Vail Resorts co-president John Garnsey was honored with the Julius Blegen Award, the highest award issued by the US Ski Association, during a dinner ceremony Saturday evening in Park City. Garnsey was a key figure in making the Vail Valley a premier stop of the World Cup ski racing tour and host of the FIS World Championships in 1989, 1999 and 2015.

The Julius Blegen Award was the highlight of an evening of award giving as USSA proceeded in recognizing exemplary service to the sport of ski competition over this past season.

The Ski Club of the Year Award went to Fly Freestyle, the resident freestyle team of the Utah Olympic Park at Park City. Chip White, the US Ski Team's women's speed coach, received Coach of Year honors. Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club freestyle coach Ashley Berger was named USSA Development Coach of the Year. Jack Nantz won the Westhaven Award as top USSA official.

Athletic Awards
The highest athletic award, the Beck, went to Lindsey Vonn, the third time she has won. Additional athletic awards were presented to Tyler Walker (Adaptive Athlete of the Year), Vonn (Alpine), Kikkan Randall (Cross Country), Hannah Kearney (Freestyle), Tom Wallisch (Freeskiiing), Bryan Fletcher (Nordic Combined), Sarah Hendrickson (Ski Jumping) and Kelly Clark (Snowboarding).

Coaching Awards
Beyond White - also the recipient of the Alpine International Coach of the Year Award - coaches honored included Konrad Rickenbach (Alpine Domestic), Jonathan Mike (Adaptive International), Dianne Barras (Adaptive Domestic), Matt Whitcomb (Cross Country International), Rob Bradlee (Cross Country Domestic), Garth Hager (Freestyle International), Jere Crawford (Freestyle Domestic) and Evan Raps (Freeskiing International).
Additional coaches tabbed for honors included Ben Verge (Freeskiing Domestic), Alan Alborn and Paolo Bernardi (Jumping or Nordic Combined International), Dan Bevington (Jumping or Nordic Combined Domestic), Tommy Czeschin (Snowboarding International), and Ashley Berger (Snowboarding Domestic).
The Paul Bacon Award, for race organization, went to Stratton Mountain Ski Resort. The John J Clair Jr. Award, for outstanding service benefiting the national teams, was awardsd to Jim Goff. The Bud and Mary Little Award for long-term involvement in FIS or Olympic sports communities was presented to Jim Roberts. Sarah Schleper won the Buddy Werner Award for leadership and sportsmanship.

The Russell Wilder Award, recognizing the most outstanding effort in focusing the interests of American youth of the sports of skiing and snowboarding was presented to the USA Snowboarding Association. The Dr. J. Leland Sosman Award recognizing the contribution of the Physicians Pool was presented to Dr Vernon J Cooley and The West Family Award for USSA officials went to Bill Gaylord.

Club Awards
Additional ski clubs were also recognized including Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club for it's adaptive program, the Mount Washington Valley Ski Team for it's alpine program, Central Cross Country Ski Association for it's cross country program, Fly Freestyle for the freestyle program, Axis Freeride for  its freeskiing program, Norge Ski Club for jumping and Nordic Combined and the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club for the snowboard program.

Additional individual sports awards, many previously issued, were also recognized at the award ceremony, including the Al Merrill Nordic Award won by John Estle, the Mittelstadt Ski Jumping Officials Award won by Ed Waters and the Mike Jacoby Cup Award won by Kelly Clark. The Anna McIntyre Citation Award went to Bill VonGilder and the Burckett-Dodge Award was won by Jill Firstbrook and Robert Brigham. The Finlandia Award went to Jessica Diggins and the Al Sise Outstanding Masters Award was won by Dana Alexandrescu.

- USSA photo by Sarah Brunson