Hjalmar Hvam

Hjalmar Petterson Hvam (16 November 1902 – March 30, 1996) was a competitive Norwegian-American Nordic skier and inventor of the first safety ski binding.

Early life Hvam was born in Kongsberg, Norway where he excelled at skiing as a youth, winning a ski jumping contest at the age of 12. He emigrated to Canada in 1923 before moving to Portland, Oregon, U.S. in 1927. In 1932, he won the first U.S. Nordic combined championship held at Lake Tahoe, California, taking first in jumping and cross-country racing.

Though originally a Nordic skier, Hvam soon became a competitive alpine skier as well, winning both runs of his very first slalom race at the 1933 Oregon state championships on borrowed skis. the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1992, and is a member of the Northwest Ski Hall of Fame and the U.S. Ski Business Hall of Fame.

Hvam suffered a heart attack at his Beaverton home and died on March 30, 1996.