Bruce Crane - U.S. Ski & Snowboard and FIS official

National and international ski-racing official Bruce Crane died of cancer on December 9 at his home in Park City, Utah. He was 71.

Born in 1947 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Crane earned his bachelor’s degree from Williams College in Massachusetts. After college, he served as an educator and coach at Tilton School in New Hampshire, where he began his work as an alpine racing coach and official. 

Crane was certified as a national ski-competition official by the U.S. Ski Association in 1972. In 1976 he achieved his FIS Technical Delegate license—the highest level of competition officiating. He went on to serve as national alpine competition director for the U.S. Ski Association for 16 years. He was head referee for alpine skiing at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, and assistant manager for ski jumping and nordic combined during the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.

During his tenure in the sport he served on many national and international committees, including chair of U.S. alpine courses and rules committees. He also served as secretary of the FIS Alpine NorAm Subcommittee from 1982 to 1997. —U.S. Ski and Snowboard