Obituaries Australia

Sverre Kaaten, n.d.

airforce service record file (A9300, item Kaaten S A (National Archives of Australia)

Skiing in New South Wales would not have become a multi-million-dollar business without the efforts of Mr. Sverre Andreas Kaaten, according to a friend and fellow skier, Mr Ted Winter. 

Mr Kaaten who died in Sydney on Tuesday, three days before his 83rd birthday, was a former champion skier and was instrumental in opening up the NSW ski fields to the public. 

"Sverre was a wonderful old character", Mr Winter said. 

"Skiing as we know it wouldn't be what it is if it wasn't for Sverre Kaaten". 

Born in Norway in 1908, Mr Kaaten was an excellent club skier when he emigrated to Australia in May 1928. He won many national skiing titles in the early 1930s and in 1931 competed in the Australian ski titles on Mt Kosciusko. 

He helped establish and build the first uphill transport service in the Snowy Mountains — a rope tow to Perisher Hut. 

In 1960, Mr Kaaten helped form Perisher Enterprises, which took over the Government Tourist Snack bar at Smiggins, turned the dilapidated Beaver Lodge into the Alpine Gate motel and built another tow rope. 

Mr Kaaten is survived by his wife Shirleigh. His funeral will be held at Northern Suburbs Crematorium at 1.40 pm today.