CRSR Hall of Fame 2024 Inductee – Gene Durand: Honoured Official
Lake Louise, AB – When it came to supporting ski racing you simply couldn’t stop or slow down Gene Durand for almost 30 years. If something was possible, and he certainly didn’t shy away from testing the limits of that, he would insist, or just do what he felt was needed or required – often under the radar. And he kept on doing those things – as CRSRHOF member Rob Imbrogno points out, “he never stopped; when Geno signed up, it was forever.”
Gene’s legacy began in 1981 when his sons, Jeff and Cam, started racing with the Lake Louise Ski Club. Volunteering was a natural fit for Gene and before long he was on the LLSC board of directors and became passionate in supporting races of the highest quality. Jeff remembers his dad rarely speaking about his volunteer activities, supporting Jeff’s racing pursuits from the “background”, not wanting the focus to be on him. Jeff recalls face planting in soft snow while racing in -28c temperatures at a Lake Louise Nor-Am Downhill. Shaken up and very cold, he slipped down the side and into Coach’s Corner where Gene was stationed, who wrapped his long coat around Jeff and provided encouraging words. Gene was always there supporting, literally from the sidelines.
Jeff had a terrible crash in 2001 at a World Cup downhill on the Hahnenkamm which Gene and his wife Cynthia were watching from the finish. It was tough to see his son hurt which drove Gene to try to make the safest and fairest tracks that he could. By focusing on what he could control, like making sure the slip-skirts were buttoned up nice and tight, or the B-nets had the correct spacing and lean, or come race-day making sure the ruts were kept to a minimum, it took his mind off any worries he may have had. It became his passion to help make things better and his contributions grew to all levels of racing, from local club races, western regional races, Nor-Am’s, World Cups and the Vancouver Olympics .
His peers, including Imbrogno, fellow Hall of Famer and leader of the Net Monkeys Randy Pruden and Bruce Hampstead, all characterized Gene: “Heart of Gold”, “didn’t put up with crap”, “brilliant”, “generous”, “gentleman”, “the Guy Who Made Shit Happen”, “relentless”, “all business”, “passionate”, “enabling”, “story-teller”, “debonaire”, “simple guy”, and an “overgrown imp”. They and many miss his loud, warm, and back-slapping greetings – he was an imposing individual, but physical size was only a part of that. He made everyone feel very special.
At the Nor-Am level especially, Gene felt that “Lake Louise is a tough race for their first and often only downhill of the year, but we’re going to make it safe!” Gene became a true “student of safety – the crashes, injuries, physics, and the nuts and bolts” to help make things better through his own actions at his level. He became “intensely interested in understanding the whys and how of things resulting in incidents, calling me right to the time of his passing.” Pruden also credits Gene for keeping him in his role for many years past when he considered moving on. “He was my champion, helped me achieve the best I could do, and he outright sold me to stay by making me believe that I was meant to do this, that they needed me, and in Gene-fashion, said that I couldn’t go!” Very important, given Randy’s huge impact at Lake Louise.
Gene had a deep rooted love for the Lake. He was happiest wearing his crampons, shovelling out the endless snow at the bottom of the big pitch on the Lake Louise Fall Away, something that continued years beyond when he was just not physically capable anymore. His work ethic was infectious and spurred on many younger Sled Dogs and course workers to try to keep up to his endless energy – he led by example but also knew how to turn the screws even harder with his quick and sharp wit. Nobody wanted to receive too much of that!
He was a crew-chief most years at the Lake but when needed, he stepped up to be the Chief of Race for the ’95 Women’s World Cup event when Bruce Hampstead had to pull out 90 days before the event – no problem for the incredibly competent Gene, though! In his later years there, he ran a crew that supported the start area – largely female, Gene was in his glory, empowering, teaching, and leading his “Angels” to take on tasks around the mountain that had been intimidating to them, before their main event started. World cup crew member, Joan Maguire, describes him as a good friend, mentor, forever loyal, and generous to a fault. “And how could you ever forget that laugh of his? We had so much fun on course, whether we were digging to China or on our knees tying cookies. He was always smiling or laughing.” He really could do it all.
Gene had an eye for knowing what needed to be done, but he had a real knack for looking after the hardest workers who made the World Cups happen. He hosted countless dinners at the Station Restaurant and at Laggan’s Bakery and always was concerned that these crews, particularly the Net Monkeys, weren’t getting enough calories in the many weeks leading up to the races. When he wasn’t hosting, he was providing large discounts for them or helped to supplement food at the organized events – his volunteer lunches from Laggan’s were the stuff of legend. Pruden recalls that Gene’s dryland training was in large part carrying bags of cookies way up the downhill track before the snow came to where the Net Monkey’s were installing the large and complex ‘A’ safety net systems. Either that, or surreptitiously providing updates to Calgary-based Chief of Race Darrell MacLachlan!
The crews and volunteers were important to Gene, but the athletes even more so. Everything he did in ski racing ultimately, was to make things better for them. He served his ski club, on the Alberta Alpine Board of Directors, for World Cup both for Alberta Alpine and Winterstart Events, and in many other roles in the community – all to fulfil that goal. As generous as he was with his time and support from his Lake Louise businesses, the provision of his legal skills and professional time to these organizations and events was beyond impactful, bottomless, and of course in Gene’s style, unheralded. Much in our sport today is owed to this generosity.
For the athletes, especially at the Nor-Am level direct support came too in the form of highly discounted meals and store discounts – real stuff. One of Gene’s greater legacies for them and World Cup racers, however, was his intense interest in and passion for safety on the hill. His support for the athletes was unwavering. His advice to racers would be “to thank at least two volunteers everyday you race, act with integrity, work hard, and have fun”.
With the help of Gene’s beloved wife Cynthia and son Jeff, last season the Lake Louise Ski Club recognized Gene for his decades of support by naming an in-house race “the Volly Race”. Gene had opposed the honour in his name while he was alive and refused to consider several awards including this very induction into the Canadian Rockies Ski Racing Hall of Fame. “Thanks, but F-you, fellas. I can’t get rewarded for something that has given me so much joy and fulfillment. That just doesn’t seem right. Over my dead body!”
We’re sorry that it had to come to that, Gene, but your contributions to alpine ski racing are so important to others, that your selfless acts need to be noted. We are less without you, but know your spirit lives on at Fall Away, probably chuckling how the new folks still can’t keep up with you.
It is a great honour to induct Gene Durand, our Honoured Official, into the 2024 Canadian Rockies Ski Racing Hall of Fame.