Whitman College Athletics

The late Guttorm Berge, a Norwegian citizen and world-class skier, starred for Whitman in the early 1950s as the Missionary ski program moved from club to varsity sports status.

With Berge leading the way, Whitman teams enjoyed immediate success in the collegiate ranks. Berge, representing Whitman in some cases and as an unattached skier at other times, also enjoyed much success at numerous regional and national alpine events.

In 1952, skiing for his native Norway at the Oslo Winter Olympics, Berge won a bronze medal in the slalom, finishing just 1.7 seconds behind the gold-medal winner, Othmar Schneider of Austria. He returned to Whitman after the Olympics to complete the 1952 ski season, and he skied again as a Missionary during the 1953 season.

Berge transferred to Middlebury College, completing his degree there in 1954. He pursued graduate studies in business at Harvard University for one year before returning home to care for his ailing father.

Berge also competed for Norway in the 1956 Winter Olympics. He enjoyed a long career in the ski wax industry before passing in 2004.