Downhome “Egan Bruthas” pioneered extreme movement through film appearances, adventure travel, work ethic and unrivaled passion for the sport.

It had dumped for a week straight at Wyoming’s Grand Targee in 1990 when the sun finally broke through the clouds. The Egan brothers – John and Dan – rushed to the summit to capitalize, while a Warren Miller camera crew set up the money shot across the valley. With Dan leading the way down a powder-filled summit ridge outside the resort’s boundary, a cornice the size of two semi-trailers broke off under their skis. Someway somehow, the brothers miraculously floated above the fracture line, while several tons of snow dropped below their skis.

The cornice break clip in “Extreme Winter” would become the most viewed ski film segment of all time.

The Egan brothers, who Warren Miller called “the ATVs” of ski adventure, came along at just the right time. It was the early 1980s and the ski industry was searching for something new and different beyond ski racing. With their down-to-earth New England manners, aw-shucks humor and gritty knack for slaying big mountains and tackling new adventures, they became the popular, relatable leaders of the then-nascent extreme skiing movement.

John, seven years older, competed successfully on both the pro race and mogul circuits, appeared in 17 Warren Miller films, and to this day serves as the VP, Chief Recreation Officer at Vermont’s Sugarbush, where he launched his professional ski career back in 1979. Dan appeared in a dozen Warren Miller films and brought critical business savvy and innovative marketing to the partnership, allowing them to travel the world and pay their bills. The brothers produced many of the Warren Miller segments themselves, and also handled the growing Warren Miller video sales east of the Mississippi. They also made hundreds of appearances as hosts on the film tour. Warren Miller quickly bonded with the Egans because he saw himself in their bootstrap dedication to spreading their love of the sport.

The Egans were founding members of The North Face Extreme Team along with Scot Schmidt, and were featured in the first five Extreme Team films. They took the extreme mantra from the mountains to Madison Avenue, appearing in numerous automotive, beer and soft drink commercials. Long before the advent of You Tube and social media, the Egan Brothers promoted the sport the old fashioned way, on the mountain, through retail appearances, ski shows, X-Team Ski Clinics and film tours. And they performed across the geopolitical landscape, often venturing into war-torn areas with skiing’s message of freedom.

To this day, John and Dan Egan continue to promote the sport and lifestyle they love, and POWDER Magazine has named them among the most influential skiers of all-time. John, whose email user name is “eganbrutha,” founded the Adventure Learning Center at Sugarbush and helped transform the resort into a year-round destination. Dan, who in a diverse and prolific career enjoyed stints as a resort association director, mountain manager, and author – while also producing dozens of award-winning films and TV shows – still manages successful ski clinics that sell out to this day.

Career Highlights – John Egan:

1978-80: John finishes in the top 10 in the Peugeot Pro Racing Tour and then on the Saab Pro Mogul Tour
1979: John makes his first Warren Miller film appearance in “Winter Fever”
1985: John and Dan make their first Egan Brothers appearance in a Warren Miller film; for the next decade they would make more appearances than any other athlete
1990s: The Egans are original members of The North Face Extreme Team and create the apparel line with Scot Schmidt
1990: John and Dan’s “cornice break” segment in “Extreme Winter” becomes most viewed ski segment of all-time
1990: John and Dan climb and ski Mt. Elbrus in Russia and also film at Red Square

Career Highlights – Dan Egan:

1985: John and Dan make their first Egan Brothers appearance in a Warren Miller film; for the next decade they would make more appearances than any other athlete
1990s: The Egans are original members of The North Face Extreme Team and create the apparel line with Scot Schmidt
1990: John and Dan’s “cornice break” segment in “Extreme Winter” becomes most viewed ski segment of all-time
1990: John and Dan climb and ski Mt. Elbrus in Russia and also film at Red Square
1996-2008: Dan Egan produces and stars in his Wild World of Winter series, a nationally syndicated cable TV show