PARK CITY, Utah – Park City Ski and Snowboard (PCSS) is a non-profit training program that has served 800 athletes, 600 families with 2,000 family members, 1,000 volunteers and 125 coaches for five years now and has grown into one of the world’s largest sports clubs in winter in North America. They held their annual community meeting last night, virtually in the form of a webinar.
New Chairman of the Board, Brent Nixon, spoke after CEO Christie Hind. Nixon said, “This club is a remarkable entity and I have the privilege of being a part of it. He grew up skiing in Crested Butte, CO before obtaining his law degree specializing in athlete representation. He said he was just a mediocre ski racer, but later discovered his true passion for the sport by now being able to work in his practice with world-class athletes and their families.
Alaskan native, three-time Olympian and two-time Olympic coach, Alan Alborn has discussed updates to ski jumping and Nordic combined as athletic program director with his 15-year history at the Olympic Park in the Utah. Their coaching staff includes local Olympian Abbey Ringquist. Alborn said: “I am happy to see the community come together.” Alborn indicated that these two sports are historically the smallest sports on the PCSS rosters.
Michael Bell spoke on behalf of snowboarding as Sporting Director and told webinar attendees that after growing up competing on the East Coast and coaching the New Zealand National Team, he feels lucky to be working with the elite, the International Ski Federation (FIS) – level competitive athletes and help develop the discipline of snowboard cross. He spoke of 85% retention with 35% female participation and that every Saturday 60 developing athletes will show up for the PCSS snowboard.
Tommy Eckfeldt is the sporting director of alpine ski racing. Tommy, who is from Vermont, said he was happy to put his advanced degree in physiology with the PCSS to good use after coaching the US ski team and then the Canadian team for ten years. Eckfeldt accepted the job in May and explained how he spent the summer looking for and recruiting a mostly new coaching staff and that they are now set for a successful season with the eight levels of training, a staff alpine of 26 people for 200 athletes.
World Cup and World Championship athlete Adam Loomis, as athletic director, featured video from his current training location in Lake Placid, NY. The Midwesterner provided an update on the PCSS Ski Mountaineering (Ski Mo) program. When Hind presented her segment, she explained that her program had a lot of “uphill skiers”. Indeed, since the sport was added to the 2026 Olympics, its program has seen steady growth in participation with 30 athletes in its second year alone.
Chris or “Hatch” Haslock, as he’s been called over his last 38 years of training, is the athletic director of Freeski, which is both park / pipe and big mountain skiing. Hind explained that the Hatch program is “incredibly popular and the number of participants is skyrocketing.”
Emma Garrard was introduced as athletic director for her cross-country ski program, which includes training for three-time Olympian Liz Stephen. Since Garrard, who skied as a young athlete in Alaska, joined the program, his roster has tripled to his current 200 athletes. Garrard was quick to praise and praise the local non-profit association Salomon Fund which ensures that recipients of free and discounted lunches as well as every child in Park City can find funding to join these PCSS sports.
Ryan Devine, Director of Freestyle Sport, described how his athletes learn applicable skills in the Shredders program, which has grown to become one of the largest multi-sport programs in the country, where participants can try out many of the PCSS offerings that promote from “all around skiing for a long-standing passion for skiing with great friendships.
Mikaela Wilson filmed from Sweden, where she coached some of the team’s elite athletes.
Live like Sam Executive Director Ron Jackenthal expressed gratitude for his nonprofit organization’s partnership with PCSS.
Dr. Travis Dorsh concluded the PCSS webinar with a presentation from his families from Utah State University to the Sports Lab where he collaborates with US Ski and Snowboard and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) in the area of parenting. quality.
The PCSS is organizing a community watch evening on February 10 to watch the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games, location to be determined.