A member of the famous 10th Mountain Infantry Division, Ernest O. Pederson was acclaimed the earliest truly great four-way competitor born in this country according to the United States Ski Association Historical Committee.

Ernest O. Pederson was born in Berlin, New Hampshire on April 3, 1907 and was a product of the Berlin School System, graduating from the University on New Hampshire in 1930.
As a competitor Ernest was the National Ski Association (USSA) Boy’s National Jumping Champion in 1925, winning the title at Brattleboro, Vermont. Some of Pederson’s competitive accomplishments after his 1925 national title include: the State of Maine Jumping Championship at Rumford, Maine in 1926, the United States Eastern Amateur Jumping Championship at Berlin, New Hampshire in 1926, the Lake Placid, New York College Week Ski Jumping Championship in 1927-1928, the International Intercollegiate All-Around Ski Championship between the United States and Canada in 1927 at Montreal, 1928 at Hanover, New Hampshire, 1929 at Lake Placid, New York and 1930 at Murray Bay, Quebec.

Pederson also won the National Intercollegiate Jumping Championship in 1929 at Brattleboro, Vermont and represented the United States Eastern Amateur Ski Association on a six man team at Red Wing, Minnesota in 1928, winning the longest standing jump in the intercollegiate class. He was selected to represent the United States on a fifteen man Olympic Ski Team in 1928 but he was left off at the last minute because of financial problems of the Olympic Committee.

Ernest O. Pederson entered the military service in January, 1942, shortly after the outbreak of World War II and was the Rifle Company Commander of the 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment at Fort Lewis, Washington and Camp Hale, Colorado. From January, 1943 until June, 1943 Ernest was the Regimental Director of the 87th Mountain Infantry Ski School at Camp Hale, Colorado and was promoted to Executive Officer of the Mountain Training Center at Camp Hale until September, 1943 when he left Colorado with the regiment for the European Theater of Operation.

Pederson joined the State Department in Washington, D.C, in 1948, at which time he also transferred from active Army to Army Reserve. He was assigned as a foreign service officer shortly afterward, and served at the U.S. consulates in Gothenburg, Sweden, and Winnipeg, Canada. He retired from diplomatic service in 1963, and from the Army Reserve in 1967 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. After his service retirement he settled in West Springfield, Massachusetts. His interest in skiing remained throughout his life.

Ernest O. Pederson was elected to the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 1968.