Board Members

Alan Engen

Chairman

A recognized ski historian, Alan authored the award-winning book, For the Love of Skiing – A Visual History, and co-authored FIRST TRACKS – A Century of Skiing in Utah. He is Chairman Emeritus of the Alf Engen Ski Museum Foundation; a member of the board of directors for the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame and Museum; and a charter advisory member of the University of Utah Marriott Library, Utah Ski Archives.

Alta has been Alan’s skiing home since 1948 and he is currently Alta’s Director of Skiing. A winner of numerous alpine and nordic ski competitions, Alan was named one of the “Legends of Utah Skiing” and is an inductee of the Utah Sports Hall of Fame, the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame, and the University of Utah Crimson Club Athletes Hall of Fame.

David Davenport

President

Before moving to Utah, David spent his business career as an international executive specializing in corporate finance, working with companies in Europe, Asia and the United States. Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, he started skiing as a kid in the Japanese Alps with his family. His interest in skiing has taken him to ski resorts all over the United States, in Europe and Japan. He is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Alf Engen Ski Museum Foundation at the Joe Quinney Winter Sports Center in the Utah Olympic Park, Park City, Utah. He is a serious powder hound and lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Neal Sorensen

Treasurer

Neal’s connection to Alta and skiing spans six decades, though not continuous. For thirty years, he served in the United States Air Force as an aviator and career officer. He returned to civilian life and home in Salt Lake City and worked as a consultant to aerospace defense industry for several years. Now Neal is PSIA-certified ski instructor and happily teaching for Alta’s Alf Engen Ski School.

George Ator

George has an eclectic background as a consumer behaviorist, a professional speaker, and an instructor in public speaking, advertising, and marketing research. A certified professional ski instructor at Solitude Mountain Resort, George was named Instructor of the Year in 2003 at Solitude by the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA).

George was also a Mountain Ambassador at Alta Ski Area. George serves on numerous boards including the Alf Engen Ski Museum in Park City, Utah, The Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, and Life’s Work of Western Pennsylvania.

Brian K. Jones

Brian worked as a consulting economic geologist for over twenty five years, specializing in the discovery and evaluation of copper and gold deposits. This work took him to some of the loneliest places in North and South America. In 1999 he left the field of geology to pursue other interests such as music, fly-fishing, writing and skiing. Brian is an instructor for Alta’s Alf Engen Ski School and also presents seminars and slide shows at Alta on the local geology and mining history. After a two-year sabbatical from Ski School to work on a copper deposit in Michoacan, Mexico, Brian returned to Alta in March 2008. Brian is a past president of the AHS Board.

Jim Nichol

Born and raised in Holladay, Utah, Jim has skied at Alta since 1949. Like many members of the Nichol family, he was an instructor for the Alf Engen Ski School. Jim and his wife, Joan, have been in the childcare industry for 30 years. He is fondly known as “Mister Jim” by hundreds of children, teens and adults.

Jim is a childcare activist, serving on the Board of Directors of the National Child Care Association and the Utah Private Child Care Association. Jim and Joan are the owners and operators of Alta Children’s Center, Alta’s ski season Child Care Facility.

L.M. "Nic" Nichol

An Alta skier since 1949, Nic is a 40-year veteran of Alta’s Alf Engen Ski School and currently a ski school supervisor. His ties to the ski school are part of Nichol family history. In the 1970’s, 13 of Nic’s relatives were instructors for the Alf Engen Ski School. Alf determined to make Nic “the prettiest skier in the ski school” and he taught Nic everything about skiing on Alta’s Crooked Mile ski run. Nic is known for being one of the most beautiful skiers in Alta and for his charming impersonations of Alf. Nic’s stories about Alf are featured at Fireside Chats sponsored by the Alta Historical Society. Nic and his wife, Carmen, along with their children and grandchildren, continue the Nichol legacy in Alta.

Claire Runge

Originally hailing from a small town in Maryland, Claire first discovered Utah on a college geology trip. After finishing a Masters degree in Geosciences at Princeton University, she migrated to Alta and worked for two winters as a lift operator for the Alta Ski Lift Company.

Claire currently serves as the Assistant Town Administrator for the Town of Alta. When not in the office, you can find her skiing, mountain biking, hiking, and playing soccer.