Herman Smith Johannsen

ARTICLE CONTENTS:  |  Links to Other Sites

Johannsen, Herman Smith
Herman Smith Johannsen, "Chief Jackrabbit" (from his Cree name), ski pioneer (b at Horten, Norway 15 June 1875; d at Tønsberg, Norway 5 Jan 1987). One of the best all-round skiers in Norway during the early 1890s, he became a salesman of heavy machinery and made Montréal his headquarters in 1919. In 1932 he settled in Piedmont, Qué, and began spreading ski trails throughout the Laurentians.

A pioneer in all forms of skiing, Johannsen acted as organizer, instructor, coach and official well into his nineties. He was patron of the CANADIAN SKI MARATHON, and in 1979 became involved in the Jackrabbit Ski League, a nationwide children's ski program started in his honour that has trained over 125 000 young skiers since its inception. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 1972 and inducted into the Canada Sports Hall of Fame in 1982.

Johannsen, Herman
Johannsen, Herman
A pioneer in all forms of skiing, Johannsen acted as organizer, instructor, coach and official well into his nineties (courtesy Canadian Ski Museum).

Author MURRAY SHAW


Links to Other Sites
Face to Face: The Canadian Personalities Hall
The Face to Face website presents outstanding Canadians whose contributions have transformed this country. Click on "Personalities" and then scan the photos to access profiles of noteworthy individuals. From the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

0
Feature Articles
Toronto Maple Leafs 1967: The Last Stanley Cup

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ victory in the 1967 Stanley Cup was a singular event. Who would have predicted that it would not happen again?

INSIDE TCE

Gallery
Browse the rich visual resources of The Canadian Encyclopedia through thematic galleries of Canadian Art, History, Nature, People, and Science and Technology.
Interactive Resources
Illustrations, lively text, animations, sounds and games help make learning about Canadian history, art, geography, architecture and other topics entertaining as well as informative.
Canucklehead
The ultimate test of your knowledge of Canada, trivial and otherwise. You can choose from more than 60 dynamic quizzes with visual or text clues. Your scores depend on the speed with which you answer and the number of clues you need. Results are sent to you by email and high scores are posted on the site.
Timeline
This unique resource includes more than 6000 events from Canadian and world history. It can be searched by era, subject, keyword or date. To find out what happened on your birthday, select the month and day of your birth.
100 Greatest Events
This selection of the 100 "greatest" events in Canadian history was made by editor in chief James H. Marsh to draw attention to events that have left an indelible memory in the minds of later generations.