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Henry S. Woods
Hall of Fame Class of 1966
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Henry S. “Bem” Woods was a true all-round competitive skier who knew no fear. He had the “tools” to survive the most trying ski runs in Europe and North America. He was the first national champion in the downhill.
Henry S. Woods, nicknamed “Bem”, was a member of the Dartmouth Outing Club. He burst forth on the national scene by winning the first National Ski Association Downhill Race at Mount Mooselauke in Warren, New Hampshire in 1933.
Woods was a four-way competitor and a very good one at that. While skiing for Dartmouth he amassed a number of very impressive wins and near wins. In 1934, Woods took 8th in the 18-mile cross-country race at Lake Placid as well as 8th in the Class ”A” Jump, giving him a 4th in the Class “A” Combined. In the 1934 College Week Ski Tournaments at Lake Placid, Woods took 3rd in the 14-kilometer.
Henry was captain of the United States F.I.S. Ski Team that competed in the World Championships at Chamonix, France in 1937. At this prestigious event, “Bem” entered the downhill, slalom and special jumping. That same winter he competed in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen Christmas Jumping Tournament and the Ski Club Partenkirchen New Year’s Tournament. He also competed in the Franz Reisch Gedenkenlauf at Kitzbhel, Austria in jumping, downhill and slalom events, the Garmisch-Partenkirchen International Week Downhill Race, the Innsbrucker Skilaufer Vereinigung International Jumping Meet at Innsbruck, Austria, the Sestriere Six Downhill Ski Races in Sestriere, Italy and the Oslo-Bergen Slalom Race in Mjolfjell, Norway. A thoroughly seasoned racer, Henry was an inspiration to his teammates.
After Henry S. Woods’ competitive career was over, he turned to work as a national figure for the National Ski Association. He became a National Ski Association ski jumping judge of great distinction and he was a member of the United States Eastern Amateur Ski Association.
Even after his retirement from active skiing, whenever he had opportunity, Henry loved to compete in the alpine championships in the veterans’ class.
Henry S. “Bem” Woods was elected to the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 1966.
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