Exciting Changes in the Tech Coaching Staff for Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team

Julia Schneemann | | Post Tag for Industry NewsIndustry News
Team USA at Copper Mountain, CO, with ski racer River Radamus on the left. | Picture: Curtis DeVore, courtesy of Copper Mountain

The Stifel U.S. Ski Team announced exciting changes to its coaching staff for both the menโ€™s and womenโ€™s alpine teams. While both Mark Tilston and Paul Kristofic stay in charge of the menโ€™s and womenโ€™s team, there has been a shake up in the coaching staff of the menโ€™s and womenโ€™s tech teams with some very exciting new hires, especially in the menโ€™s team, which is undergoing a massive restructuring.

Former head coach for the womenโ€™s teach team, Magnus Andersson, resigned and is being replaced by Rudi Soulard who was previously assistant coach of the technical team. Andersson had been with the womenโ€™s staff for eight years. โ€œThrough the years on the team Magnus has had an incredible impact on our athletes and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors,โ€ said Kristofic. Soulard previously coached the French womenโ€™s Slalom team and Germanyโ€™s tech specialist Viktoria Rebensburg, who won two Olympic medals, two World Championship medals, 49 World Cup podiums, and three Giant Slalom Crystal Globes. โ€œWe are thrilled to have Rudi at the helm of our womenโ€™s tech team,โ€ said Kristofic. โ€œWe know he will continue to build upon and raise the bar of this talented group of skiers.โ€

The new head coach of the womenโ€™s tech team Rudi Soulard at Ohau, New Zealand. | Image: Rudi Soulard Instagram

Mikaela Shiffrin, who has a separate coaching team that includes head coach Karin Harjo, who joined last year after the skier parted ways with her long-time coach Mike Day in the middle of the 2023 World Championships, added Finnish Janne Haarala as assistant coach to her team. Haarala comes from the Norwegian womenโ€™s technical team where he was head coach for the last 6 seasons. Prior to that he had coached the Finnish team as head coach for three years. โ€œIโ€™m super stoked to be part of the journey with the most successful alpine skier in the world,โ€ said Haarala. โ€œI am committed to working hard and sharing my experience and passion for alpine skiing with this team.โ€

US Tech Team
The US Tech Team after Mikaela Shiffrin won her 83rd World Cup in matching T-shirts | Picture: US Tech Team Instagram Page

In addition, the womenโ€™s Europa Cup team will be coached by Miha Kรผrner who joins the team from Killington Mountain School, Vermont, where he was the Alpine Program Director and U18 womenโ€™s coach. Kรผrner is a retired Slovenian ski racer who has competed on the Europa Cup and World Cup level.

Mika Kรผner with 2-time Olympian Simon Kammerlander in Bear Valley. | Image: Mika Kรผner Instagram

Practically everything has changed on the menโ€™s tech coaching team, where Ian Garner stepped down from his role as head tech coach and is being replaced by not one new head coach but rather two tech specialists: Fabien Munier and Tristan Glasse-Davies. Munier will be in charge of the menโ€™s Giant Slalom training and is joining from the French Ski Federation where he has coached the World Cup tech team, including Olympic medalist and World Champion Alexis Pinterault. Glasse-Davies joins from  GB Snowsports where he was the menโ€™s head slalom coach for 2023 Streif Slalom winner Dave Ryding as well as up-and-coming slalom skiers Billy Major and Laurie Taylor, and he will lead the U.S. menโ€™s Slalom team. โ€œIt is exciting to have Tristan join our menโ€™s slalom group,โ€ said Tilston. โ€œTristanโ€™s direction and experience is sure to help our slalom skiers reach their full potential.โ€

Tristan Glasse-Davies (right) with Dave Riding, Billy Major, and Laurie Taylor. | Image: Billy Major Instagram

Alongside Munier, Claude Cretier also was poached from the French team, who has previously coached Alexis Pinturault as well as Victor Muffat-Jeandet. โ€œFabien and Claudeโ€™s background with the French Ski Federation shows that both have the experience and drive to make a positive impact on our team,โ€ said Tilston. โ€œWe have a great group of athletes and Fabien and Claude will push our athletes to the next level of competition.โ€

The menโ€™s Europa Cup team will see new leadership under Clement Tomamichel. Tomamichel most recently coached with the French Ski Federation on the womenโ€™s development and Europa Cup teams.

With these exciting changes, Team USA is hoping to expand on the successful 23/24 season which ended with a total of 10 World Cup victories, 21 World Cup podiums, and 51 top-10 World Cup results across its 11 World Cup athletes. โ€œWe had a very good 23/24 season and we are excited to build upon this success with these new hires,โ€ said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief of Sport Anouk Patty. โ€œThe coaches joining our organization are sure to make a positive impact on the future of our alpine programs.โ€

River Radamus claimed his first-ever World Cup podium at Palisades Tahoe. | Image: U.S. Ski & Snowboard

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