Vermont Ski + Ride Magazine

02/27/2026

It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that John Caldwell has died at the age of 97.

Olympian, U.S. Ski Team coach, and author of eight editions of The Cross Country Ski Book, John is widely considered the father of U.S. cross-country skiing, and indisputably the founding father of NENSA.

This weekend, more than 630 children and their families, alongside so many coaches and members of our community, will gather for the Bill Koch League Festival, named for one of the many Olympians John coached. There may be no more fitting expression of John’s legacy than a field full of young skiers discovering the joy and excitement of cross-country skiing.

As we gather, we carry John’s principles and spirit with us. We’ll be sharing more in the days ahead; for now, we hold his family and all who loved him close, and offer our deepest gratitude for a life that shaped our sport and our community.

If John touched your life, whether through coaching, mentorship, a conversation in the wax room, a passage in a book, or simply the culture he helped create, we invite you to share a memory or photo in the comments.

02/27/2026

RIP John Caldwell, who passed away at age 97. In 2018 we had the chance to visit with the godfather of Nordic ski competition in the U.S. at his home in Putney. Caldwell's stories of the early days of skiing in Vermont, tales from the 1952 Olympics (he was drafted from his post on a Naval warship to go ski train in Sun Valley), coaching the likes of Bill Koch, Bob Dunklee and others and hiking the Long Trail with the U.S. Team, plus adventurer Ned Gillette, are timeless.

In 2018 I sat down with John Caldwell at his home in Putney to hear his fascinating tales of the early days of Nordic competition in the U.S., his Olympic ex...