Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club hires ski racing legend Tamara McKinney

The Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club (AVSC) is excited to announce the hiring of ski racing legend and Hall of Famer Tamara McKinney.

McKinney has joined the alpine coaching staff to assist the AVSC with their U12 Alpine Team. McKinney established herself as a regular champion for over a decade on the World Cup circuit and as the first American woman to win the overall World Cup in alpine skiing. She went on to be a member of the U.S. Ski Team for 14 years.

“I have been coaching youth skiers since the beginning of my career and have always gotten such joy out of it,” says McKinney, “There is something extremely special watching talented skiers gain the skills, passion and abilities that got me to where I am today. I am thrilled about joining the incredibly talented and dedicated coached at the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club; a team I have grown to respect and admire for the quality of coaching and athletes they produce.”

During McKinney’s time on the US Ski Team, she reigned as the best American female on the World Cup circuit from 1981-1989, competing in three World Championships and three Olympic Games for the United States. McKinney was inducted into the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in 1984, as well as the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame, the Reno/Tahoe Athletic Hall of Fame and the International Ski Hall of Fame. 

Still passionate about skiing, Tamara has long been a proponent of giving back to the sport. Tamara started coaching young ski racers in Lake Tahoe when she was eighteen and in world level competition. She has coached all age group levels over the years since the late 1990’s; from international summer camps, guest coaching with the US Ski and Snowboard Team U16 technical project post Squaw Valley world cup in 2017, to US Team / B- Team technical camp in Zermatt, Switzerland, and coaching  FIS and world cup level athletes such as Picabo Street, Julia Mancuso, Marco Sullivan and Travis Ganong down through U16, U14, U12, U10 and the younger, Mighty-Mites when her daughter, Francesca asked how old she had to be for mom to be the coach.

Release courtesy of AVSC.