Technique Lesson with an Olympian!

Ability Level: Intermediate/advanced. Classic skiers must be on waxable or skin skis, please no fish-scales. While you certainly do not need to be a “pro” to take a lesson with one, for the benefit of the small instructional group, we ask that skiers have a basic proficiency with the technique they are signed up for. Skiers should know the basic movements and vocabulary (V1, V2, etc. for skate, or diagonal stride, double pole, herringbone, etc. for classic) and be comfortable ascending and descending the terrain at Spring Gulch.

Instructor Bios:

Simi and Sophie Hamilton are retired professional cross country skiers who are finding their new home in the Roaring Fork Valley. Sophie is now coaching regularly with AVSC, while Simi is focused on building their new home in Basalt and volunteers to support the team when possible.

Simi was born and raised in Aspen, CO, where he grew up taking advantage of the Valley’s myriad of outdoor recreation opportunities. Simi was a standout from a young age, competing with the AVSC Nordic Team through high school, then headed to Middlebury College, and soon made the U.S. Ski Team in 2010. Spending over a decade as a professional cross-country skier, Simi competed in three Olympics (‘10, ‘14, and ‘18) and landed on four World Cup podiums during his career, including a freestyle sprint win in Lenzerheide, SUI in 2013. Along the way, Simi also raced his way into the six-man final round in numerous World Cup sprint races, with additional top-10 results filling out his lengthy race resume.

Sophie hails from Peru, Vermont where she was raised in a family whose last name, Caldwell, is synonymous with cross-country skiing in the Northeast. By competing in the 2014 and 2018 Games in Sochi and Pyeongchang, Sophie joined the Olympic legacy of grandfather and uncle, while her father, Sverre, was the nordic program director at the Stratton Mountain School (SMS) ski academy in Vermont throughout his career. Sophie was a five-time All American while racing for Dartmouth College, before making the U.S. Ski Team in 2015. She landed on the podium in 10 World Cup sprint races, with two sprint wins -- one in skate and one in classic. Sophie was the third ranked sprinter in the world in 2018, and was ranked fourth in 2019.