Olympic Skier Billy Kidd Donates Leibovitz Portrait for Kids

A portrait that captured the soul of the American West is getting a second act as a gift to the next generation of musicians.

Billy Kidd, who became the first American man to win an Olympic medal in Alpine skiing at the 1964 Games, donated a signed, framed magazine cover featuring his portrait by legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz. The image will be auctioned to support the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra's music education programs, including String Sprouts and High School Orchestra initiatives that serve young musicians across Colorado.

The photograph came from an unexpected phone call decades ago. Kidd was selected to join an elite American Express advertising campaign that featured cultural icons like Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. He spent nearly a week working with Leibovitz to find the perfect shot.

The winning image came from Kidd's ranch near Steamboat Springs. Dressed in a duster, chaps, and his trademark Stetson cowboy hat, Kidd stood against a snow-covered landscape holding a lariat, channeling the Hollywood cowboys he admired growing up in Vermont.

"I wasn't trying to talk her into a photograph of me on my ranch, but when we got there, she liked it," Kidd recalled this week from Boulder.

Why This Inspires

Kidd's journey from small-town Vermont to Olympic glory opened doors he never imagined. His silver medal finish in slalom at Innsbruck, Austria, came just 0.14 seconds behind the gold medalist. Teammate Jimmie Heuga won bronze that same day in 1964, marking a historic first for American men's Alpine skiing.

But Kidd never forgot where those opportunities came from. Now 82 years later, he's paying it forward by supporting young musicians who are chasing their own dreams in Steamboat Springs, the mountain town he's called home since 1970.

The auction opened this week and runs through February 5, with bidding available at SteamboatSymphony.org. The portrait will be displayed at Library Hall and the Strings Music Pavilion during Symphony of Champions performances.

"I've been so lucky with the things that have happened to me," Kidd said, reflecting on magazine covers, world championships, and moments with photography legends. Now he's turning that luck into opportunity for kids who love music as much as he loved skiing.