Name George Hovland | Role Olympic athlete | |
George Hovland, Jr. (born June 10, 1926) is an American cross country skier who has been competing since the 1950s. He competed in the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo. He is a four-time Central USSA four-event champion (jumping, cross-country, slalom, and downhill) He has completed every Birkebeiner with the exception of the first one. and has been the age group winner approximately ten times. He has been the age group champion for National Alpine NASTAR seven times and is the first non-European to complete the Swedish 90 kilometer Vasaloppet. Hovland is the founder of the Spirit Mountain Ski Area, Snowflake Nordic Ski Center in Duluth, Minnesota, and the Northshore Inline Marathon. He has also owned the following ski areas: Ski Kenwood (Duluth) and Mont du Lac (Wisconsin).