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Where Are They Now? Michigan's Winningest Racer Cary Adgate Inducted In Hall

By Mike Terrell
June 01, 2009

Go figure. Cary Adgate, coming from an area of the Midwest where a 500-foot vertical drop is big, qualified for the U.S. Ski Team as a downhill racer in the 1970s.

"A good slalom skier can make it to the mountains," laughed the former Olympian and pro racer. "We raced gates in the Midwest, lots of them. You learn the technical part, but speed and desire count for a lot. And, of course, having a good coach also counts a lot."

Adgate was inducted into the U.S. National Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame last month at a ceremony held in Deer Valley, Utah. A native of Boyne Falls, Mich., he grew up honing his ski racing skills at nearby Boyne Mountain.

He is currently Ski Ambassador for Boyne Resorts in Michigan, where his role is to promote public awareness of the recreational and competitive programs offered by Boyne Mountain and Boyne Highlands. He also serves in an advisory capacity to several departments of the Boyne operation and is involved as a guest coach with a variety of race training and competition programs.

Adgate, who is but one of two Midwestern men to be inducted into the Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame, has had a long career that spanned four decades and includes, most recently, winning the 2005 U.S. Masters National Slalom Championship. The only other Midwestern male skier to be inducted was Chuck Ferries, from Houghton, Mich., who was an Olympian during the 1950s.

Adgate competed for a total of 18 years at the world-class level, which is a long career in a profession subject to career-ending injuries; nine on the U.S. Ski Team and nine as a touring pro with the original tour run by Bob Beattie.

Adgate won six U.S. National Championship titles and was a two-time Olympian. His U.S. national slalom titles were won against some of the best skiers of his time, including Bobby Cochran (1974) and Phil Mahre (1976). He had five top-five World Cup finishes from 1974-80. He was the top American finisher in the 1976 Olympic slalom at Innsbruck, Austria, which included the Mahre twins. He once ranked as high as third on the FIS points list.

He made history at his professional debut in 1981 by winning his first two World Pro Skiing tour events back-to-back. He went on to become one of the most winning pro ski racers ever, with 25 tour victories and 71 top-four finishes.

Adgate hooked up with Austrian Martin Burger, who was an instructor with the famed Othmar Schneider Boyne Mountain Ski School.

"Martin had a racing background and saw potential in me. I started working with him when I was 13. He was my mentor through most of my amateur career, and a big influence on my racing career. The ironic thing is that he moved onto the U.S. Ski Team as a coach about the same time I moved up."

A few years later, at 19, Adgate won the Can-Am Tour overall title and notched a victory in the notorious Roch Cup Downhill at Aspen. His name was etched alongside ski racing giants like Stein Eriksen, Jean-Claude Killy, Buddy Werner, Billy Kidd, and Jimmy Heuga. He never looked back.

Adgate's advice to aspiring young racers is to get with a good program where there are good coaches. He feels work ethic counts for as much as from area of the country you happen to come from.

"If you want to get to the top and make the U.S. Ski Team, it's not easy. It doesn't matter if you come from the Midwest or the Rocky Mountains. What it requires is a lot of hard, dedicated work, and it has to be your total focus; all year long, not just ski season," he stressed.

"Look at today's top racers. They are from all areas of the country, and they are possibly the best we've ever seen. Lindsey Vonn, who also grew up the Midwest and honed her skills at Minnesota's Buck Hill, will probably be the best ever female ski racer by the time she finishes her career," he added, "if she's not there already."

Adgate feels it's more difficult to reach the top today than when he was coming up.

"It's harder to make it to the top today than it was 30 years ago. There are so many good, young athletes coming up it's just more difficult to stand out. Back when I was going to the Nationals, maybe six or eight guys realistically had a chance to win. Now that figure is tripled or maybe even quadrupled for both the men and women. It's more competitive, and that's good for the U.S. Team.

"I think we are seeing those results in today's competition. The U.S. Ski Team has been very competitive in international skiing competitions the last few years. Look for them to do well in medal competition for both men and women in next year's Winter Olympics. I think Ted Ligety, who was on the verge of a big year this past season, will come back strong to lead the men's team, and what more can you say about the women's team with Vonn leading the way?

"Bode Miller? Who knows? He likes to surprise. I wouldn't count him out despite his disappointing season. He can focus when he wants to, and we've seen the results. He's one of the best ever. It will depend on how much fire he has left in him," Adgate concluded.

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