RMISA Championship History || National Championship History
Founded in 1950, the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association has long since been a leader in the collegiate skiing world. Being in existence longer than the sport has been sanctioned by the NCAA and boasting more national championships than any other conference, the RMISA has historically and remains today as the premier skiing conference in the United States.
Since its inception, RMISA schools have won 59 of the 68 championships conducted by the NCAA, or 86.8 percent, since 1954. Five of the seven schools that have won an NCAA skiing championship have done so from the RMISA. Denver leads the way with 24 NCAA titles, followed by Colorado's 19 and Utah's 12. Wyoming won two titles and New Mexico one. Only Vermont (6) and Dartmouth (3) have won titles from outside the RMISA. Colorado and Dartmouth split the title in 1976.
Utah and Colorado each boast one AIAW national championship, as well. The RMISA welcomed women's teams into the league in 1977, the same time skiing became an AIAW sport. The NCAA incorporated the AIAW in 1983, and at that time the sport became co-ed for both the NCAA and RMISA.
With the start of the RMISA there began a post season National Championship, starting in 1950 and being taken over by the NCAA in 1954. Denver won two of those four titles with Dartmouth and Washington State taking the other two.
With the two AIAW titles by Colorado and Utah and two men's titles from Denver prior to the start of the NCAA, that brings the total number of national championships to 60 since the start of the RMISA.
Prior to 1950 and the start of the conference, there were multiple events that were considered the intercollegiate championship. Utah won what was considered the national four-way intercollegiate ski championship in Sun Valley, Idaho.
The RMISA has also boasted the most individual NCAA Champions, boasting 349 out of 487, or 71.7 percent of all individual champions. Colorado leads the way with 98, followed by Denver (92) and Utah (78). Vermont is the only other school with 50-plus individual champions, with 67.
Membership History
There are currently nine schools a part of the RMISA, seven NCAA members and two associate members. Associate members compete in meets and accumulate team points but are not eligible to compete at the NCAA Championships. Current NCAA members are Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Fairbanks, Colorado, Denver, Montana State, Utah and Westminster College. Associate members are Colorado Mountain and Wyoming. Former NCAA members of the league are Air Force, Boise State, Colorado Alpine College, Colorado College, Colorado Mines, Colorado State, Fort Lewis, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah State, Western State Colege, Whitman College and Wyoming.