Masters Alpine Race Team Coaches

Lisa Ballard – Part-Time Coach

Lisa has been the top-ranked American Masters racers in her age group since joining the Masters circuit in 1991. She holds 6 Masters World Championship titles in slalom, GS and super G. She’s the 2017 and 2020 women’s overall Super G champion on the FIS masters world cup. She also ended the 2020 season ranked #3 in GS and #4 in slalom overall, and #1 her age group (Women 55-59) in the world. USSA and SkiRacing.com have named her “Masters Skier-of-the-Year” 6 times, most recently in 2016. She currently serves on US Ski and Snowboard’s Masters Working Group and Northern Division’s Alpine Competition Committee (ACC). Lisa grew up in Lake Placid, New York. As a teenager, she attended Stratton Mountain School in Vermont where she later served as a trustee for 12 years. She was a member of the U.S. Ski Team from 1976 to 1979, competing at the Europa Cup and World Cup levels. From 1980 to 1983, she was a member of the Dartmouth Ski Team and represented the college in four NCAA championships. Between college and the Masters circuit, she competed successfully for 6 years on the Women’s Pro Ski Tour. Along the way, she has been deeply involved in the ski industry, including a stint as Instruction Editor for Snow Country Magazine; a contributor to SKI and Ski Racing and numerous other publications and websites; a member of HEAD’s international design team; as an expert ski analyst, commentator and field producer for ESPN, NBC, Outside TV and several other networks; and as a coach. Lisa was director of the Snow Country Ski Schools, a program in conjunction with the elite PSIA Demo Team. She has taught over 7,000 women to ski better through her “Your Turn” women’s ski events. She also directs masters training camps throughout the United States and the annual South American Masters Race Camp. The author of the top-selling ski book, Ski Faster! Guide to Ski Racing and High-Performance Skiing, she has 30 years of experience coaching athletes from the U8 to the masters level. This is Lisa’s 10th winter in Red Lodge.

406.690.0190

Jack Ballard – Part Time Coach

Jack spent his winters as a youth tending livestock on a ranch west of Three Forks, Montana. He was introduced to skiing by riding the high school “ski bus” to Bridger Bowl where skiing “friends” abandoned him after 5.5 minutes of instruction. A subsequent program of self-education yielded a “skier” who could ski very fast in a straight line, drop fearlessly from large landscape features, stop quickly and conquer any slope navigable without turning.

After a 30-year hiatus from the sport, Jack took up skiing again in 2009 and tiptoed into racing a couple of years later. Several years of frustration in an exceedingly technique-driven sport now find him racing competitively in local and USSA Master’s races. He is particularly drawn to speed events and is keenly interested in all aspects of conditioning for ski racing. A former instructor in the Dept. of Education at MSU-Billings, Jack seeks to incorporate his expertise in human learning with coaching. He holds a Level 100 USSA coach’s license and has been certified as a Level 1 PSIA instructor.

In the off-season, Jack recovers from ski racing injuries, fly fishes, hikes, plays tennis, and recovers from ski racing injuries.

406.696.9841

Masters Nordic Team Coaches

Eric Dye – Head Nordic Coach

Eric Grew up in Red Lodge skiing, was on the Silver Run Alpine team for a few years before turning his focus to Nordic racing. Eric raced Nordic all through High school and first two years of college and then moved to Laramie Wy. to coach a Junior High Nordic ski team. Now Eric resides in Red Lodge and coaches the Silver Run Nordic Ski Team. He has his USSS level 100 Nordic Coaching license and been to many coaching clinics taught by US Nordic ski team coaches. He has been part of the coaching team for the High Plains Division for the past three years as a wax tech. When he is is not skiing he is on the river as a whitewater guide.

silverrunnordic@gmail.com

406.425.3739