In 1958 he graduated from St. Lawrence University where he competed in cross country, Nordic combined, and Ski Meister under Otto Scheibs.

Forest Rangers, Mr. William Petty, to research the Mount Van Hoevenberg area, with the idea in mind of creating cross country trails in a park type atmosphere.

As a result of the efforts required to hold the 1980 Olympics it became next to Holmenkollen, the premier cross country ski center in the world.

He spent his entire four-year service career competing in cross-country and in Biathlon for the U.S. in Europe and with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Team.

[3] This placing set Joe Pete up as a major U.S. skier due to the number of U.S. and foreign competitors in the race.

In 1962 he finished tenth in Falun, Sweden: in their National Championships among 900 competitors, a significant placing for an American at that time.

The North American Snowshoe Championships sponsored by the Saranac Lake Chamber of Commerce as part of their famous Winter Carnival, which was first introduced in 1897, seemed to be the perfect place to test the water – in its fluffy form.

Being elected treasurer of the ski areas association and controlling all that money wasn't bad either, but the opposite swing of the pendulum for Wilson.

Under Wilson's management the facility was expanded, including the trails and base Lodge, where a bar and dining room were added.

[citation needed] As a result of his real estate background, Wilson realized the future sales value of the land surrounding this Monadnock type mountain and the views it offered.

He became director of advertising and public relations and manager of real estate sales at the Glen Ellen ski area in Vermont.

Barely noticeable, hidden in the very north western corner of Montana is a wide spot in the road called Cooke City.

With support from the well known ski sports writer John Hitchcock, Cooke City proved to be an ideal location.

Initially, millions had eaten the ground bare in the mid-west but had been driven off the plains in a violent windstorm, then caught in a freak Fall snowstorm here in the bitterroots.

The Trapp Family Lodge Ski Center operates much the same today as when Joe Pete originally set it up.

[3] To Whom it May Concern: It is a privilege to put forth a personal recommendation for my distinguished friend and colleague Joe Pete Wilson, who has been an esteemed business associate for nearly three decades.

In 1972 he directed the first commercial cross country ski area in North America (Trapp Family Lodge).

Sincerely, Charlie Yerrick (Nordic Director, Trapp Family Lodge, Retired) Wilson could see that cross-country skiing was coming on.

He picked fifteen of the best locations in the Northeastern United States, that he could find, that he thought would make good cross-country ski operations.

It was a combination of golf courses in urban areas and Country Inns in mountainous locations covering seven states.

The concept of a franchise type operation and the grooming of trails were a radical step in the right direction for cross-country skiing at the time.

He brought together a small group of people working in the sport who were involved with major cross-country ski areas.

All the instructors decided to take on the Wildcat Valley Trail, a challenging hunk of terrain especially under snow conditions that day.

His missionary work in promoting the sport through instruction and the development of an organized industry association for Nordic areas was tireless.

Due to business regulations at the time the Bark Eater Inn and Silver Saddle Riding Stable operated as DBA's, under Indian Meadows Farms, the corporate name.

[citation needed] He was chosen as the Chief of Race for the World Masters skiing competition at Mount Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid.

Wilson was named one of the top ten people who have done the most to promote the growth of cross-country skiing in the United States in the last century.

After considerable thought, Wilson has decided what is really needed is a universal symbol - a trademark representative of or depicting all four disciplines (Cross Country, Jumping, Combined, Biathlon).

Wilson feels In order to make a successful bid for the next Winter Olympics, the U.S. will have to join forces with Canada.

This summary was assembled primarily from newspaper and magazine articles written through the years, factual notes, wild stories, and interviews.