Bio Coming Soon

Olivia grew up in Maine, skiing, running, hiking, biking and adventuring. She raced competitively in high school in both nordic skiing and running. Olivia then went to Bates College in Lewiston Maine. Once at Bates, Olivia raced on the Division I Nordic Ski team for all four years, of which she was a captain her senior year. She also ran one season of Division III track. Olivia graduated with a BA in Sociology and Education. After graduation, she briefly worked for a non-profit doing immigration advocacy work, before accepting the role as assistant coach of the Bates Nordic Team. She coached there for two full seasons, before deciding to move out west. Olivia is going to be starting her MA in Sport Coaching this fall, which she will be doing remotely while she coaches the comp team. Olivia brings a love of the outdoors, skiing, and competing with her and hopes to share that with the whole team! 

Tara is excited to be back at the Glacier Nordic Shop this winter!  Tara is from New York State originally and grew up skiing with her dad.  She came to Whitefish on a 2-month road trip four years ago while trying to see all the National Parks and never left. She is a PSIA Level 1 certified instructor and teaches shop lessons. When there’s no snow in the valley, she’s a hiking guide in Glacier National Park and tries to string together as much backpacking and road-tripping as possible.

Jessie hails from Minnesota, where she learned the subtle art of kicking and gliding across snow. She raced in high school and pursued one year of college skiing with the Montana State Bobcats, after which she pivoted to skiing powder and coaching youth athletes. She brings over a decade of experience working with a variety of ski programs in Montana and Minnesota. Her core values include stewardship, adventure, and curiosity, which are amplified through her work at Glacier Nordic Club.

Ed loves winter and frozen water in all its forms, but especially snow! Ed has a background in Emergency Services and has been moving across the snow for half his life for fun, and for work, from the east coast to the west coast and points in between. For GNC, Ed coached for three seasons for Chet Hope Youth Ski League and then three seasons with Junior Jets. This year he will be joining the Prep Team coaching staff and continuing to help out with Jets as needed. Ed likes to share with the GNC kids his love of gliding over the snow with as much fun and playfulness as possible. Ed says, “Nordic skiing is the best way to experience the winter world and have fun with good friends!” Ed lives in Columbia Falls, with his wife Bobbie, their eleven year old daughter Abby, plus three horses and one crazy cat.

Rick is entering his third season as one of the Teen Adventure coaches and he also is working to develop youth biathlon opportunities in the Flathead Valley.

Rick spent the bulk of his adult life in the U.S. Military and has worked in the youth education field in Montana for the past couple years.

He brings years of youth athletic coaching experience and PSIA level 1 (Alpine and Nordic) certifications to the Glacier North Center team.

Bio Coming Soon

Cameron took the reins as part-time Executive Director of Glacier Nordic Club in the 2016-17 season, allowing her to combine her non-profit expertise with her love of Nordic skiing.  Cameron was formerly the Executive Director of North Valley Music School from 2004 to 2010 and has served on the Board of numerous non-profits. Prior to moving to the Flathead, she worked in real estate investment banking and finance.

Cameron has taught Nordic skiing since 2001, starting with Chet Hope Youth Ski League. She loves sharing her knowledge of skiing and developing creative teaching games and drills for the ski team kids or instructing adult clinics.

Over the past seven years, she has coached Prep Team, Junior Jets, and adult lessons and clinics. She also coached a season with the Bridger Ski Foundation in Bozeman and skied with their competitive master’s program. She has fun racing the longer distances!

Cameron holds current PSIA Level 2, USSA Level 100, and Wilderness First Aid Certifications. Her children share in her passion. Connor, her son, raced for GNST, Bridger Ski Foundation, and for four years at Bates College in Maine. He is now coaching high schoolers. Barrett, her daughter, skied with GNST and coached the Junior Jets in her last two years of high school. And Willem, her second son, skied with GNST through 8th grade.

Franz hails from New England, where his formative days were spent mucking about the salt marsh, skating on frozen ponds, and only hitting the links when snow covered and with skis on his feet. For him, physical fitness is a corollary to a life spent outdoors. He disparages the trend towards increasing specialization in youth sports and has spent his fatherhood planning family adventures and finding any excuse to get the family outside and off the sidelines.

Franz has coached youth soccer, hockey and baseball, and in a former life was a snowboard instructor in Jackson, Wyoming.  When he and family moved to Whitefish in January of 2016, the Glacier Nordic Club was one of his first contacts. Franz has been coaching with GNST since, working his way along with his kids, moving from Jets on to Prep. Franz believes that kids learn through moving and that gravity and friction are great instructors. Edge awareness, balance, efficiency of movement, and aerobic fitness are just some of the lifelong traits young skiers develop in the Nordic program. Franz enjoys being along for the ride.

Ryan grew up in the quintessential ski town of McCall, Idaho. He was fortunate to be part of an active family that took full advantage of the surroundings in each season.

Despite growing up in a full-blown ‘ski town USA’, the competitive sports of his youth were judo, wrestling, and (American) football.

Ryan started skiing at age two or three and has been a recreational lift-served skier. XC was his Dad’s passion and eventually became Ryan’s preferred discipline later in life. This, after a football knee injury in college, pushed him to lower-impact forms of activity.

Ryan deeply appreciates the physical and mental benefits of cross-country skiing and self-powered propulsion. In a society that drifts more toward inactivity – getting kids into sports like xc is now more important than ever.

Ryan has been a volunteer coach of Chet Hope, Junior Jets, and, most recently, Prep Team. Ryan’s older daughter participated in the club, and his younger daughter is currently. He relishes the opportunity to give back a little to a sport that has given him so much.

Jim came to the Flathead after 30+ years in Alaska, where he spent several years training with the master’s program of Alaska Nordic Racing. It was there he connected with Nordic skiing, refined his ski skills, and got introduced to coaching. Jim’s amazing experience with ANR coaches and the Nordic ski community was the inspiration to teach and coach. With a degree in Outdoor and Experiential Education and a lifetime in the outdoor industry, he is also a PSIA-certified coach who enjoys introducing new skiers to the sport and helping those already skiing challenge themselves and develop their skills. When not on skis, you can find him working on his Beaver Lake Road property or enjoying northwest Montana with his wife Patti and Cocoa, the rescue dog.