Marthinius A. (Mark) Strand was a ski jumper in his youth and he competed for several years. In 1916 strand organized the Utah Ski Club, a jumping club that was one of the pioneer clubs in the state.

Marthinius A. Strand was born in Drammen, Norway. His early education was in the field of gun-making and electrical engineering. After immigrating to the United States in 1910 he was employed by major American corporations for fourteen year, after which he organized his own company: the strand Electric Company.

During these years, having been involved in competitive ski jumping as a young child, he maintained a deep interest in the sport. In 1916 he organized the Utah Ski Club with focus on ski jumping. He was president for many terms. His other activities included serving as president of the North American Athletic Association, president of the Utah Soccer league, manager of the Viking Soccer Club and president of the Male Chorus Norge along with many others.

In the meantime he continued jumping competitively more in the spirit of recreation than in search for titles.

When the Western Amateur Ski association was organized, Strand served as its president for four terms. In the intervening years, as skiing developed, he helped organize the Rocky Mountain Amateur Ski Association and served as president of both organizations for several years.

When the management of his company was assumed by his son, Strand directed all of his time skiing and to civic and public affairs. During and after World War II he chaired the Utah Norwegian War Relief Committee until it disbanded in 1946. During the war years he was a member of the Utah Defense Committee and was given the post of Civilian Ski and Mountain Patrols by Utah’s governor. Other continuing activities included: advisory functions to the Secretary of the Interior and reviewing potentially suitable ski development sites in National Parks and National Forests in the intermountain country.

Strand was appointed as a registered ski jumping judge for thirty-five years and acted in that capacity in countless ski jumping competitions during that period. His interest in all phases of skiing continued unabated to the very end of his seventy-eight years of fruitful contributions to the sport of skiing and the citizens of Utah.

Marthinius A. Strand was elected to the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 1958.