Remembering ‘Sully’

It was standing room only on Jan. 3, 2015 at Squaw Valley’s Olympic Valley Lodge as the Lake Tahoe ski community gathered to celebrate the life and legacy of Mark “Sully” Sullivan, patriarch of the Squaw Valley Ski Team, who passed away from cancer on Dec. 7, 2014.

The aptly named “Sully-bration” was a gathering of family and friends held in conjunction with the inaugural Sully Classic U14 parallel slalom races at Squaw. Ceremonies kicked off during Saturday’s race with an organized ski-down of Squaw’s Siberia Bowl by of hundreds of athletes, both past and present, with Sully’s nephew and current World Cup Downhiller, Marco Sullivan, leading the way.

Speakers at the event included long-time friends, colleagues, and family, as Sully was remembered not only for his countless contributions to the culture of ski racing in Tahoe, but also for his lasting legacy as a human being.  Sully’s love of life and skiing is evident in the lasting impressions he left as a coach and mentor to untold numbers of athletes, family, and friends over a career that spanned nearly a half-century.

I, for one, will always remember Sully’s wry smile, constant donning of San Francisco Giants and 49ers gear, and ability to always bring out the best in everyone with whom he came into contact. Sully’s passion for skiing is something that rubbed off on all of his athletes.

Pointing at the daunting East Face of Squaw’s KT-22 chair, “That’s the real head coach,” he would often say, illustrating a mentality that made lifelong skiers of not only me, but countless others as well.

His obituary reads as follows:

On December 7, 2014, Mark “Sully” Sullivan passed away peacefully at his home in Tahoe City.  He was 63 years old. 

He was born March 26, 1951, in Berkeley, California, to Tim and Catherine Sullivan, moving to Squaw Valley with his family in 1958. The move to Tahoe suited him well and the ski culture in Squaw Valley would forever be a lifestyle he would pursue and embody. Starting out racing with the Lake Tahoe Ski Club, he dominated the young race scene, which laid the foundation for his later career as the head coach of the Squaw Valley Ski Team. Coaching became the career he was passionate about and twice he was awarded the National Coach of the Year Award, which recognized him for building Squaw Valley’s program into the most successful in the country. Sully also was lucky enough to carry the Olympic torch two times, once in 1960 as it came to Squaw Valley and again in 2002 on its way to the Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games.

Growing up he enjoyed rock climbing with his brother, Paul, and through the 1970s and 80s was an integral player for the Squaw Valley Chiefs broomball team. During the summer months he loved nothing more than fishing on Tahoe with a cold Bud, when he wasn’t traveling to New Zealand to coach summer ski camps. Known for his humor and the ability to get anyone to crack a smile, Sully’s selfless attitude and quick wit will be universally missed, but never forgotten.

Sully is survived by his brother, Paul Sullivan, sister, Laura Weare, nieces, Chelsea Robinson and Cara Weare, nephews, Marco Sullivan and Paul Weare, and his furball cat, Oliver. He was predeceased by his long-time partner Debbie Militello, his father, Tim Sullivan, and his mother, Catherine Sullivan.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that interested parties consider making a donation to:

Mark “Sully” Sullivan Scholarship Fund

Care of the Lake Tahoe Ski Club

Box 435, Tahoe City, CA 96145