With a singular, unwavering passion to honor the magnificent people who comprise the sport of snowmobile racing, Loren Anderson turned the idea of a Snowmobile Hall of Fame into a glorious reality. Undaunted by significant challenges along the way, Anderson cultivated his many local and industry connections, scraped together the necessary funding and poured his heart into every aspect of launching the SHOF in 1982, the first Ride With the Champs in 1984, the first museum in 1988 and settling into its current location in St. Germain, Wisconsin in 2008.

Like many of snowmobiling’s “greatest generation”, Anderson entered the sport during its first wave of popularity in the mid-1960’s. He founded the first snowmobile club in Williams Bay, Wisconsin and helped create the first snowmobile trail in the Bay. Anderson’s love of snowmobiling expanded when he began competing in grass drag and oval competition. In 1972 he campaigned Ski-Doo Blizzards, which evolved into brand alliance that would span more than two decades and include roles as racer, team owner and communications manager for parent company Bombardier. Later, while working for the Governor of Wisconsin, Anderson was instrumental in averting negative legislation against snowmobile recreation on the nation’s public lands. He was a president of the Chamber of Commerce in Minocqua, Wisconsin where he was a tireless promoter of winter recreation. International Snowmobile Racing named Anderson “Outstanding Contributor to the Sport of Snowmobiling” in 1998.

Of the many gifts Anderson has given to the snowmobile industry, The Snowmobile Hall of Fame in St. Germain, Wisconsin remains his greatest, most lasting contribution. Intent to preserve historical artifacts and memorialize the sport’s great men and women, Anderson was the primary force that grew the SHOF and The Ride With the Champs event into the world-class experiences we enjoy today. Not even the diagnosis of cancer in 1996 could deter the sometime controversial, strong-willed and passionate man from realizing his dream of honoring the sport’s heroes.