Our coaches are incredible people who push us to be better skiers and make the magic happen. This program wouldn't exist without them so a HUGE shout out and thank you to each of them! Read below to find out more about this talented crew.
Muffy Ritz: Founder of The Vamps in 1996 and still going strong. Muffy is a racer at heart (2x Birkebeiner Champion/ US Ski Team/ Masters Champ and other 2 wheeled pursuits). However, the greatest joy she gets is seeing people go beyond what they thought they could do! And herein lies the heart and soul of the VAMPS! She likes to build her Anterior Mid - cingulate Cortex (look that one up) and loves snuggling with LUMI Toons (4 legged white furry dawg!)
Juerg Stauffacher - I am a lifelong Nordork who moved to the valley from Switzerland in 2001. I used to teach alpine skiing and coach team handball. I love all kinds of skiing and mountain biking. Galena is my favorite place for it all.
Tyler Reinking - Has been skiing with his heel free since the tender age of two. His ski career as an MSU Bobcat and beyond took him many places, but mostly back to the finish line. He enjoys skiing effortlessly up hills and getting zoomies on the way down - and loves sharing these skills with others when he can.
EJ Harpham - Started alpine skiing at age 3 wandering around on her family’s hilly property climbing up then trying to stay upright skiing down while having fun. She mastered alpine skiing but it was when she spent an entire school semester outdoors in the winter ski mountaineering in the early 70’s (think bamboo poles, wood skis, 3 pin bindings and heavy packs) that skiing really got fun and challenging. Switching entirely to cross-country skiing and self-taught Ej started to enter XC races and had many successes winning the Overall World Loppet, US Ski Marathon Series, 1st at American Birkebeiner and locally 3-time winner of the BMT to name a few. When teaching skiing those very first lessons of staying upright and having fun is where EJ starts. Skate and Classic skiing have some very basic fundamentals with a lifetime of mastering them. Each person has a different idea of success, and her goal is to help you reach that.
Having been fortunate to have had so many incredible skiing experiences in my life, I coach skiing to share the joy of Nordic skiing. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing others become excited by its beauty and simplicity.
I started skiing with my family at age four. We set our own tracks in the fields and forests of northern Ohio. In college, at Bowdoin and Dartmouth, I began racing bicycles and Nordic skiing surrounded by some of the era’s greats. After college, I returned to Ohio and, while working full-time as a science teacher, I trained and raced first locally then regionally. With some sacrifice and good luck, I was selected to compete in the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games. In 1994, my husband and I moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where I continued to teach and pursued mountain bike racing. My skis waited until we moved to Idaho in 2009 when I was able to ski in the fabulous tracks of Sun Valley. Since my return to skiing, I have been coaching and racing just enough to keep it fun and challenging! |
Kris Thoreson: has enjoyed teaching and coaching Nordic skiing for over thirty years and enjoys applying his background in teaching biology and physiology to the complexities of skiing. Seeing students of all abilities improve their proficiency in skiing is what Kris finds most rewarding.
Al Pokorny: Is a long-time recreational Nordic skier, who retired from his surgical practice in 2021 to move to Hailey, so he could spend more time in the snow. He has been challenged to ski better by his kids, all of whom have competed on the international level. He currently skis a lot with his Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Kali. He likes to teach Nordic skiing, because he learned as an adult, and understands how hard that can be. He has been involved with racing at the highest levels as a Nordic official, currently serving as the lead FIS Nordic official for the Western USA.
Skye Pauly - Was a nordic instructor at Galena, and has been trying to get her job back ever since. She simply loves nordic skiing for the joy of it and finds it a privilege to share those skills with others, particularly when they are first learning. You can also find her chasing after Tyler or her sister Chelan.
Alli Beatty - I grew up in Boise not skiing (unfortunately!!) and picked it up after moving to Minnesota for college. I joined VAMPS in 2019 and have been a loyal VAMP ever since! I have three busy boys and when I’m not shuttling them all around the valley, you’ll find me outside- skiing somewhere on the Harriman, trail running, hiking, and mountain biking. |
Don Shepler: As a Longtime Galena Fixture I enjoy teaching skiing and mountain biking and how these skills can intertwine through our lives and other activities. Most often my focus in ski instruction is developing skills and balance for people to feel safer, have more fun and be more playful on their skis (and maybe even a little faster)!
Erin Zell: moved to the valley in 2000 and has been teaching Nordic skiing for the last 15 or so years. She loves anything that gets her outdoors and into the mountains. She thinks that enthusiasm of the students and seeing them progress is the best! You can often find her with her dogs and Don(bars) out in the mountains.
Joney Otteson: Came late to the Nordic seen at the age of 49.After retiring from SV ski patrol, took on the personal challenge to join Muffy's "Vamps Rising Star" beginning Class. After some frustration and lots of K's learned that the skinny skis do indeed have edges! Started Coaching 4 years later, and now besides Vamps, I'm able to be humbled by coaching the SVSEF Devo kids. I have no regrets going from downhill swishing to the challenge of uphill climbs, some world master races and marathon Loppets.
Regan Nelson - grew up in the valley and was an alpine ski racer through high school and college. In her mid 20s she realized all she had missed out on by not being a xc skier and made the switch. She hasn’t looked back. Regan also enjoys backcountry skiing and gets back in the gates once a year for the Janss Pro Am. Her greatest joy in XC skiing is watching her daughter compete.
Kirsten DeHart - moved to the valley in 2012 with her family to enjoy the mountain lifestyle.
She began Nordic skiing in college and believes Sun Valley offers the best skiing in the country. If you live here, it’s crazy not to take advantage of the Nordic trails and community. Work hard, keep it fun and learn something along the way. |