Sasha Rearick Rolls Up Sleeves To Lead Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team

A familiar personality returns to guide the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team for the coming season and into the next Olympic cycle, toward the Alpes 2030 Winter Games and beyond.

Sasha Rearick rejoined the Park City, Utah-based organization as Alpine Program Director in March, after a five-year hiatus in which he was the performance director at the Apex 2100 Ski Academy in France. 

Across nearly two decades alongside the U.S. ski racers, Rearick, 50, held various coaching positions between 2002 and 2021, including head coach for ten years. He led athletes to 15 Olympic and World Championship medals over that period.

“The U.S. Ski Team has always been my home; it’s always been my family, so it was one of those opportunities where it was time to come back after five years away,” Rearick said about the homecoming, which involved an overseas move back to Park City. “All the stars aligned. I’ll bring some of the knowledge and experience that I’ve gained while away.” 

Rearick assumes the lead of the overall alpine program inheriting a ladies’ squad that flourished last season, led by, naturally, Mikaela Shiffrin, along with a talented supporting cast including fellow Olympic champion Breezy Johnson, tech specialist Paula Moltzan, veteran Jackie Wiles, and rising star Lauren Macuga. 

The team fed off one another, winning four Olympic medals at February’s Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games—Shiffrin with a dominating gold medal slalom performance, Breezy storming to a downhill victory, and Wiles and Moltzan capturing team event bronze. Rearick praises women’s head coach Paul Kristofic, who has led the ladies’ program since 2015, along with Shiffrin’s personal staff.

In contrast, the men’s squad has battled through tough times over recent winters, with one of the few bright spots being Ryan Cochran-Siegle. The Vermont racer delivered a clutch performance to bring home a second consecutive Olympic super-G silver medal from Italy. The team’s next best result was Kyle Negomir’s 10th in downhill. RCS was also the only American to crack the top 30 in last season’s overall World Cup standings, finishing 19th.

“There’s no hiding that it’s been a struggle for the guys—we need staff, athletes and coaches to build relationships and build trust, so that’s number one,” Rearick tells POWDER.

He is bullish on a long overdue transformation and return to inspiring and consistent World Cup performances, but cautions that the process may take time.

“Probably my biggest thing that I can bring to the organization is wisdom saying, ‘let’s let the process take place, step-by-step with patience, and they are going to get better,’” he says.

“Over the past six or seven years, there’s been constant turnover with coaches at different levels, so it’s hard to get better, hard to learn and apply things. So let’s get people on the bus who are going to be here for a while, to create continuity and a clear direction.

“The athletes also have to believe in themselves—the staff has to encourage and fuel this belief, so they can compete and feel like they belong on the World Cup. 

“That’s going to take high quality training, consistency in coaching, messaging, and just working, pointing through the effort, while taking joy and having fun in that process,” he adds.

Phil McNichol Also Returns to the Stifel U.S. Team

With Rearick refining the program’s vision for the future, the men’s coaching staff has been revamped, with the most notable acquisition being the return of Phil McNichol as head coach. McNichol, 63, previously held the position between 2002 and 2008, an era widely considered as one of the most successful in U.S. Alpine history. McNichol ventures south for the job after serving as Alpine Canada program director between 2019 and 2022. 

Rearick lauds McNichol’s decades of experience, intricate knowledge of the sport, and immense presence, having achieved top results while coaching the two most successful U.S. male racers ever, Bode Miller and Ted Ligety, during his previous tenure.

“We needed a person with experience and also someone who’s a proven team leader, so I couldn’t think of anyone better than Phil,” Rearick says. He commends Stifel U.S. Ski & Snowboard CEO Sophie Goldschmidt and chief of sport Anouk Patty for their support throughout the process.

“Phil helps coaches develop themselves and gain confidence. Our programs were gun-shy, and we needed someone to come in and fuel that belief. He was also a mentor of mine,” Rearick notes.

Rearick is poised to lead the greater vision and overall structure for the alpine program, alongside McNichol, attemptingto implement a sustainable strategy, culture, and athlete development pathways, from grassroots to the world-class level. 

“First and foremost, I need to step up and lead the nation and a new direction in terms of what is the sport about and bring the focus back on the process,” Rearick says, his passion evident. “We have to improve the culture of sport and why we do sport—ski racing is an amazing opportunity for young people to learn, grow their character, build their resilience and enjoy the outdoors. Skiing is a sport for life.”

Full Speed Toward All Future Olympic Games

While the Alpes 2030 Olympic Winter Games in France may be next in line, Rearick’s strategy for prolonged success runs significantly further down the trail, especially considering a return of the Winter Games to Park City’s slopes and Utah’s Wasatch Mountains, in February 2034.

“I’m looking long-term—2034, 2038, and even 2042. I have charts looking at ages of athletes and how we’re going to develop them all the way through,” Rearick says, seemingly pleased with his foresight.

“It’s fantastic [the Olympic return to Utah in 2034], and that’s part of why I wanted this job more than anything. All of a sudden you’re the spark, and there will be fuel constantly put on the fire getting ready for 2034. It’s an opportunity that we need to take advantage of.

“It’s a long journey, but everyone in the community has a vital role to be part of this.”

Tremendous Support From Stifel

Rearick heaps thanks and praise on Stifel Financial Corp., which has been the primary partner of the Stifel U.S. Ski and Snowboard team since the 2022-23 season. 

“Stifel has done an amazing job of bringing in consistency of support that we can count on for growth,” Rearick says. “They are there to help support our organization, and because of that, other companies are coming to support us too.

“It’s a cumulative effect which has just been tremendous, so thank you very much to Stifel and our foundation, which has done an amazing job.”

Stifel CEO Ron Kruszewski serves as a U.S. Ski & Snowboard trustee and hosts annual team fundraisers, the most recent in St. Louis, which raised a record $1.35 million on September 12th, pushing total contributions over $10 million.

The extended partnership between Stifel and the Park City-based sporting organization, covering all disciplines, runs through 2034. Naturally, the team’s future appears extremely bright.

The FIS World Cup Alpine season opens with men’s and women’s GS races on the Rettenbach Glacier in Soelden, Austria, October 24-25.

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