Tormod MOBRAATEN

Tom Mobraaten was born in Norway and began skiing at the age of six. He moved to Canada in 1930, settling in Vancouver, and, by the middle of the decade, was known on both sides of the border for his success in the sport. He was selected to represent Canada at the 1936 Winter Olympics and entered all four skiing disciplines, although he ended up not starting in alpine skiing’s combined event. His best finish was in ski jumping, the category in which he had been Canadian champion from 1933 through 1935, where he placed 14th among 48 starters. He also finished 31st in the Nordic combined and 57th in cross-country skiing’s 18 km event. He grabbed the Canadian ski jump title again in 1937 and was poised to defend his crown in 1938, but dropped out of the tournament after a dispute with the officials about his disqualification in the downhill.

Morbraaten regained the ski jumping title in 1940, but his career was soon interrupted by World War II. He returned to form following the conflict and won the championship once more in 1947, earning a spot on Canada’s delegation to the 1948 Winter Olympics. This time he only participated in ski jumping, placing 44th among 49 competitors. He reduced his schedule of events following the Games, but remained active into the 1950s, briefly competing in the same era as his son, Tom Jr. Outside of sports he was married to Peggy Harlin, a Canadian national champion in the downhill and slalom, and he worked as a mine employee, fisherman, carpenter, and mink farmer.