Snowboarding pioneer and former Soldier Mountain GM Paul Alden passes away at 89

Snowboarding pioneer and former Soldier Mountain GM Paul Alden passes away at 89

OREM, Utah (KIFI) — The snowboarding world is mourning the loss of Paul Alden, one of the behind-the-scenes architects of competitive snowboarding and former General Manager of Idaho’s Soldier Mountain Ski Area. Alden passed away peacefully on April 9, 2026, in Orem, Utah, surrounded by his family. He was 89. Soldier Mountain leadership said in a news release: "Snowboarding has lost several of its earliest pioneers in recent years -- among them …

Snowboarding Pioneer Paul Alden Dies Aged 89

Paul Alden at Vail Resort in a pair of one of the first step-in snowboard bindings ever invented, by his son Rick Alden. (Photo courtesy of the Alden family) Paul Alden, one of the key behind-the-scenes architects of competitive snowboarding in North America, died on April 9, 2026. He was 89. In the mid-1980s, when snowboarding was still fighting for the right to exist at ski resorts, Alden was doing the work that rarely gets noticed — working t…