Dave Irons - Journalist, Maine Hall of Fame Founder

David Irons, a longtime ski writer and founder of the Maine Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame, passed away unexpectedly at his home in Maine on October 8. He was 85.

Born in Portland, Irons was an avid lifelong skier. He became a certified ski patroller for Maine’s Lost Valley and Sunday River resorts and started his ski-media career by handling ski reports for local television stations. This led to writing ski reports for newspapers including The Portland Press Herald and Lewiston Sun Journal, which he continued writing up until this year. His work regularly appeared in national media, including the Boston Globe and the New York Daily News and SKI, Skiing and Snow Country magazines, among others. He also covered golf for the New England Golf Journal and the Boston Globe and served on the board of the Maine Golf Hall of Fame. In 2003 Irons founded the Maine Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame as an adjunct to the Maine Ski and Snowboard Museum. He was inducted into the hall in 2007.

Irons wrote several books on skiing, including Sunday River: Honoring the Past, Embracing the Future, which received ISHA’s Skade Award. Shawnee Peak at Pleasant Mountain and The
History of Mt. Abram were to follow; he was in the process of writing about Lost Valley.

Irons took great pride in his profession. He was a member of the Eastern Ski Writers Association and served as its president from 1990 to 1992. He also was an active member of the North American Snowsports Journalists Association and served as its president from 2000 to 2002.