Known for his cowboy hat, charisma, and flowing turns, Billy Kidd is a cultural icon in skiing.

Kidd is a pioneer of American alpine ski racing, as he helped put the U.S. on the map in international ski racing. He and his teammate Jimmy Heuga were the first American men to win Olympic medals in skiing. Kidd won the silver medal in the 1964 Olympic games in Innsbruck Austria in the slalom, and Heuga the bronze.

He went on to win the gold medal in the combined in 1970 at Val Gardena, Italy, which made him the first American man to be a World Champion in skiing.

Kidd raced internationally for nine years on the U.S. Ski Team. He also got a degree in economics from the University of Colorado.

Today, Kidd spends his winters in Steamboat Springs where he works as the director of skiing. According to the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, Kidd is one of the best-known ambassadors of Colorado’s ski industry. He worked with CBS-TV for commentary at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer Norway. He’s also a contributing editor at SKIING Magazine, writing about ski instruction, equipment, and racing.

As he has made strides in the skiing world for the U.S. and also became a cultural icon among skiers, Kidd remains a prominent influence in the skiing industry even today.

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