David Crowley, Sr. - Ski area co-owner

Wachusett Mountain co-owner and ski industry leader David Crowley died November 20, 2024, in Princeton, Massachusetts. He was 69. Crowley succumbed to a degenerative neurological disease called progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).

Crowley ski raced at the White Mountain School near Franconia Notch, New Hampshire, and Norwich University, going on to graduate from Clark University. From a young age, Crowley worked alongside his siblings and father at their family business, Polar Beverages.

He went on to have a career in the ski industry that spanned nearly 50 years. As the family began to operate Massachusett's Wachusett Mountain ski area, he worked at the area doing whatever job the day called for. Crowley eventually settled in at Wachusett as marketing and public relations manager, food and beverage manager and, finally, as general manager, vice president and co-owner.

Crowley sat on several boards of directors and was a leader in various other organizations, including SnoCountry (formerly the New England Ski Areas Council), the National Ski Areas Association, the Worcester and North Central Mass Chamber of Commerce and numerous other local and charitable organizations.

An avid skier, Crowley continued to enjoy sliding on snow after his PSP diagnosis, utilizing a sit-ski with the assistance of Wachusett’s adaptive program staff. Wachusett and the Crowley family started an annual event called the David Crowley Race to Cure PSP (a.k.a. Ski with David to Cure PSP). The event raises funds to benefit clinical care and research programs at the Mass General Hospital Frontotemporal Disorders Unit.