It was during a particularly unpleasant training session in the 1970s that cross-country skier Ed Pauls came up with the idea for an indoor ski-training machine.
In his basement, Pauls invented NordicTrack. At first it was popular with skiers, but eventually became prominent among exercise enthusiasts on a wide scale.
"Early on, when we would sell one, my father would gather the family in a circle in the dining room to sing and dance in celebration," said his daughter, Terri Pauls, according to the Star Tribune.
After growing up on a dairy farm in Wausau, Wis., Pauls graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a mechanical engineer. He married his wife, Florence, in 1959 and the couple moved to Excelsior.
Pauls, 80, died last month from complications of Alzheimer's disease at his home in Montrose, Colo. He continued to ski until early last year.
He is survived by his wife, Florence; son, Glenn; daughter, Terri; and two grandchildren.
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