Mahre, Steve

Steve Mahre is an American alpine ski racer, ski coach, author, and auto racer. He and his twin brother, Phil, competed on the World Cup ski circuit from 1976 to 1984. Steve was born in Yakima, WA alongside his fraternal twin brother, Steve (who is four minutes younger). Phil, Steve, and their seven siblings (four older, three younger) grew up at a ski area; in 1964, their father Dave "Spike" Mahre became the mountain manager for the White Pass ski area, 50 miles (80 km) west of Yakima on US-12, where they moved into a home near the base of the lifts. By the age of 12, the Mahre twins' future was so promising that ski manufacturers were sending them free skis; the next year, Rossignol tried to sign them to a career-long contract, which their father declined. Eventually, they would use skis made by an American company K2 throughout their career. The Mahre twins worked extensively with the company throughout their careers, developing custom race skis ideally suited to their needs. Steve graduated from Naches High School. He was third in the overall World Cup standings in 1982 and fourth in 1981. At the 1982 World Championships, Steve was the gold medalist in the giant slalom in Schladming, Austria. After winning the silver medal in the 1984 Winter Olympic slalom, behind his twin brother, the Mahre twins raced a limited World Cup schedule during the 1984 season and retired from the circuit in early March 1985 at age 26. Steve finished with 9 World Cup wins. In 1985, Phil and his brother released their book, No Hill Too Fast, which chronicles their childhood and World Cup careers and includes a series of instructional sections titled "How to Ski the Mahre Way". That same year, the twins established the Mahre Training Center in Keystone, CO, and continue to run it to this day in Deer Valley, UT. Both Phil and Steve raced on the World Pro Ski Tour under the Coors Light banner. The twins attended the Bob Bondurant School of Driving in the fall of 1988 and began competing in auto racing. They subsequently participated in the Grand American Road Racing Association Koni Challenge series in the Grand Sport class.

Yakima, WA
Keystone, CO
Deer Valley, UT

Alpine ski racer
Ski coach
Author
Auto racer

RAD, July 2008 version. Canadian Council of Archives.

Catalogued June 2023.

1) Archival material
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Mahre
3) https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/92053
4) https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/athlete-biography.html?sectorcode=al&competitorid=36983&type=result
5) https://www.eurosport.com/alpine-skiing/steve-mahre_prs47122/person.shtml