corey Engen was one of the first ski instructors at Sun Valley, Idaho
, and later moved to McCall, Idaho
, first teaching at the Little Ski Hill
. In the late 1940s, Engen had initiated the ski school at Snowbasin
, near Ogden, Utah
, and also coached the Weber State College
ski team. In 1951 he returned to McCall, and ten years later was instrumental in the development of the new Brundage Mountain
ski area outside of McCall
, managing it until 1970.
While Corey Engen did not win any Olympic medals, he was the recipient of 22 gold medal
s in national competitions. He was inducted into the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame
in 1973.
A resident of McCall
for over 50 years, Engen and his wife Norma moved to Lindon
, Utah
in 1995, due to her declining health. After her death in December 2002, Engen moved to Provo
. Corey Engen died in Orem
at the age of 90, his death attributed to complications from pneumonia
. He was survived by two children, eight grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. He is buried in the Larkin Sunset Gardens Cemetery in Sandy, Utah
. Engen was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
, four miles north of Park City, Utah
. It contains more than 300 trophies, medals, uniforms, scrapbooks, skis, boots, photos, films and other collectables that span some 70 years in the career of the Engen family. The museum's educational component gives school children a skiing-based foundation to study subjects such as the water cycle, physics and Utah's colorful history.
Ski
A ski is a long, flat device worn on the foot, usually attached through a boot, designed to help the wearer slide smoothly over snow. Originally intended as an aid to travel in snowy regions, they are now mainly used for recreational and sporting purposes...
team at the 1948 Winter Olympics
1948 Winter Olympics
The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II; it had been twelve years since the last Winter Games in 1936...
in St. Moritz
St. Moritz
St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. He was the youngest of the three Engen brothers that pioneered and popularized alpine skiing in the intermountain west, primarily in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
.
Biography
Corey (born Kaare) was a ski jumper and cross-country skierCross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
in his native Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Engen was born in the town of Mjøndalen in Buskerud
Buskerud
is a county in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark, and Vestfold. The county administration is located in Drammen.-Geography:...
county, the third son of Trond and Martha Oen Engen. After his father died of the Spanish flu
Spanish flu
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
in 1918, his mother and brothers moved the short distance to small town Steinberg
Steinberg, Norway
Steinberg is a small village of no more than a few hundred people in Nedre Eiker municipality, Buskerud county, in the Eastern region of Norway. The village lies next to the municipal centre and town of Mjøndalen. The boundaries are few between Mjøndalen and Steinberg although the E134 highway does...
. His older brothers Alf
Alf Engen
Alf Engen was a Norwegian-American skier and skiing school owner/teacher. Alf Engen set several ski jumping world records during the 1930s.-Background:...
(age 20) and Sverre
Sverre Engen
Sverre Engen was a Norwegian-American skier, ski coach, ski area manager, and film-maker. -Biography:Sverre Engen was born in the town of Mjøndalen, in Buskerud county, Norway, the second son of Trond and Martha Oen Engen...
(age 18) emigrated to the U.S. in 1929, first settling in Chicago, then relocating to Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
in 1931. Corey (age 17) and his widowed mother Martha emigrated in March 1933, joining brothers Alf and Sverre in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
.
Corey Engen was one of the first ski instructors at Sun Valley, Idaho
Sun Valley, Idaho
Sun Valley is a resort city in Blaine County in the central part of the U.S. state of Idaho, adjacent to the city of Ketchum, lying within the greater Wood River valley. Tourists from around the world enjoy its skiing, hiking, ice skating, trail riding, tennis, and cycling. The population was 1,427...
, and later moved to McCall, Idaho
McCall, Idaho
McCall is a resort town on the western edge of Valley County, Idaho, United States. Named after its founder, Tom McCall, it is situated on the southern shore of Payette Lake, near the center of the Payette National Forest...
, first teaching at the Little Ski Hill
Little Ski Hill
The Little Ski Hill is a modest ski area in west central Idaho, two miles west of McCall. Located on Highway 55, immediately west of the county line in Adams County, it was formerly known as the "Payette Lakes Ski Area."...
. In the late 1940s, Engen had initiated the ski school at Snowbasin
Snowbasin
Snowbasin Resort is located northeast of Salt Lake City, in Weber County, Utah. Opened in 1939, as part of an effort by the city of Ogden, Utah to restore the Wheeler Creek watershed, it is one of the oldest ski resorts in the United States. Over the next 50 years Snowbasin grew slowly...
, near Ogden, Utah
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
, and also coached the Weber State College
Weber State University
Weber State University is a public university located in the city of Ogden in Weber County, Utah, USA. It was founded in 1889 and is a coeducational, publicly supported university offering professional, liberal arts and technical certificates, as well as associate, bachelor's and master's degrees...
ski team. In 1951 he returned to McCall, and ten years later was instrumental in the development of the new Brundage Mountain
Brundage Mountain
Brundage Mountain Resort is an alpine ski area in west central Idaho, in the Payette National Forest. Brundage first opened in November 1961 and is 8 miles northwest of McCall, a twenty minute drive in average winter conditions....
ski area outside of McCall
McCall, Idaho
McCall is a resort town on the western edge of Valley County, Idaho, United States. Named after its founder, Tom McCall, it is situated on the southern shore of Payette Lake, near the center of the Payette National Forest...
, managing it until 1970.
While Corey Engen did not win any Olympic medals, he was the recipient of 22 gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
s in national competitions. He was inducted into the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame
National Ski Hall of Fame
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum is located in the City of Ishpeming in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the birthplace of organized skiing in the United States...
in 1973.
A resident of McCall
McCall, Idaho
McCall is a resort town on the western edge of Valley County, Idaho, United States. Named after its founder, Tom McCall, it is situated on the southern shore of Payette Lake, near the center of the Payette National Forest...
for over 50 years, Engen and his wife Norma moved to Lindon
Lindon, Utah
Lindon is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 10,070 at the 2010 census.The western sculptor Grant Speed resides in Lindon.-Geography:...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
in 1995, due to her declining health. After her death in December 2002, Engen moved to Provo
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
. Corey Engen died in Orem
Orem, Utah
Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the north-central part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is about south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Utah and...
at the age of 90, his death attributed to complications from pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. He was survived by two children, eight grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. He is buried in the Larkin Sunset Gardens Cemetery in Sandy, Utah
Sandy, Utah
Sandy is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. It is a suburb of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,461 at the 2010 census, making it the sixth-largest city in Utah....
. Engen was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Alf Engen Ski Museum
The Alf Engen Ski Museum is located in the Joe Quinney Winter Sports Center at Utah Olympic ParkUtah Olympic Park
The Utah Olympic Park is a winter sports park built for the 2002 Winter Olympics, and is located east of Salt Lake City near Park City, Utah, United States. During the 2002 games the park hosted the bobsleigh, skeleton, luge, ski jumping, and nordic combined events. It still serves a training...
, four miles north of Park City, Utah
Park City, Utah
Park City is a town in Summit and Wasatch counties in the U.S. state of Utah. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake City's east edge of Sugar House along Interstate 80. The population was 7,558 at the 2010 census...
. It contains more than 300 trophies, medals, uniforms, scrapbooks, skis, boots, photos, films and other collectables that span some 70 years in the career of the Engen family. The museum's educational component gives school children a skiing-based foundation to study subjects such as the water cycle, physics and Utah's colorful history.
External links
- Corey Engen: full obituary - The Idaho Statesman - 11-May-2006
- Corey Engen: brief obituary - USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
(AP) 11-May-2006 - Brundage Mountain Resort - history
- Corey Engen Scrapbooks - University of UtahUniversity of UtahThe University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
- Marriott Library: Special Collections - University of Utah Ski Archives - 1992 Ski Affair: Corey Engen
- Skiing History.com - Corey Engen (1916-2006)