Earl Miller was founder and president of the Miller Ski Company. An inventor and an entrepreneur, he devoted his lifetime to the sport of skiing. He worked to make it safer and more fun. Earl had more inventions beneficial to skiers than all other ski inventors in the world combined.

Earl A. Miller attended UCLA, Washington State University and graduated from BYU where he was captain of the ski team. He later became the first coach at BYU.

Miller was a certified professional ski instructor and was one of twelve pro-skiers who worked initially to form the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA).

Growing up in the racing circuit, Earl was Utah’s four-way ski champion in 1943 and competed in the U.S. National four-way championships.

During World War II, he served as a P-51 Mustang fighter pilot. In his original class of 400, he graduated first in flying skills and second in academics.

He was the first ski school director at Sundance Ski Area, first ski coach of BYU and taught skiing in Europe and Japan. A lifelong student of linguistics, Miller was conversational in seven languages.

As a ski area designer, he planned the original Sundance Ski Area in Utah and served as its first ski school director. He has designed mini-type ski areas such as Lakeview, Montana as well as super areas like 7-Mountain.

Earl was the first person to classify ski falls and relate them to specific bones broken and he developed a tension-meter to measure pressures needed to break bones. A leading inventor, he held more than 100 patents and trademarks. He was the head equipment designer for companies in Austria, Japan, Germany and the United States along with designing products for Miller Ski Company. His most significant inventions were the ski brake, the Twin Cam, the Double Roller, the platform ski pole grip and the Miller Soft, arguably the best powder ski in the world.

Earl Miller served in the following roles:

• Elected “White House Delegate” from the six-state Rocky Mountain area on small business
• Presidential advisor on International Trade through the district export council
• Advisor to the Utah state governor on small business
The Miller Ski Company was the recipient of the following awards:
• First ski enterprise in the United States to receive the coveted Presidential “E” Award
• Utah Sertoma’s Club Award for “Free enterprise company of the year”
• Mental health employer of the year

During his lifetime, Earl Miller received several prestigious awards. He was the recipient of the “Quinney Award” for outstanding achievement and contribution to Utah’s ski industry, the United Inventors of America awarded him the “Hero of Invention Award,” the “Sherman Poppen Lifetime Service Award,” and the “International Ski History Association Lifetime Service Award.”

Earl A. Miller was elected to the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 1994.