Ryan Van Nuys

On snow background:
I starting skiing at age 10 in Vermont. While there I particapated in a few alpine races. In the winter of 2001 I moved to Colorado and spent the next 3 years training with the CU Freestyle ski team. During this time I competed in Moguls, Big Mountain and Skiers cross comps. Since that time I have been living in Summit County skiing more than 100 days every year.

Your history of working with youth and coaching:
This will be my 8th year coaching with the Team Summit Freestyle program. I started out coaching Development Moguls one day a week. From there I moved on to the two day competitive Development Mogul kids, eventually taking on the role of Development Director. After a few years in that role I moved onto coaching higher levels of moguls all the way to NorAms. Last year I switched gears and starting working with the highly competitive and successful Big Mountain Team, taking athletes on a whirlwind tour of some of the best comp venues in the country.

A brief description about yourself that makes you stand out from the rest, and some of your coaching goals:
I have a very diverse skiing background, thus giving me the ability to adapt to many athletes needs, both technically and mentally. I believe that skiing needs to be fun and loved first and foremost. From this fun, it is easier to commit one’s self to training 100 plus days a year, a necessity to become the best.

What do you like to do outside of skiing/riding that makes you a better coach:
In a former life I was a competitive Marksman, winning numerous national championships and setting a few national records that still stand. Because of this intense competition I understand the mental games athletes face while skiing. I also love to kayak the local creeks of Colorado. Once again this is a mental game in a face paced gravity fueled sport, translating directly to Big Mountain and Freestyle.

Email: RyanV@TeamSummit.org