Greg Athans

Greg Athans was one of Canada’s earliest pioneers in freestyle skiing, with an outstanding number of victories in competition between his debut year in 1976, and his retirement in 1982.

He was born into a family of champions, his father winning gold and silver diving medals at the 1950 Commonwealth Games and the Canadian Diving Championships a total of 14 times. His older brother, George, was Canadian Water Ski Champion 10 straight years, World Champion three times and is a member of the Order of Canada. His mother was Canadian Synchronized Swimming Champion and a Canadian record holder in the breaststroke and Masters Champion while younger brother, Gary, was a member of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team for eight years.

Equally proficient on both snow and water skis, Greg Athans is the only athlete to win gold medals in both Winter and Summer Canada Games (1971 alpine slalom, 1973 water skiing). He was involved in water and ski skiing most of his life, winning eight national water ski titles, and racing on the Pontiac Cup and Can-Am circuits before he’d bring his talents to freestyle skiing in 1976. In this debut year he astonished the world of freestyle skiing by winning the moguls, ballet and combined titles on the Professional Freestyle Alliance circuit. In 1978, he repeated this effort by winning both moguls and ballet titles and, again, in 1980 winning the moguls title and the coveted World Cup Grand Prix Award for the best all-around competitor. When he retired in 1982 with over 20 World Cup victories to his credit, he turned to coaching while advocating tirelessly for inclusion of the sport in the Olympic Winter Games.

In retirement, he was an enthusiastic fundraiser for the Vancouver Children’s Hospital Foundation. Nancy Greene Raine, Olympic gold medallist skier and Canada’s Female Athlete of the Half-Century said, “Greg was like a pebble in a pond. Those close to the first ripple were indeed fortunate, yet as the ripples expanded he continued to touch and influence a vast network of friends, colleagues and competitors”.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

• 1976: 1st place, moguls, 2nd place, combined, AFSA (American Freestyle Association), Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, USA; 1st place, moguls, ballet events, AFSA, Boyne Mountain, Michigan, USA; 2nd place, combined, AFSA, Boyne Mountain, Michigan, USA; 1st place, ballet, AFSA, Keystone, USA; 1st place, moguls, AFSA, Heavenly Valley, California, USA; 2nd place, ballet event, AFSA, Heavenly Valley, California, USA; 2nd place, combined events, AFSA, Heavenly Valley, California, USA.
• 1976 American Freestyle Association world mogul and ballet champion
• 1977: 3rd place, moguls event, Midas Men’s World Trophy Championships, Stratton Mountain, Vermont, USA; 2nd place, combined events, Midas Men’s World Trophy Championships, Stratton Mountain, Vermont, USA; 1st ballet event, Labatt World Trophy Championships, Mont Ste Anne, QC; 1st place, combined events, Labatt World Trophy Championships, Mont Ste Anne, Quebec; 3rd place, combined events, Midas Men’s World Trophy Championships, Heavenly Valley, California; Men’s Overall World Freestyle Trophy Standings, 2nd place moguls, 5th place ballet, 8th place aerials, 2nd place combined
• 1978: 2nd place, moguls and ballet, World Cup, Kranska-Gora, Yugoslavia; 1st place, combined, World Cup, Kranska-Gora, Yugoslavia; 1st place, ballet, World Cup Freestyle, Praloup, France; 3rd place, moguls, World Cup, Praloup, France; 2nd place, combined, World Cup, Praloup, France; 1st place, moguls, World Cup Freestyle, Isola, France; 2nd place, combined, World Cup Freestyle, Isola, France; 1st place, moguls, World Cup Freestyle, Kitzbuhel, Austria; 2nd place, ballet event, World Cup, Kitzbuhel, Austria; 3rd place, combined, World Cup Freestyle, Kitzbuhel, Austria; 1st place moguls event, World Cup Freestyle, Piancavello, Italy; 3rd place, ballet and combined, World Cup Freestyle, Piancavello, Italy; 3rd place, moguls event, World Cup, Edelweiss, Quebec; 1st place, ballet, moguls and combined, World Cup, Edelweiss, Quebec; 2nd place, ballet and combined, World Cup Freestyle, Mont Ste Anne, Quebec; 1st place, ballet, World Cup Freestyle, Vernon, B.C.; 3rd place, combined events, World Cup Freestyle, Vernon, B.C.

• 1978 Men’s Overall World Freestyle – 1st place moguls, 1st place ballet
• 1979: 1st place, moguls event, World Cup Freestyle, Bromont, Quebec; 1st place, moguls event, World Cup Freestyle, Saalbach, Austria; 1st place, combined events, World Cup Freestyle, Oberjoch, Germany; 2nd place, moguls event, World Cup Freestyle, Bromont, Quebec; 1st place, ballet event, World Cup Freestyle, Bromont, Quebec; 3rd place, moguls event, World Cup Freestyle, Grouse Mtn, B.C.
• 1979 Men’s Overall World Freestyle – 2nd place moguls, 4th place combined
• 1980: 1st place x 2, FIS World Cup moguls, Poconos, USA; 2nd place, FIS World Cup ballet, Poconos, USA; 1st place x 2, FIS World Cup combined, Poconos, USA; 3rd place, FIS World Cup combined event, Oberjoch, Germany; 1st place, FIS World Cup combined event, Tignes, France.
• 1980: Men’s Overall World Freestyle Grand Prix Standings – 1st moguls, 1st combined
• 1981: 3rd place x 2, FIS World Cup ballet, Livigno, Italy; 3rd place, FIS World Cup moguls, Tignes, France; 3rd place x 2, FIS World Cup combined, Laax, Switzerland; 2nd place, FIS World Cup combined, Seefeld, Austria; 2nd place x 2, FIS World Cup moguls event, Oberjoch, Germany; 3rd place, FIS World Cup ballet event, Poconos, USA; 3rd place, ballet, Pepsi Challenge Cup; 2nd place, World Cup moguls event, Mt. Norquay, AB
• 1981: Men’s Overall World Freestyle Grand Prix Standings – 2nd moguls, 2nd combined

Note: The information gathered here is compiled from a number of sources; it may not be inclusive of all accomplishments. Copyright © 2021, Canadian Ski Museum. For Personal/Educational use only. All Rights Reserved.