At the height of the winter season, BSF has 140 coaches on the snow, making a difference in nearly 1,000 lives. Each year, we honor a few of the stand-out coaches, groomers, and volunteers. It takes an incredible village to make the BSF experience what it is. Thank you to everyone who plays a role.
Lukas is a leader on and off the ski hill. He always has a smile on his face and a positive attitude, not to mention he is always putting the kids first. Lukas brings an incredible depth of knowledge in the sport of freeride, and it really shows. A valued co-worker by his fellow coaches, BSF is grateful for his contributions this season.
Kelsey is an inspiration to the youth of our Freestyle Devo Program. She is always on time and excited to spend her day with her group. She communicates well with athletes and parents, and she serves as a leader when coaching our athletes. We love to see Kelsey out there practicing the same skills our kids are working on: dialing in her 360 and so on.
Noah Brown is an engineer by day and changed his work schedule to allow him to be at BSF SkiMo practices in the evenings this winter. Noah’s dedicated time to the team this season was instrumental in making things work. He made it to all but 2 practices and was at every race this season. The athletes love his good-natured demeanor and passion for the sport and call him “brother Noah.” Noah attended the USA Skimo coaches camp this past spring, bringing top level coaching ideas to the table. On top of all this, he is an emerging national level racer: Noah was National champion in the mixed relay and third in the sprint at Nationals this season. Looking forward to what Noah can do in the future!
Aubrey has demonstrated steady, quiet, and confident leadership over the past three seasons. She has grown tremendously as a coach, finding her unique coaching style and voice and her positive engagement with the team will leave an enduring impact on the athletes.
Josh has gone over and above in building the snowboard community within BSF, providing excellent coaching on the snow but also building a team culture off the snow. This year he provided multiple new opportunities for his athletes and coordinated team dinners for families and coaches to spend more time together. He has also stepped up for the club as a whole, taking great photos and capturing moments that will last a lifetime.
Ben was a flex coach, working with the Freestyle and Alpine Devo teams while also coaching with the BSF Club Team (formerly “intro”). Ben showed up stoked everyday to help in any capacity he could. He went out of his way to challenge the kids and helped improve their confidence. Ben was also a valued player in our new Wednesday afternoon Club Team session. And kids just adore him!
Grace showed up at practice each day with energy, excitement, and a passion for teaching our skiers. She never hesitated to help out or step up and sub when a coach was out. Additionally, Grace went above and beyond to promote inclusion and belonging for our Spanish-speaking participants. Thank you, Grace!
Becky came back to Bozeman this season, after a few years coaching in Casper, WY. She helped spice up our adult program training sessions with new ideas for dryland and agility as well as on snow. We are so grateful for the creativity, curiosity and intensity she brought to the adult crew! We are excited to have her helping with some new summer training offerings for adults!
As a veteran coach on the BSF Devo crew, we were so lucky to get Sophia back this year. She is frequently described as "The nicest person you will ever have the pleasure of meeting,", and that could not be more true. Her experience both as an athlete and a coach is evident at every practice. Her attitude is infectious for both the athletes who have the pleasure of calling her their coach and the coaches who have the pleasure of calling her their friend.
Shane has been an exemplary coach for Devo this season. Shane coaches our youngest and usually most inexperienced group, which means he has the challenge of molding wild skiers into fast and technically sound racers. This season he created a strong bond with every one of his athletes, teaching the basic fundamentals of ski racing as well as being a good teammate. Shane steps up as a leader for our team, making sure everything runs smoothly.
As a BSF alumnus and recently graduated collegiate skier, Seth brought invaluable experience and insights to our Devo coaching crew. He accepted additional responsibility with a welcoming smile and was a leader amongst his fellow coaches, helping the whole team move in a positive direction. Kind, caring, and with a quick sense of humor, he was a valuable addition to our coaching staff.
Kimo brought the same fun presence, talent and enthusiasm to this ski season as he did his first year with our program in 2022-23, the biggest snow year any of us can remember. But, this season, instead of putting in hundreds of hours behind the wheel of the snowcat, it was hundreds of hours shoveling snow onto the trails, fixing fence blown over by the wind, working through the night to make snow during the few cold weather windows available, and during one especially sunny-warm stretch, sanding and refinishing the peeled wooden facade of our pump house. Thanks for your hard work and creative problem solving this season!
A longtime volunteer for BSF, Sarah spearheaded volunteer care for all BSF Nordic events this year. She has been instrumental in creating a culture that celebrates volunteerism and boosts enthusiasm at our events. She worked tirelessly to take care of the people who take care of our athletes!
Aside from offering her services as a physical therapist to our Pro Team athletes, Amy is fully engaged with fundraising efforts for the Pro Team. Amy works incredibly hard behind the scenes to make sure Pro Team events are organized and successful. She is an incredible resource and a valued member of our team!
Frank has been a Ski Swap volunteer for decades. As a professional carpenter, he has donated his skills for building, installing and maintaining the ski rack systems. Frank is the first person you will meet when dropping off consignment gear at the Swap. He is also on the floor all weekend helping customers find the perfect pair of skis. Thanks, Frank, for helping make the BSF Ski Swap such a great Bozeman tradition.
We can’t begin to quantify Lauren’s annual contribution to BSF’s auction gala fundraiser. She works countless hours throughout the year working on the organizing committee, soliciting auction item donations, and keeping us organized. She helped transform Apres Ski to a new level of crucial fundraising for BSF. But she doesn’t stop there: you’ll also find her coaching our Nordic Kinders, skiing around as “Freshie the Fox,” and volunteering at nearly every BSF event. Thank you for all your time, hard work, and the endless enthusiasm.
A moguls course requires a lot of manual labor, and the BSF Freestyle team has three volunteers in particular to thank for this year’s bumps and jumps on Boot Hill. Hunter, Stuart and Dave put in hundreds of hours helping with the course this season.
With tight transportation for the Skimo Team, both of these parents traded driving a personal van for the kids on the days of the week BSF couldn’t. They spent countless hours at the trailheads and driving kids around. Thank you!
James is the BSF Alpine Race Timer and a key member of the BSF race crew. James brings enthusiasm, problem solving and a friendly ongoing conversation to the timing shack. James' daughter Grace started on the alpine team and moved over to compete in Freeride. When not volunteering for BSF, James serves on the Livingston City Commission. Thanks James for being such an important member of the BSF community!
