Now in its second year, the Bridger Ski Foundation (BSF) Skimo team has already doubled in size. BSF Marketing Intern (and Freeride Coach) Morgan Yelland talked with BSF Skimo Coach Charlie Von Avis to get the scoop on this fast-growing discipline, which also made its Olympic debut this year.
Up until this interview, , my knowledge of ski mountaineering started and ended with the fact that the word “skimo” referred to, you guessed it, … ski mountaineering. That changed when I sat down with one of the head coaches of the BSF skimo team, Charlie von Avis. Charlie and co-head coach Michela Adrien are both respected figures in the ski mountaineering community. Outside of coaching, Charlie works for Bridger Photonics, a methane leak detection company, while Michela holds down a job as a registered nurse at Bozeman Health’s emergency department. They’ve dedicated much of their free time to building the BSF Skimo team, sharing their love of the outdoors, and stewarding a positive team culture.
Here’s what Charlie had to say:
BSF: So, Charlie, for the people who don’t know, what is skimo?
CVA: So skimo is short for ski mountaineering. It’s where you skin uphill and ski downhill along a course and race as fast as possible along that course.
BSF: I’d like to talk a little bit about your background. What initially drew you into the world of skimo, and what keeps bringing you back to the sport?
CVA: Well, my background in athletics comes from road cycling and trail running, so very endurance focused. I had never done any skimo before, but I signed up for a race and immediately was like, “Oh this is my favorite sport because it combines my love for endurance sports with my passion of skiing.”
BSF: So, how would you describe your coaching philosophy?
I’d say I try to focus on building experiences and fun first, but with an undertone of “we want to do this the right way and do it at a high level.” And I think most importantly, I like to meet kids where they’re at–kinda lifting them up and letting them lean into the things that they’re excited about.
BSF: If you had to argue why Skimo is the best winter discipline, what would that argument look like?
CVA: I think it’s pretty iconic to have the key part of your sport be just like boot packing up couloirs, and you have to be a ripping skier to be able to complete these descents.
BSF: So, I heard through the grapevine that you are a very accomplished athlete, can you talk about your proudest moment in that world?
CVA: I’d say from a skimo perspective, it would be winning the Shedhorn Skimo Race up in Big Sky last year. The first time I had ever signed up it was like eight years ago. That year I finished eighth, the next year I got seventh, then sixth and so on, and this past year I finally got the title. It was really cool to have that good linear progression. My wife is also really into the sport, so traveling to different races with her is always special.
BSF: Alright let’s talk about the BSF team. How has the team been doing this year versus year one.
CVA: So the team doubled in size from year one to year two. The group of kids we have now is pretty tight. It was kind of all the kids that were there last year, who were already good friends, and they brought in their other friends.
BSF: Because of the youth of the program, where do you see the most room for growth and why?
CVA: Well, the program is young, but the average age of the athletes is also on the younger side–eighth grade to freshman year age range. So I’m interested to see how the program develops as these kids grow out of being the youngest on the team to doing some of the longer, more difficult races.
BSF: How do you balance building a successful program and pushing competitive performance?
CVA: I’d say that pushing competitive performance is really not a priority right now. Obviously, if a kid is interested in that aspect, we give him the attention that he needs, but right now we kind of just want the kids to fall deeper into the sport and find a love for backcountry skiing. Kids have figured out that racing is pretty fun, so we do encourage them to push themselves and do transitions really fast. Stuff like that.
BSF: How are you and Michela creating a positive and motivating environment for the kids in such a demanding sport?
CVA: Honestly, somehow it’s kind of just happening. I think generally Michela and I are on the same page most of the time, regarding the goals for the program in terms of making it fun and positive. But the thing that is amazing is that this sport is freaking hard… and even last year when we had good conditions, it’s still cold out there and people get sweaty and it's windy, and your gear doesn’t work, but somehow… and I haven’t figured out what it is yet … the kids love showing up and being challenged in these ways. I’m still waiting for the day that someone has a meltdown at practice, but that day has not come yet.
BSF: What skill requirements does an athlete need to join the skimo team?
CVA: Well, you gotta be able to ski.
(This was funny to me as an interviewer because I was expecting a far more elaborate answer, but at the end of the day it’s really that simple. Athletes with Alpine or Nordic backgrounds thrive here. They just need to come to practice with a positive mindset.)
The BSF Skimo team has powered through an incredibly tough winter, with variable temperatures and low snow. The team’s primary training venue is at Bear Canyon on the outskirts of Bozeman, which has had little to no snow this winter. The team has pivoted to what Charlie says is, “lots of extended dryland training.” This could be anything from running up the “M” trailhead to practicing their transitions on grass.
Charlie says the toughest thing during a year like this is that skimo is “somewhere between Nordic and downhill skiing, but we can’t use either of those venues.”
However, that hasn’t stopped these kids. Every weekend, they show up with smiles on their faces, gear in their packs, and a positive attitude. At skimo races around Montana, the team has had a lot of success, and Charlie’s face lights up talking about it. A few weeks ago, they put multiple athletes on the podium in Whitefish, which was a national cup race.
There is so much to unpack when talking about the BSF Skimo Team - from Olympic aspirations and podium spots, to further building out the program and the community that backs it. With such amazing leaders like Charlie and Michela, it’s rather easy to understand that BSF Skimo has a bright future ahead, and this is only the beginning.
Morgan Yelland is the BSF Freeride Head U18 Coach and is also BSF's marketing intern this semester. He started coaching with BSF in 2023 and is about to graduate from MSU.
