Chase first went skiing on an elementary school field trip to Wolf Laurel in 1971. Chase started teaching at French Swiss Ski College in 1988 working as an instructor for eight years. In 2010 he returned to help coach the junior race team and work with the Special Olympic athletes. Both of his children have grown up skiing, racing, and teaching at Appalachian Ski Mtn. One of Chase’s early opportunities to coach was for the US National Whitewater Team at the Junior World Championships in Spital, Austria in 1986. Chase is a level 200 certified coach through USSA. He’s worked as a river guide and kayaking instructor throughout North America.
“My coaching goal for every season is to develop the kids on our team into lifelong skiers who have a passion for learning and improving.”
Robert Baker
Robert grew up skiing at Appalachian Ski Mountain. He was on the slopes at age 5, and whenever school was cancelled due to the weather he would beg his parents to take him to the ski slopes. He was introduced to ski racing when the gates were made of bamboo. He raced recreationally during his teen years and through college. He brags about having the most DQ’s. He first started teaching skiing with the French Swiss Ski College in 1987 and continued until the early nineties while he was in college. When he moved his family from Mississippi back to North Carolina in 2010 he was intrigued with the opportunity to come back to the French Swiss Ski College. “Skiing has always been part of my life. When I came back to the French-Swiss Ski College in 2010, I thought I might continue for a couple of years. However, the thrill of skiing, being part of a resort experience and providing great customer experiences came back to me. The thought of the life lessons I had learned and how they shaped my life and the potential for my children to experience the same, made me realize that Appalachian Ski Mountain and the French Swiss Ski College presented an opportunity for me to pass along important life lessons to my children. I consider the opportunity to be part of this resort a privilege. Being there provides a great amount of stress relief to me today and it gives me the unique opportunity to visit and spend time with my sons and friends.”
Ella Cecil
Ella grew up in Conover, North Carolina, and has been skiing since she was seven years old, first learning at Appalachian Ski Mountain. Skiing has been a major part of her life, which led her to begin teaching ski lessons with the French Swiss Ski College in 2024. She enjoys working with children and helping them build confidence while improving their skills on the slopes. Ella is currently a junior at Appalachian State University, studying Finance and Banking.
Jennifer Gargrave
Jennifer joined the coaching staff in 2019. She comes to the team as a seasoned children’s specialist from the ski instructor ranks of the French Swiss Ski College. Her three children race with the Junior Race Team.
Alana Dagenhart
Alana learned to ski at App Ski Mtn when she was 12 years old. She started teaching at the French-Swiss Ski College in 1989. When she is not on the snow, she teaches English at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte. Alana is a Level III instructor with PSIA.
Jay Marcoux
Jay is a Principal Consultant at Hitachi Solutions of America in software test engineering. Jay has been ski coaching since 2003, formerly at Ski Sundown and Mohawk Mountain in Connecticut. At Ski Sundown, Jay taught children about skiing fundamentals in their six-week Mountain Adventures program. At Mohawk Mountain, Jay taught children in the Mountain Division program, which was designed to introduce racing concepts. Jay occasionally ran gates as a member of the Connecticut Ski Council and also has an affinity for skiing trees and steeps in northern Vermont. Jay and his family relocated near Charlotte, NC in 2019, and he has been teaching at Appalachian Ski Mountain since 2020. Jay is a PSIA Level 2 Alpine ski coach, enjoys fun ski trips with his friends, skiing with his daughter, and attending PSIA clinics.
Thomas Putnam
Thomas started skiing at age 10 in North Carolina. As a 13-year-old he spent the summer at Mount Hood race camp, and the winter racing USSA. At 14 he competed in the Jr. Olympic Qualifier. In 1984-1988 he raced pro/am and raced for ASU. Thomas started his coaching and teaching career at the French Swiss Ski College in 1979. As a thirteen-year-old he became a certified instructor through French Swiss and secured a job teaching skiing at Mill Ridge. In 1984, he returned to Appalachian for four years as an instructor and assistant race director. Thomas again returned to French Swiss in 2007 to instruct, coach, and assist with the training and racing for the Special Olympians. Thomas holds a Level 100 certification through USSA and a Level 1 certification through PSIA. He maintains his credentials, and continues his education through PSIA clinics in the Easter Division and Intermountain Division (ID, MO, UT, WY). As Managing Director of Operations FedEx Freight, Thomas lives in Fort Mill, SC, commuting to the mountain for the weekends to coach.
John Speckmann
John was born and raised in Aspen, Colorado and grew his love for skiing at the age of four. Previous to moving to Blowing Rock, he was a ski rep for 10 years for many clothing, accessory, and hard good lines representing Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico. John has been a realtor in the High Country for the past 23 years and is currently an associate broker at Jenkins, Realtors in Blowing Rock. He is also the Hard Goods manager at Alpine Ski Shop, Appalachian Ski Mtn. Both of his children began ski racing at four years old on Appalachian’s Jr Race Team and his daughter has been racing USSA for the past 5 years. He is a Level 100 race coach through USSA and taught through FSSC for 3 years after moving here in 1997. In his free time, he enjoys traveling and skiing with his family, gardening, hiking, and many other outdoor activities. He has a lifetime of being a passionate advocate for skiing!
“Skiing for me is a passion which I enjoy passing on to young skiers and watching them grow with it!”
Michael Trew
Mike is the consummate skier. He’s an expert alpine, back country, cross country, and telemark skier. Mike has been a ski instructor for decades. He has instructed at Beech Mountain, Sugar Mountain, Hawksnest, and Appalachian Ski Mtn. As a member of PSIA since 1987. Mike is certified as Level 1 in Telemark Skiing and Level 2 in Alpine Skiing. Outside of skiing Mike is a Professional Engineer at Municipal Engineering in Boone. In his free time during the off season and on warm winter days after race team practice Mike can be found rock climbing. Mike is a fixture in the high country climbing community. He serves on the board of the Carolina Climbers Coalition working to preserve the environment, ensure access, and shepherd the next generation.
“I love teaching/coaching and seeing the excitement generated when students learn, progress, and gain self-confidence. I try to make ski improvement fun and interesting.“
Calvin Williamson
Calvin has been teaching and coaching with the French Swiss Ski College since 2019. He grew up racing on the App Ski Team which credits to the development of his skill set. Calvin is a senior at ASU studying building science. In his spare time he enjoys mountain biking and learning new and advanced ski techniques on piste, off piste, and freestyle skiing in the terrain parks.
Eli Williamson
Eli started skiing in 2010. Eli was been a member of the Appalachian Ski Mtn Junior race team for 13 years. Aside from competing in the High Country Junior Race Series, Eli has also competed in numerous USSA races. Eli is a sophomore at Appalachian State University, on the weekends and evenings he coaches the ski team and teaches skiing at Appalachian Ski Mtn. During the summers he grown from being a camper to a counselor at the Ligety Weibrecht Ski Camp on Mt. Hood.
“Ski racing for me and for what I want to bring to my athletes is the best of their abilities out and to drive the physics, biomechanics, and detailed explanations of what we need do, when to do it, and why it matters.“
