March 1, 2026 - (Putney, VT) The cross-country ski communities across the USA and around the globe were sad to hear of the passing of John Caldwell, 97, a former Olympian, pioneering coach, and widely regarded as the founding father of cross-country skiing in the United States.

The author of eight editions of “The Cross Country Ski Book”, Caldwell was also the founding force behind the New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA), and leaves behind a legacy that helped shape generations of American cross-country ski athletes and helped build the foundation of the sport across the USA.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1928, Caldwell moved to Putney with his family in 1941. Caldwell competed in the 1952 Winter Olympics and coached the U.S. cross-country Olympic teams in 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, and 1984. He also coached at the Putney School from the mid-1950s until his 1989 retirement.

Among the Putney students and others that he coached were Olympians Bob Gray, Martha Rockwell, Mike Gallagher, his son Tim Caldwell, and Brattleboro’s Jim Galanes, Stan Dunklee and Bill Koch, the first American to medal in Olympic cross-country skiing (in 1976 at Innsbruck).

In 1964 he authored “The Cross Country Ski Book,” the first time anyone had ever written a guide in English. “I think it sold over 500,000 copies. It’s the only reason I’m not in the poorhouse,” he remarked in an interview with VTDigger.

He and his wife, the late Hester “Hep” Goodenough Caldwell, had four children including Tim, who competed in the Olympics in 1972, 1976, 1980 and 1984, and Sverre, who founded the Stratton Mountain School (SMS) cross-country program and elite team, and coached Nordic athletes during his 40-year tenure there. Their 10 grandchildren include Olympians Sophie and Patrick Caldwell.

John Caldwell’s legacy lives on in the athletes he coached, the organizations he built, and the culture of excellence he helped instill within U.S. cross country skiing.

Best Nordic Ski Great Escapes joins the cross-country communities across the USA and around the globe in extending its condolences to the Caldwell family, friends and associates.

Read more at NENSA here, in VTDigger here, in the Brattleboro Reformer here at US Ski and Snowboard here.