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Born in Oakland, Califoria in 1950, professional ski instructor and outdoorsman Keith Liggett began his professional writing career in Breckenridge, Colorado, a winter skiing hub at the base of the Tenmile Range, when the Breckenridge Journal asked him to cover the trial of Jim Bowden who clocked a speed of 57 m.p.h. in a 25 m.p.h. zone while riding a skateboard. As well as a speeding ticket issued by a Summit County Sheriff, Bowden was charged with reckless driving, operating a toy on a public road and other charges. The judge, amazed that Bowden survived, tossed out all the charges.
Having first published a poem at age sixteen in a literary journal at Northwestern University, Liggett began combining literary writing with journalism, soon afterwards contributing a skiing column for the Quandry Times. It evolved into a syndicated column for fifteen years. He left Breckenridge in the early 1990s but continued the weekly column for newspapers in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Colorado, while also writing for major ski industry magazines.
Simultaneously, Liggett was involved in the arts by serving on the steering committee for the formation of the Columbia Gorge Arts and Culture Council, then sitting as a board member for four years. He also helped form the Columbia Gorge Racing Association and served on its board for six years. Having moved to Fernie, B.C. in 2006, he became the driving force behind the Fernie Writers Conference which he led for three years, having also played a vital role in the creation of a St. Eugene writers conference. Subsequently, Liggett has been a long-serving board member of the Fernie Arts Council. In 2015, he revived the Fernie Writers Conference, highlighted by an appearance by Tom Wayman. Liggett tries to ski more than 100 days per year, having gained his Level 3-PSIA, Rocky Mountain accreditation in 1989. In the summers he hikes, climbs, rides his mountain bike and enjoys fly fishing. He has lived at Aspen, Vail, Jackson Hole, Breckenridge and Hood River prior to Fernie.
Liggett holds dual citizenship. His mother was from Kamsack, Saskatchewan. He majored in philosophy at Grinnell College, where he received his B.A., with a minor in American Intellectual History. He also studied Creative Writing at Boulder and Denver Universities. He has coordinated and written Island Lake Lodge: The Cookbook (Whitecap, 2009) which received a Gourmand citation for Best Cookbook Photography, and he self-published a poetry collection entitled like socks in the dryer (Salmonberry Press, 2013).
Having first published a poem at age sixteen in a literary journal at Northwestern University, Liggett began combining literary writing with journalism, soon afterwards contributing a skiing column for the Quandry Times. It evolved into a syndicated column for fifteen years. He left Breckenridge in the early 1990s but continued the weekly column for newspapers in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Colorado, while also writing for major ski industry magazines.
Simultaneously, Liggett was involved in the arts by serving on the steering committee for the formation of the Columbia Gorge Arts and Culture Council, then sitting as a board member for four years. He also helped form the Columbia Gorge Racing Association and served on its board for six years. Having moved to Fernie, B.C. in 2006, he became the driving force behind the Fernie Writers Conference which he led for three years, having also played a vital role in the creation of a St. Eugene writers conference. Subsequently, Liggett has been a long-serving board member of the Fernie Arts Council. In 2015, he revived the Fernie Writers Conference, highlighted by an appearance by Tom Wayman. Liggett tries to ski more than 100 days per year, having gained his Level 3-PSIA, Rocky Mountain accreditation in 1989. In the summers he hikes, climbs, rides his mountain bike and enjoys fly fishing. He has lived at Aspen, Vail, Jackson Hole, Breckenridge and Hood River prior to Fernie.
Liggett holds dual citizenship. His mother was from Kamsack, Saskatchewan. He majored in philosophy at Grinnell College, where he received his B.A., with a minor in American Intellectual History. He also studied Creative Writing at Boulder and Denver Universities. He has coordinated and written Island Lake Lodge: The Cookbook (Whitecap, 2009) which received a Gourmand citation for Best Cookbook Photography, and he self-published a poetry collection entitled like socks in the dryer (Salmonberry Press, 2013).
