 These artifacts and stories remain to be the foundation from which the museum has built its world-class collection.Upon the museum's opening, Herman 'Jackrabbit' Smith-Johannsen acted as the Patron of the Canadian Ski Museum, and donated several of his prize possessions to the collection.Within the museum exhibit is an area devoted to 'Jackrabbit', the protagonist and practitioner of cross country and wilderness skiing who lived and breathed skiing for 111 years of his legendary life.