Name Jakob Vaage Role Skier | Died 1994 | |
Jakob Vaage (9 February 1905 – 29 January 1994) was a Norwegian educator, author and historian. He served as secretary of the Association for the Promotion of Skiing and curator of the Holmenkollen Ski Museum.
Vaage was born in Aker, Norway and raised in the Olso neighborhood of Lilleaker. He graduated from the University of Oslo (1931) and later worked as a ski instructor. He was employed as a high school teacher in Ullern (1934-1972).
During the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany, he was imprisoned during the action against teachers. He was incarcerated in Bredtveit concentration camp from March 1942, then in Grini concentration camp for some days. On 31 March he was moved to Jørstadmoen, later to Kirkenes. He was released in November 1942.
He was admitted to the SK Ull skiing club in 1947. He served as deputy chairman from 1970 to 1973 and chairman from 1973 to 1992. He served as secretary of the Norwegian based Association for the Promotion of Skiing from 1945 to 1947, and curator of the Holmenkollen Ski Museum in Oslo from 1946 to 1984. He wrote many books about Norwegian skiing including Skikongen Lauritz Bergendahl (1975) and Den satt! og andre nye og gamle skihistorier (1983), together with Birger Ruud.
He received the Medal of St. Hallvard in 1976. For his historical works regarding Holmenkollen, Vaage earned the Holmenkollen medal in 1984. Vaage is one of only eleven persons to ever win the Holmenkollen medal for other than Nordic skiing. A stone monument to Vaage is located at Lilleaker Station.