Remembering Scott Holmer, Race Place Founder Whose Vision and Innovation Shaped Generations of Ski Racers Around the World
BEND, Ore. — For more than four decades, nearly every U.S. ski racer has felt the quiet influence of Scott Holmer, even if they never knew his name. As the founder of Race Place and creator of BEAST tuning products, Holmer changed how generations of racers prepared, trained, and dreamed — touching the lives of thousands of alpine ski racers worldwide, particularly in the United States.
Holmer passed away on October 4, 2025, after a sun-filled summer at his home in Minnesota. He was 85.
A Salesman With a Skier’s Soul
Holmer’s career began in 1962 in the Twin Cities, where his enthusiasm for skiing and genuine care for customers set him apart. His energy soon caught the attention of Kneissl, a New York–based ski company that imported Austrian-made skis and needed a representative for the Midwest. Always thinking creatively, Holmer turned his new Ford pickup and camper into a mobile showroom, bringing equipment and ideas directly to ski shops across the region.
“He wasn’t just selling gear,” longtime friend André Horton recalled. “He was sharing his passion for the sport. That’s what made Scott special.”
From a Broken Leg to a Big Idea
In 1971, while recovering from a badly broken leg, Holmer began mounting and servicing skis with a friend. During the summer, they repaired bicycles and even built fiberglass sailboats — an early sign of his endless curiosity and craftsmanship.
Three years later, Holmer opened The Lift Ski Shop, which grew into three locations by 1983. After selling the business, a trip west for his oldest daughter’s ski race introduced the Holmer family to Oregon. Within days, they made the move permanent, drawn to the mountains and the Central Oregon community.
Building the Race Place Legacy
By 1988, Holmer was back in business, opening a new version of The Lift Ski & Patio in Bend. However, his inventive mind was always in motion. In 1994, he launched the Base BEAST (Best Edge Accuracy Ski Tool), a product that revolutionized ski tuning. It became the foundation for BEAST Tuning Tools, which remain essential to racers and technicians worldwide.
A year later, in 1995, Holmer founded Race Place to help ski racers reach their potential. What began as a small, homegrown operation soon grew into a global company, supplying racers with not just tools, but all the equipment, suits, and inspiration needed to succeed in alpine ski racing. It made the best materials available at a reasonable price to anyone who visited the website or received the catalog, helping level the playing field for countless aspiring racers.
Over the years, Holmer’s children joined him in the business. Eric “Homey” Holmer, a former racer, U.S. Ski Team coach, and equipment manager, now leads the company. Kelsey Holmer spent time working at Race Place and then moved on to pursue other opportunities. Shuska Drescher, a former ski racer and best friend of Eric’s wife, Kiley, has built and maintained the company’s website since 2008. Megen Johnson, a lifelong ski racer and industry professional since 2000, serves as manager and soft-goods buyer. Together, they’ve continued to grow Race Place while keeping its homegrown spirit alive.
By 1997, Holmer closed The Lift Ski & Patio to focus entirely on Race Place, the BEAST line, and his outdoor-furniture business, Patio World-Bend. All three thrived, built on the same foundation of quality, creativity, and care that defined his life’s work.
A Mentor Who Led by Example
Holmer’s influence extended far beyond his family or his businesses. He quietly supported athletes, coaches, and innovators who shared his drive and work ethic.
André Horton, who first met Holmer at an Outer Limits DH Race Series at Mt. Hood Meadows in 1996, still remembers the moment vividly.
“It was my first race outside Alaska, and I started dead last because I didn’t have any points,” Horton said. “When I came through the finish, the race crew was packing up. The finish ref looked at me and said, ‘Holy sh**, kid… good run!’ I guess I had won the race, starting last. The next day, everyone was waiting to see if that chubby black kid with dreadlocks from Alaska could win again — and I did. I think Scott admired my grit and my fight to prevail.”
Horton soon became close with the Holmer family and Eric, who became one of his best friends and training partners.
“If you were a young racer and walked into a world-class ski shop like Race Place, it was staggering,” Horton said. “Scott cared more about our success than just his own son’s. That shop and that family became my second home.”
When Horton later lost his national-team funding, Holmer stepped in.
“Scott put together a six-week European trip for me and Eric,” Horton recalled. “He told me, ‘Don’t let other people tell you what you can’t do when you know in your heart you can.’ Scott wasn’t good at taking no for an answer. He expected your best — and he inspired it.”
Now a firefighter in Anchorage, Alaska, Horton carries Holmer’s lessons daily.
“He taught me that 90 percent of life is showing up and doing your absolute best. Despite failure, you keep going. That’s what Scott lived.”
A Colleague and a Challenger
Tim Nelson, a longtime friend and industry colleague, first met Holmer in the mid-1970s. “With a relationship that goes back to 1976, the specifics get a little fuzzy,” Nelson said. “But one memory sticks with me.”
Nelson was hired by Olin Ski Co. right out of college, but his manager refused to let him sell Olins to Scott because other Twin Cities retailers resented Holmer’s huge preseason sale at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
“Every year Scott would come by the Olin booth at SIA to ask for a dealership, and every year the answer was no,” Nelson recalled. “His response one year was, ‘This is probably not the only brand you’ll sell during your career.’ He was right.”
A few years later, Nelson had joined Look Ski Bindings and dreaded his first meeting with Holmer.
“I expected pushback, and Scott could ‘push back’ better than most,” Nelson said. “But after running through the install with his head tech — who thought Tyrolia was superior — Scott surprised me. He handed me a sheet of paper with an order larger than what I’d proposed. The only condition: I had to work his preseason sale every day.”
That partnership turned into a lasting friendship built on respect and candor.
“Scott loved skiing and the ski business and was always looking for a better way to sell, market, and have fun,” Nelson said. “He even gave my little ski-racing apparel company, Arctica, a shot, even though he didn’t love vendors selling direct. He’d call me whenever we ran a sale — usually with a full lecture on retail math — but he always pushed forward ideas that made us better.”
Nelson added, “He was a great asset to the ski business and a great friend. He’ll be missed greatly.”
A Creative Mind and a Family Legacy
Holmer never stopped innovating. His designs were often copied — because they worked — but it was his ability to imagine, refine, and simplify that set him apart. From tuning benches to irons to custom race suits, his ideas shaped the modern era of ski-racing equipment and preparation.
In 2022, Scott and Eric began construction on a new, purpose-built headquarters across from the Old Mill District in Bend. The building opened in October 2022, a proud milestone for Scott and a lasting symbol of his craftsmanship and care.
Even after officially retiring in 2024, Holmer still checked in regularly, ensuring the details were accurate and the company’s spirit remained strong. Summers in Minnesota became his reward for a life of work, while Eric carries forward the business and the values that define it.
More Than a Businessman
Holmer’s legacy stretches far beyond products and sales. He was a mentor, an innovator, and a dreamer. His love of family, friendship, and the outdoors — whether skiing in winter or boating on the river in summer — defined his life.
“Scott’s imagination and energy built something bigger than a business,” Horton said. “He built a community of people who love ski racing just a little more because of what he created.”
Today, Race Place and BEAST continue under Eric’s leadership, still rooted in the values Scott lived by: quality, innovation, and a genuine love for the sport. His influence lives on every time a racer tightens a binding, sharpens an edge, or opens a Race Place box — a quiet reminder of the man who made world-class tools, equipment, and inspiration available to all.
Scott Holmer’s life reminds us that the best legacies aren’t just built — they’re carved, with care, creativity, and heart.
Celebration of Life
A celebration of “A Life on the Edge” for Scott Holmer will be held at the Race Place store in Bend on Saturday, November 15, starting at 5 p.m.
Location: 665 SW Columbia St, Bend, OR 97702
About Race Place
Founded in 1995 in Bend, Oregon, Race Place has evolved into a global leader in ski-racing equipment and tuning innovation. Under the leadership of Eric Holmer, the family-owned company continues to serve racers of every level with the same care, expertise, and community spirit that defined Scott Holmer’s life and work.
About the Author: Peter Lange
