Ailish McDonald, Nordic
Ailish hails from Boulder, Colorado. She has been coaching Boulder and Durango Nordic for the past six years. She moved to Telluride to teach and coach.
Liza Cooney, Nordic
Liza grew up in Maine and moved to Telluride in 2018 after graduating college. She absolutely loves getting to explore these mountains in all the various seasons. Liza started Nordic specifically when she was a freshman in high school. She raced on the high school team all four years, and Nordic has been special to her ever since. Liza is excited about the passion and fun that so many Telluride kids bring to Nordic at such a young age and hopes to foster their skill development in a way that centers their playfulness and enthusiasm!
Max Cooper, Nordic
Max bio here.
Ruthie Boyd, Nordic
Ruthie grew up in Breckenridge, Colorado, where she developed a lifelong love of Nordic skiing with her club Summit Nordic Ski Club. She attended college at Carleton College in Minnesota, where she ran cross country and continued to find joy in the sense of community that arises from being part of a sports team. Ruthie joined TSSC for the winter 2020-21 season in order to share the passion she has for Nordic skiing with youth in Telluride. Some of her favorite parts of coaching Nordic skiing at TSSC are playing games with the kids, going on long skis on perfectly groomed trails, and enjoying the Valley Floor in all of its winter glory.
Spencer Keating, Nordic
Having grown up in Telluride, Spencer is a fan of all mountain sports. As a kid Spencer began in Gravity, progressed to the Alpine team, and switched to the big mountain team. Finally, in high school, Spencer skied nordic with coach Max Cooper. He began to appreciate tranquil skis on the valley floor and improving his endurance. Spencer loves all things skiing and hopes to foster this same well-rounded love of skiing as a nordic coach.
Valerie Sloan, Nordic
Valerie’s bio here.