It's All Downhill

It’s funny how life’s paths take shape sometimes. Fresh out of college in 1977, Dave Galusha received an offer to take over the ski racing
program at Jay Peak in Vermont.

A successful Eastern junior ski racer who stayed involved in ski instructing and coaching through college, Galusha looks back at his decision to accept the offer and reflects, “I thought, geez, that’d be fun to do for a year or two while I figure out what I’m going to do with my life.” He pauses with a hint of a grin that comes mostly from his eyes and adds, “Some 30 years later, I’m still doing it.”

After building a successful program at Jay Peak, Galusha ran the ski racing program at Killington, then coached for the U.S. Ski Team, and was named Eastern regional director for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. For the past 10 years he has worked as program director for the Park City Ski Team (PCST) and its parent organization, the Park City Ski Education Foundation.

When asked how his unintentional career path has worked out—particularly his tenure in Park City—he gives another hint of a grin and replies, “Not too bad.” It doesn’t take long to realize that Galusha tends toward understatement when talking about himself. Under his leadership, the Park City Ski Team has become the most successful junior ski racing program in the country. In 2005, the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association named the Park City Ski Team as both the alpine program of the year and the overall club of the year.

As an indicator of the program’s success, 10 PCST alumni (more than twice as many as any other program) are on the 2005/06 U.S. Alpine Team. Galusha says there’s a good chance we’ll see four Park City skiers racing in the 2006 Olympics. He also points out that more than 30 PCST alumni are currently skiing for NCAA Division I ski programs.

The logistics of coordinating regional, national and international travel for 130 junior racers and 17 coaches, along with full responsibility for program direction, funding, operations and personnel make for a juggling act of a job most days.

Galusha is clearly proud of the Park City Ski Team’s accomplishments, but again he defers credit for the success. “I’ve been really lucky,” he says, “and a big part of my luck has been drawing top-level coaches.” He notes that the last four PCST head coaches have either come from or gone on to high-level positions with the U.S. Ski Team. “I think the timing was perfect when I came on board,” he adds. “Bob Marsh had built a great program that was starting to grow in numbers and having good success athletically. And there just happened to be a really strong cycle of athletes in the 13-, 14- and 15-year-old range.”

He’s quick to point out the role that Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) and the Park City community fill, too. “A huge part of our success beyond the commitment of the board and the athletes has been PCMR and its approach to ski racing. The dedicated race arena and the training it gives us, that’s been invaluable. It’s unique in the world. And after 18 years of hosting America’s Opening [World Cup races] and then hosting the 2002 Olympics, this community is so in touch with the sport and supportive of what the kids are doing. It’s a big part of our success at every level.”

Twenty-two-year-old Kim Stephens, a Junior Olympic medalist who skied on the Park City Ski Team for nine years and now races for the University of Utah, refers to Galusha as “one of the biggest mentors in my life. He’s a person I always want to be around because of his knowledge, kindness, and best of all, humor.” She adds, “Not only is Dave producing World Cup skiers every year from his program, these skiers are turning into amazing people.”

Stephens herself is a testament to that. The back-to-back ACL injuries she suffered in 2003 and 2004 would have ended most ski racing careers, but Stephens continues to fight her way back with the goal of skiing from the collegiate ranks onto the U.S. Ski Team. In the midst of rehabilitating, racing and attending college, at age 20 she started her own business, too.

Ted Ligety, another homegrown success story, who last year posted four top-15 World Cup finishes and then capped the season by winning the U.S. national slalom title, echoes Galusha’s words on the importance of attracting top coaches. “Dave has been great at finding coaches like Mike Day and Rob Clayton, who have greatly influenced the way I ski,” Ligety says. “If it weren’t for the Park City Ski Team, I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today.”

For his part, Galusha says that working with motivated young people like Stephens and Ligety is the most rewarding part of his job. “To see which kids over time emerge, start to take control of their lives, take their training seriously, and learn about how they work psychologically is a really neat process.” To illustrate, he says, “Of that group of very strong 13- to 15-year-olds I mentioned when I first took over the program, Ted Ligety wasn’t even on the horizon. If 10 years ago we had done time trials, he might have been the 20th kid in that group, and then a couple of years later, the 15th, and a couple of years later, the 10th, and now he’s the most successful skier to come out of the program. I don’t know anyone who would bet against him to win an Olympic medal next year.”

Beyond the career aspects, Galusha says that coming to Park City has been a great move for him and his wife Susan, a high school teacher and accomplished artist. “Park City is a thriving place for so many things. I can’t say that I’m playing enough tennis or golf or riding my bike enough, but I’m still involved in those things. And for Susan, as an artist and a fanatic skier, this place has been a phenomenal move.” He adds that he and Susan both have an affinity for renovating houses. “Our Park City house is the fourth one we’ve renovated together. We did one in Quebec, two in Vermont, and now this one. We’ve done all the work ourselves on all four.”

His renovation skills are about to come into play at the Park City Ski Team as well. Thanks to a major gift from the Marriott Family Trust and an ongoing capital fundraising campaign, PCST is purchasing the top floor of the building at The Resort Center where they currently lease space. In doing so, the organization will accomplish its long-term goal of owning its own space. Galusha lights up when he talks about his vision for the new center. In contrast to the cramped lower-level locker room that has served as team headquarters for the past two decades, Galusha says the 4,600-square-foot area will provide adequate space for meeting rooms, classrooms, equipment maintenance and other indoor activities. “Our athlete education, including sports psychology, nutrition, physical training and technical video analysis will take a big step forward with the new facility,” he explains.

At the end of the day, Galusha’s motivation is as vibrant now as it was 30 years ago when he accepted the Jay Peak offer that set him on this track. “I still love to ski,” he says. “I love to put my boots on and go out and have fun. And I love to see kids succeed. Ski racing teaches kids so much about balancing their lives. To see the kids leave here and then to hear about how they’re becoming successes in other aspects of life—that’s what it’s all about.”

A long-time contributor to Park City Magazine, Mark Menlove has been a close observer of ski racing in Park City for more than two decades.