Remarkable Resdients - Bjorger Pettersen

(Page 10)
By Todd Curran
Okotoks local Bjorger Pettersen is an extraordinary man who continues to lead a charmed life following an accomplished career. Pioneer, dreamer and entrepreneur, Bjorger is also a Canadian Ski Hall of Fame honoree.
Born in Norway, Bjorger's family immigrated to Canada in 1953 when he was just 11 years old. Settling in Camrose where an uncle was already established, Bjorger says, “My uncle told me not to bring skis – he said the snow was too sugary. We found this to be wrong and when we moved to Kitimat in 1957 I continued the racing that I had started as a kid in Norway.”
After a successful racing career in B.C. that included a move to Prince George where he cofounded the Hickory Wing Ski Club, Bjorger made the Olympic training squad in 1962. The following summer, he unfortunately injured his Achilles tendon and the doctors couldn't guarantee a good result with surgery, so he returned to Prince George and threw himself into coaching cross country skiing.
As head Coach of the CSA's Western Division, he was hired to develop, manage and coach the successful TEST program, which became the North American leader that allowed Bjorger to put 7 cross country skiers from Inuvik on the 1972 Olympic team. “In 1960 I skipped school and went to the Olympics in Squaw Valley to learn more about cross-country skiing,” he says. It was here that he met his suppliers to create a leading sporting goods import and distribution company.
At only 18 years old, Bjorger launched the first Canadian company to supply a full line of cross country skiing equipment; Vikski Canada. His company was followed by others designed to service the cross country skiing industry. Another success which led to his promotion to head coach and program director of the National Ski Team for 6 years.
“When I left Inuvik in the spring of 1972 I went to the federal government to obtain funding for a national sports training centre, as the northern athletes desperately needed a place to train outside the north – but the answer was no,” Bjorger says. “So I built a training centre at McBride, B.C., which I had until 1985. I put the money up myself and didn't make a dime on it.”
Moving into the Foothills in 1989, Bjorger entered the cattle business and prospered for years on ranches around Okotoks and Nanton. “I guess my hobby got too big,” he jokes.
Unable to ski for the past 10 years due to medical reasons, Bjorger is now a financial advisor with Investors Group and his three grandchildren are his greatest pleasure. “I tried semi retiring but didn't like it, so I went back to school,” he says. “Now I work at home in the mornings and then do business in Okotoks and Calgary.”
Even after being inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame in 2007, Bjorger continues his contributions to the sport. And, after working 12 different Olympics, organizing and promoting the first international FIS sanctioned cross country and biathlon races in Canada and dozens of other accomplishments within the sport, his pioneering influence is felt by everyone who straps on a pair of skis and heads into the back country.