At the Bridger Ski Foundation, our staff is everything. This past season, we had over 100 coaches on the snow, inspiring more than 1,000 skiers, young and old. They work hard, and they care about each and every participant. This year, we're proud to honor eight outstanding coaches as BSF Coaches of the Year. Plus, we recognized a Groomer of the Year as well.
Freeskiing Coach: Kale Krieger
Kale grew up skiing locally and is a BSF alumn who has been coaching BSF Freeskiing for over 10 years. Kale is a passionate teacher and understands how to get a message to his athletes in several different directions. His excitement for progression is intoxicating and he builds an environment where kids can thrive. We were proud to have Kale represent BSF at the USASA National Champs at Copper Mtn this year.
Alpine Coach: Mikaela Balkind
For the last two seasons, Mikaela has brought an extraordinary work ethic to her position as assistant Comp Team coach. She has done everything from running training sessions to taking athletes to FIS races on her own. As a coach, she works hard to understand athletes’ issues and concerns, and she has been the driving force behind the sense of community between the older and younger athletes at BSF.
Nordic Devo Coach: Jessie Kay
Jessie has brought a holistic approach to athlete development over the last 8 seasons, working full-time for BSF for the last three years as an integral member of the Devo and Comp coaching staffs. She inspires her athletes to work together as a team and have fun in the pursuit of their individual goals, while also encouraging them to focus on balance and health in their ski training. Jessie pays attention to the details and is incredibly organized, whether through a Constant Contact communication, getting ready for a race trip, waxing on race day, or building a practice plan.
Jessie's thoughtful approach to coaching means she's always looking to understand the "why" of what we're doing, and she challenges her coworkers to think outside the box when building practice plans. Jessie will be moving to Whitefish this summer, and while she will be missed in the BSF community, we are excited for the new adventures that await her.
Freestyle Devo Coach: Jeremy Emmer
For the last two seasons, Jeremy has brought the passion of skiing to his Freestyle Devo athletes. With a background in Big Mountain skiing, he has a knack for motivating skiers to ski everything the mountain can throw at them. Most importantly, Jeremy cultivates a safe, fun environment for his athletes, and they were always bummed when training was over for the day.
Big Mountain/Freeride Coach: Bailey Servais
Bailey began coaching for the BSF Alpine Devo team in 2018 in order to give back to the ski racing community she’d benefited from as a youth skier. This past year she stepped up to lead the Big Mountain/Freeride team in its first season, working hard to get a new program off the ground and running. At the same time, she continued to coach Alpine Devo. Bailey is a dedicated coach and shares her passion for skiing with the athletes. She is a leader among our coaches.
Nordic Intro Coach: Abbie Schoenberner
In her first year coaching for BSF, Abbie coached our youngest Nordic Intro skiers–the Kinders–four days a week. Kinders keep you on your toes, and Abbie always showed up with a huge smile and lots of patience, going above and beyond to engage her kids with games while introducing new skills. Originally from Rapid City, South Dakota, Abbie is a freshman at Montana State and is studying Environmental Engineering with a minor in Business. Her athletes absolutely adored her, and the next generation of young Gallatin Valley skiers are hooked!
Freestyle Intro Coach: Makenzie Davies
During Makenzie’s first year of coaching for BSF, she showed up with a positive attitude, a drive to connect and help youngsters push limits in their skiing, and with a keen sense of kindness and compassion. As an alum of BSF, the love of skiing flows deep in Mackenzie’s veins; ripping with a pack of six year olds filled her with smiles. By the end of the season, her group of youngsters were begging for more.
Nordic Adult Coach: Jack Christianson
Jack came to Bozeman after skiing for St. Scholastica in Minnesota. He didn’t hesitate to jump on the adult train, and he had fun teaching various group levels from beginners to experienced adults. Jack provided clear and precise feedback, helping our adult learners grow beyond their expectations. And he proved to be a great team player, sharing his expertise and joy of skiing with fellow instructors as well.
BSF Groomer of the Year: Ben Listowich
Ben brings a lifetime of snowcat grooming experience to the trails, growing up at the controls and riding along with his father, (now retired head of grooming at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine). Hero to the kids, and bane to the coaches, his expertise helped efficiently push snow piles around the Sunset Hills snowmaking loop and brought us the past two seasons of amazing XC terrain park features.
Ben is moving on to other adventures back east next season, and while he will be missed, we’re happy that he was here to help train our snowcat operators and thankful for the good company along the way. We wish him the best for the next chapter.
