Once a year, Colorado Buffalo skiing coach Richard Rokos goes to visit Bob Beattie for a couple of days.

Staying in Beattie's Woody Creek guest house, which has become somewhat of a skiing memorabilia museum, it has become obvious to Rokos over the years that Beattie has been enshrined in just about every skiing hall of fame there is.

So when CU ski team officials decided to honor Beattie — who coached the Buffs to their first two national titles in 1959 and 1960 — at tonight's annual Ski Ball, they wanted to do something unique.

Fifty years after he began coaching at CU, Beattie will be given the first CU skiing Mountain of Honor award for his contributions to the Buffalo program.

"He had the first NCAA championship year, so he's the founding father of this whole organization," said Rokos, who has guided the Buffs to five national titles in the past 17 years. "He set the structure of it and pretty much the reputation, and we are still benefitting from it.

Beattie, who couldn't be reached Thursday, coached the Buffs from 1957-1965, leading them to the two championships plus three national runner-up performances. He produced champions like Dave Butts, Buddy Werner, Jimmy Heuga and Bill Marolt.

As the U.S. Ski Team alpine coach from 1961-69, he produced four medal winners in the 1964 Olympics, including Heuga and Billy Kidd. He was founder of the World Pro Racing Tour, executive director of the International Ski Racers Association, commissioner of NASTAR and founder of the Bob Beattie Summer Racing camps.

Of course, it was as a commentator for ABC at the 1976, 1980 and 1984 Olympics that he gained his widest public acclaim.

"By all assessments, he's an icon of alpine skiing," Rokos said. "Everything that's happened in alpine skiing from when he started until now is his legacy."

The CU Ski Ball, which is held at the school's Glenn Miller Ballroom, is the team's annual fundraising event. It's not uncommon for the team to recognize those who have been associated with the program over the years. But Rokos said the recognition has been inconsistent.

With the birth of the Mountain of Honor, the Buffs will be able to properly credit those who have left their mark on the program.

Athletic director Mike Bohn will be on hand to give Beattie, who still keeps close tabs on the ski program and attends football games occasionally, the award. Kidd, Heuga and several other notables are also expected to be present among the 470 or so attendees.

"Every year we will induct one person to this Mountain of Honor, which will take care of everything for us," Rokos said.