Meet our Team All Mountain (Recreation) Coaches
TSSC coaches are the blood of our organization! Their collective experience and expertise is astounding. We are so thankful for their dedication to our program disciplines and most importantly to our little athletes. From 1st grade Team Gravity to competitive Alpine and Freeride Big Mountain, our coaches cover it all! Thank you, Coaches!
Alma Johnson, Team All Mountain (Rec)
Alma is a mountain goat born from her folks’ grit and grace at home in Ridgway, Colorado. Grown under the sun and snow at the gateway to the San Juan’s, Alma stepped into her first pair of skis at 3. Since then, any day with skis on her feet is the best day ever. Alma was an instructor for itty-bitties at Telluride Ski School throughout high school and for a couple seasons over breaks from university. She graduated from WSCU in Gunnison in 2017 with a BA in Recreational Outdoor Education and Leadership. Alma rode for Western’s Freeride team in 2016-17 and it felt so GOOD. Alma fell fast for the competition scene but had already started guiding ice on glaciers in Alaska, and after 5 years of working with kiddos in various contexts in the outdoors, Alma switched to working with adults in the backcountry. The next five years she spent summers and winters working and playing on ice and snow. Alma trained through the American Mountain Guide Association in rock, alpine and ski disciplines, and continue avalanche education through AAIRE (highest certification is Avy Pro 1). Alma learned the most on personal trips with mentors on big mountains in the Alaska range and right here in our San Juans.
Alma’s experience as both teacher and guide has created a potent opportunity for her to explore a new role as a coach. She is in a transformative season of her soul and is ready to get back to her roots: catching flying chairs and riding ‘round with rippers. Alma is ready to work with kids again because she has a deep capacity to nurture young athletes’ magic, meet them where they are, and empower their individual growth.
Skiing is Alma’s heart art and she will gladly spend her whole life as a student. There is nothing that makes us feel more competent and humble, capable and human, than to create connections and collective masterpieces with happy humans on skis. Having a role in training our next generation of Big Mountain competitors is a dream.
Andrew McMann, Team All Mountain (Rec)
Andrew has coached for 15 years at Sugarbush Resort (Vermont). He moved to Telluride in 2020, and then coached for TSSC in the 21/22 season.
Bertrand Marchal
Bertrand has been skiing for 55 years and coaching in Telluride on and off for 10 years.
Brent Englund, Team All Mountain (Rec)
Gary Hastings, Team All Mountain (Rec)
Gary grew up on the New Hampshire coast. When he was 3 he ditched his first ski school class at Mount Sunapee and headed straight to the old chairlift whereupon he was met at the top by a ski patroller. Refusing to download or take a ride in the sled, Gary received some brief stern instructions from the annoyed patroller and down the mountain they skied. Many decades later here Gary is here in beautiful Telluride sharing some of the things he learned with the next generations of little rippers.
Mel Ott, Team All Mountain (Rec)
Mel Ott aka “Melmeister” was born in Munich, Germany, skiing mostly St. Anton, St. Moritz, Kitzbühel, and Zermatt.
For Mel, it is the true passion of being out there that inspires him to coach. It’s not about competition or performance, it’s about the vibe. Mel’s dad was a long-time Telluride resident, and both parents grew up training with the German ski team and were close friends with Willy Bogner, Toni Sailer, Pepi Gramshammer and the Stein Eriksen family. His middle name comes from Stein’s brother, Marius. Mel has always leaned toward moguls, steeps & short turns, but also loves digging trenches on the groomers. The hardest thing for him is a medium radius turn at medium speed (aka ski school turns). Mel previously coached for Wasatch Freestyle and is blessed to be back in Colorado.
Mel has an extensive background as instructor, coach & boot fitter. He previously worked ski school at A-Basin, Telluride, Winter Park, Squaw Valley, Snowbasin, Deer Valley, with his favorite spot being Aspen Highlands.
Nicholas Kenworthy, Team All Mountain (Rec)
Gary grew up on the New Hampshire coast. When he was 3 he ditched his first ski school class at Mount Sunapee and headed straight to the old chairlift whereupon he was met at the top by a ski patroller. Refusing to download or take a ride in the sled, Gary received some brief stern instructions from the annoyed patroller and down the mountain they skied. Many decades later here Gary is here in beautiful Telluride sharing some of the things he learned with the next generations of little rippers.
Tate Young, Team All Mountain (Rec)
Tate is from Telluride and is currently a college student at CU Boulder. He grew up skiing in Telluride. His college buddies pulled him into coaching as a substitute and he loves it! Coaching reminds him of all the great fun of his childhood. Tate is also an experienced coach for the Telluride Hockey program