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HomeConv: 2024 SLA



Snowsports Leadership Academy...


91st Annual Far West Ski Association Convention

June 6 - 9, 2024



Atlantis Casino Resort Spa
3800 S. Virginia St, Reno, NV 89502 • 800-723-6500
https://atlantiscasino.com/


"Altitude with Attitude"


 













Snowsports Leadership Academy Topics

Saturday, June 8, 2024


  Morning Session (8:45 - 10:25 AM)

Ski Talk”



 

Phil Pugliese

Phil started skiing in the mid-70s in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania; from then on, he found himself entrenched in the industry. He has worked in various ski shops from suburban to ski town to resort, giving him a well-rounded perspective on what skiers want from their gear. That experience was parlayed into his time as a Gear Review Editor and also consulting with manufacturers as a product tester. Along with being a Masterfit-trained bootfitter he is a fully certified self proclaimed Gear Guru, keeping up with the cutting edge of ski gear technology and an avid gear collector with an extensive array of bindings as well as many vintage skis.



Tricia Pugliese

Skiing became Tricia’s passion from the moment she turned 18. It was because of that passion that she volunteered at a small school in Northern Michigan to head up a kids learn-to-ski program. A little over 25 years later, she moved to the Lake Tahoe Basin to make skiing her life and career. Tricia is still passionate about helping people enjoy their skiing experience, whether face to face or online. Besides being an owner, she is the site manager on SkiTalk.com, and reviews both hard and soft goods for manufacturers. She is also a Masterfit+ bootfitter and a consultant to industry insiders about the importance of women's ski gear.





 

Afternoon Session 2:40 - 4:00 PM)
 

Talk to the Pros
 
 

Wayne Wong


Any discussion about the early years of “Hot Dog” freestyle skiing will probably include the iconic name Wayne Wong. Good looking and charismatic, Wong was a very marketable character. The looks, style and all the latest freestyle ski moves that propelled him into the limelight of the era. His signature tricks on the snow, great smile and personality made him a cultural icon of the early freestyle era.

After years of competition at a world class level, Wong remained on the ski scene. He is one of the few who were able to parlay his ski fame into a true ambassador for the sport of skiing. Being recognized at the international level, he continues to maximize the value of his storied career. Whether it is coaching Olympic hopefuls, or skiing with corporate executives, his purpose remains the same; to share what he loves.

On the snow, Wong is an absolute technician, not only in style and technique, but he truly understands equipment science and design. He is considered one of the best ski testers of our time. For him, it is always about his passion for skiing. The tools of his life are his skis and you can always find him spreading the joy of skiing through the tools of his trade.

Awards & Achievements:
-1972: Skiing Magazine Freestyle Skier of the Year
-1972-’76: member of the K2 and Salomon Freestyle Ski Teams
-1975: member of the Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance Interski Team
-1984-’87: 3X World Powder 8 Champion
-1999: recognized by Skiing magazine as one of the 25 Most Influential People; recognized by Ski magazine as one of the “Top 100 Most Influential People
-2000: voted by Ski Magazine as one of the Top 100 Skiers of All Time
-2006: named by Powder Magazine as one of the Top 48 Greatest Skiers of Our Time
-2009: inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame
-2011: recognized as a Pioneer of Freestyle Skiing by the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame

 
Curtis Fong


For 25 years, Curtis Fong has produced Radio, Television, and written columns in Lake Tahoe snowsports media with his “The Guy from Tahoe” mountain resorts report and his winter website “BikeandSkiTahoe.com”. He has hosted the morning television “Mountain Resort Report” and produced “What’s Up Tahoe” on Outside Lake Tahoe Television and writes a weekly ski column “As the Bull Wheel Turns” in the Tahoe Daily Tribune.

 

His ski industry experience includes being the advertising and public relations manager for Kirkwood and marketing director for Sierra Ski Ranch in the 1970’s and 1980’s.

He is a ski journalist in the Western Region of North American Snowsports Journalists Association, where he serves as Vice president of Programs and has recently received the NASJA Mitch Kaplan Award for Excellence in Snowsports Coverage. 

He is a member of the International Skiing Heritage Association and the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame.

He is the founder, CEO & Event Director of TGFT Productions, LLC / Bike the West and is one of the founding members of Alta Alpina Cycling Club in 1983.

He has received numerous honors and awards from the Nevada State Governor’s Conference on Tourism, and the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Achievement Award from the Nevada Bicycle Advisory Committee, South Shore Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce Blue Ribbon Award Recipient for Tourism in 2013. He was also inducted in the Nevada Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

In 2018 Curtis was presented the Bill Berry Hard News Award for his great body of work reporting Tahoe skiing.





Lila Lipanja

Lila has been a six-time recipient of the FWSA / Sierra Council Frank App Memorial Athletic Scholarship (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014). 

 

U.S. born, but with dual citizenship with Slovenia, Lila inherited her love for skiing from dad and former Slovenian National Team skier Vojko Lipanja. When Lila was two, her parents took her to the bunny hill on Easter, strapped on some skis and set her off to chase after prize Easter eggs. She learned to ski and race at Diamond Peak in Nevada and rapidly climbed the junior ranks before racing for one year for the Sugar Bowl Ski Team and being called up to the U.S. Ski Team in 2011.

Unfortunately, after numerous injuries and the US Ski Team age-band criteria, Lila was dropped from the US Ski Team and now races as the top independent woman’s slalom racer in the world. 

Her objective is clear. She hopes to race as many World Cup Slaloms as possible and score enough points to be in the top 25 on the World Cup SL. With that, she will meet the criteria for the US Ski Team. The 2023 and 2024 National SL champion has already secured a starting spot in Levi for next season. From there, she can earn future starts by scoring World Cup points or qualifying through Europa Cup podiums or time trials.
 

In addition to her athletic prep, as an independent athlete, Lipanja must also handle the logistics of travel, training and lodging around an uncertain schedule contingent on performance. “You almost have to make both plans and just be ready to cancel or shift things around.”
 

She has partnered with the Croatian national team this season, slipping into their camps as it works with her schedule. “They’ve welcomed me and they see me as a positive influence on training, so I’m really grateful for that,” says Lipanja. She’s also working with a new coach this season from Croatia. Vojko has also become an integral part of the team. “He has started traveling with me more when he can take time off work and he’s been able to come to more World Cup races with me and actually be in the start gate with me, and that dynamic has worked really well.”
 

A big piece of Lipanja’s support network is Stöckli. “I can’t say enough good things about that company and how they’ve supported me.” When Lipanja started her path as an independent athlete without the advantage of national team status, Stöckli stepped up with support. Lila's approachable personality and positive demeanor have been an excellent fit for Stöckli.
 

Lapanja has started her college studies and will finish her degree after her ski racing. She also plays the role of ambassador and mentor for the Diamond Peak Ski Team, leading U12 athletes through “Train with Lila” training sessions. Lipanja hopes that the role will expand and evolve. “I’m realizing that part of me will always be connected to the sport in some capacity. I feel like I have a lot to offer young athletes because I’ve had such a unique perspective and experience with the sport. Working with my local ski club where I grew up is a perfect place to start.”
 

In 2015, Lipanja was named as an ambassador for the Snow Leopard Trust and is dedicated to increasing awareness of this magnificent creature and favorite animal. Lila shares, “I think it is very important to understand the lives of animals and find ways to preserve their habitat and appreciate their beauty. I love animals. Growing up at Tahoe has been a blessing because of the close connection with nature. I use my home in Tahoe as a refueling station and love being outside in nature—I believe that the Lake has magic powers.



 

Genia Fuller-Crews

Genia Fuller-Crews was the 2023 Snowsports Builder Award recipient for her indelible positive impact on snowsports.  Not only was she a pioneer leading to the development of new and exciting disciplines on the Olympic stage, but was also a pioneer in fighting for equal financial benefits and recognition for women in snowsports.

 

Considered one of the Legends of Freestyle Skiing with eight years of competition, Genia Fuller was an ambassador to the early years of “Hot Dog” freestyle skiing due to her smile, laugh and genuine love for the sport.  Combining precision, versatility and a go-for-broke style, Genia Fuller dominated in all the events and served as a charismatic ambassador in freestyle’s formative years.

Named Skiing magazine’s Skier of the Year three times between 1973-1978, Fuller’s career earned her numerous World Freestyle championships and titles. Her first title was earned in 1973 with her winning the Women’s National Freestyle Championship at Sun Valley, Idaho. That same year she skied for Willy Bogner in the ski film “W.”
  

The first competition of the 1974 season was at Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, and Genia won all three disciplines, as well as, the overall title.  This has never been repeated by any competitor, male or female.  In 1975, she won the overall Women’s Grand Prix freestyle title along with winning four of the six overall events.  In 1976, she finished fifth overall, despite an injury-shortened half season, and moved her overall ranking to fourth in 1977.  In 1978 she won the overall World Freestyle Championship title along with three out of five individual titles.  Fuller became an innovator in pole-free ballet, touring Europe and Japan, sharing skills and knowledge with many upcoming young freestyler skiers. She performed in over 500 days of dryland ski shows. 
 

All freestyle competition events today, whether on skis or snowboards, are rooted in what the pioneers of freestyle—the hotdoggers—created in the 1960s and 1970s.  The freestyle skiing competitions in the recent 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeong Chang, South Korea, all evolved from earlier versions of the various disciplines considered freestyle events. Today’s Olympic skiing and snowboarding freestyle events include aerials, moguls, ski cross, slopestyle, and half pipe. 
 

Fearless both on and off the hill, she also led the effort to bring equal prize money to the women’s tour.  She parlayed her skiing fame into high-visibility roles on television, with the Women’s Superstars, in the Battle of the Sexes, and in the ABC special, “The Lady is a Champ,” which featured Genia alongside Billie Jean King and Chris Evert.  At the height of her career in 1976 she signed new contracts with Colgate, ABC television, which earned recognition for freestyle skiing through media exposure. 
 

Today, Genia Fuller-Crews is still involved in promoting and serving the snowsports industry.  She was inducted into the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame in 2016 and currently serves on its Board of Directors.  In 2019 she authored the “The Women in Snowsports Industry Award” for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and serves as chairman of the program.
 

Outside skiing, Genia is an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and a CPR, First Aid, and EMT Instructor. She is well immersed in disaster teams and disaster / emergency preparedness activities for Ventura County, and lives in Simi Valley, California.



 
 

Travis Ganong

 

Travis Ganong (born July 14, 1988) is an American World Cup alpine ski racer and specializes in the speed events of downhill and super-G. Born and raised in Truckee, California, he competed for the U.S. at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, and placed fifth in the downhill at Rosa Khutor, 0.41 seconds behind the winner.

Ganong gained his first World Cup victory on December 2014 in a downhill in Santa CaterinaItaly. At his third World Championships in 2015 at Beaver CreekColorado, he won the silver medal in the downhill. Ganong injured his right knee (ACL) in late December 2017 at Bormio and missed the rest of the season, including the 2018 Olympics.

Ganong has been in a relationship with Canadian alpine racer Marie-Michèle Gagnon since 2008. The pair met through mutual friend Louis-Pierre Hélie. In 2014, the couple moved to a new home in Lake TahoeCalifornia.

Race podiums

  • 2 wins – (2 DH)
  • 6 podiums – (5 DH, 1 SG); 46 top tens – (32 DH, 14 SG)

Season

Date

Location

Discipline

Place

2014

1 Mar 2014

NorwayKvitfjell, Norway

Downhill

3rd

2015

28 Dec 2014

ItalySanta Caterina, Italy

Downhill

1st

2016

28 Nov 2015

CanadaLake Louise, Canada

Downhill

3rd

2017

27 Jan 2017

GermanyGarmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

Downhill

1st

2022

3 Dec 2021

United StatesBeaver Creek, USA

Super-G

3rd

2023

21 Jan 2023

AustriaKitzbühel, Austria

Downhill

3rd


On March 15, 2023, Travis Ganong will did his final run in men’s FIS World Cup downhill. The following day, the 34-year-old alpine skier ended his career at the world cup finals in Andorra, along with his fiancée Marie-Michèle Gagnon, a Canadian slalom-turned-downhill skier.
 

“Marie-Michèle is also retiring this year, so in Andorra, we're going to do our last run together,” said Ganong. “Actually, we're planning on doing a ceremonial retirement run together in the super-G. It's going to be really fun.”


 


Marie-Michèle Gagnon

 
Marie-Michèle Gagnon
 (born 25 April 1989) is a World Cupalpine ski racer from Canada. Born in Lévis, Quebec, she was a technical skier focused on slalom. However, since an injury at the start of 2017 season, she no longer competes in slalom and rarely in giant slalom, focusing on speed disciplines and combined.
 

Gagnon joined the Canadian national team at the age of eighteen, although a leg fracture halted her progress at the start of her rookie season. She made her World Cup debut in December 2008 and has represented Canada at two Winter Olympics and six World Championships

Gagnon's first World Cup podium came in March 2012, a third-place in a slalom at Åre, Sweden.[2][3] Her first victory was in January 2014, a combined event at Altenmarkt, Austria. which was the first podium for a Canadian in a World Cup combined event in thirty years.[5] The previous day she scored her first World Cup points in downhill at the same venue. That season she also took her first top ten World Cup finishes in super-G, finishing tenth and sixth in races in Lake Louise and St. Moritz respectively. At the Winter Olympics, Gagnon crashed out of the slalom run of the combined, dislocating her shoulder, before failing to finish the super-G and giant slalom, and securing a ninth place in the slalom. She finished thirteenth in the overall World Cup standings and sixth in slalom. 
 

In January 2022, Gagnon was named to Canada's 2022 Olympic team.

Gagnon was the third of five siblings and left the family home at age twelve to pursue her education and ski racing in Mont-Sainte-Anne and Quebec City. Her childhood idols included Mélanie TurgeonGeneviève Simard, and Erik Guay.
 

Gagnon has been in a relationship with American alpine racer Travis Ganong since 2008. The pair met through mutual friend Louis-Pierre Hélie; in 2014, the couple moved to a new home in Lake TahoeCalifornia. They became engaged at the Matterhorn on 15 September 2021.

Race podiums

  • 2 wins – (2 SC)
  • 5 podiums – (2 SL, 2 SC, 1 SG); 61 top tens

Season

Date

Location

Discipline

Place

2012

10 Mar 2012

SwedenÅre, Sweden

Slalom

3rd

2014

12 Jan 2014

AustriaAltenmarkt, Austria

Super combined

1st

2016

15 Feb 2016

SwitzerlandCrans-Montana, Switzerland

Slalom

3rd

28 Feb 2016

AndorraSoldeu, Andorra

Super combined

1st

2021

30 Jan 2021

GermanyGarmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

Super-G

3rd




 


 

 

 


 





All attendees of the Snowsports Leadership Academy will receive a Certificate of Completion for each module. All Delegates to the FWSA Convention are given internet access to the Leadership Packet, which contains a myriad of information on each of the components (with expanded topics).



Why should you attend the Snowsports Leadership Academy?
The purpose of the Snowsports Leadership Academy is to provide an informational forum to the members attending the Far West Ski Association Convention, and has evolved into a valuable resource. It is a Far West education program designed to provide Far West members training and tools to enhance and expand their clubs and be recognized industry wide as having a measure of standards and consistency.















   

The Academy Involves Eight Components

  • Taking Office
  • Membership and Communications
  • Risk Management
  • Travel Programs Management
  • Technology Resources
  • Ethical Responsibilities
  • Ski Equipment Design
  • Building Membership Through Racing




Check out our Keynote and Public Affairs Speakers here.

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Contact:
 Jean McCasey
VP Membership
  858-560-8722














Online Registration is now OPEN.

Book your lodging by May 15, 2024 to secure your room.

We look forward to seeing you in Reno, NV, June 6-9, 2024