September 30, 2025
Dear PASEF Athletes, Parents and Coaches,
On behalf of the PASEF Board, I am thrilled to welcome you to the 2025-26 season! Registration is now open at TeamSnap. For any technical issues with registration, please contact TeamSnap at (303) 476-7296.
For those of you who are new to the program, congratulations on joining the best ski and snowboard race program in our region! You are also joining a tight-knit, supportive and very fun community of parents, coaches and athletes who enjoy our unique and intense camaraderie during the winter months and beyond.
I am honored to celebrate my fifth season on the Board – and my fourth as President – of this great organization. We have a proud history that dates back over three decades and, for the past five years, our audacious Board took head-on the challenge of leading an overhaul of the organization to modernize our program and lay the groundwork for our future.
One of the critical initiatives this Board led was the recent transition from PASEF’s founder and longtime Head Coach, Gus Picariello, to a rising star, Kevin Malkin. To be sure, this organization owes an incalculable debt of gratitude to Gus, a leader responsible for not only PASEF’s success but its very existence. In case there was ever any doubt about Gus’s unparalleled contributions to PASEF and to snow sports in general, Gus was inducted just days ago into the Pennsylvania Snow Sports Hall of Fame!
The Board was proud to submit a letter of support for Gus’s nomination and to publish a congratulatory tribute for his induction ceremony. Many thanks to Coach Ian Lipton, a ski legend, and Coach Joe Amato, a fellow Pennsylvania Snow Sports Hall of Famer, for leading Gus’s nomination process.
Building on Gus’s everlasting legacy over the past three seasons, Executive Director & Head Coach Kevin Malkin, Training Coordinator Keith Dickerson, Development Team Directors Ted Satterthwaite and Dan Rusk, Snowboard Director Maggie Hoffman and the amazing coaching staff have done a remarkable job of not just continuing our great program but making it even better. And you can bet that this upcoming season will be our best one yet.
Lastly, when I joined the Board in 2021, as a legal executive by profession, my first contribution to PASEF was the successful negotiation of a formal contract with Camelback Mountain. Unlike other racing clubs, PASEF is a non-profit organization separate from and independent of Camelback Mountain. And for much of our history, we operated informally under a collection of mutual “understandings” with the Mountain. From time to time, that caused friction between the parties, for example when the general public would complain about PASEF’s special lift-line privileges during training.
The 2021 contract helped clarify and formalize the rules of engagement between us and the Mountain and, under Kevin’s leadership, we have enjoyed a very collaborative relationship for the past few years.
I am happy to report that over the past several months, we successfully negotiated an amendment to the 2021 contract, which expired in 2024, to extend the agreement to 2030. This guarantees that PASEF will have a home mountain for at least five more years.
Moreover, I am thrilled that we successfully negotiated a resolution to one of the enduring points of friction with the Mountain – the harassment by third-party parking attendants who often harass our families during drop-off and pick-up.
Starting this season, the Mountain has agreed to designate a special “Drop-Off Zone” near the Competition Center to be used by our Ski and Snowboard Race Team families. Each Race Team family will receive a “Drop-Off Pass” that will allow them to quickly drop off and pick up racers. I am hopeful that this will resolve the unpleasant interactions with third-party parking attendants that occur multiple times every weekend.
1. VOLUNTEER PROGRAM & VOLUNTEER FEE
For our newer members: We are a non-profit organization run entirely by volunteers, and we are independent of Camelback Mountain. We are parents committed to the development of our athletes in the sport of ski and snowboard racing. When you join the PASEF community, you are pledging to contribute to making the program better for all of our kids.
The success of our organization – and our very existence – is wholly dependent on volunteers. Therefore, as in prior years, each family is required to submit a check for a volunteer fee of $300. Parents who volunteer for 10 hours or more during the season will have their checks returned or destroyed, while those who prefer to pay the volunteer fee will have their checks deposited.
The $300 check must be submitted to PASEF before your athlete can train. This will be strictly enforced by the Board and coaching staff.
From time to time, we encounter parents who contribute little and complain a lot. This sort of behavior dampens the passion and enthusiasm of our volunteers and, in turn, harms the entire program.
Let me be clear: When you join, you become a member of PASEF, and your membership comes with the responsibility to take ownership of the quality of the program. You are not a “customer” whose responsibility ends with payment of fees; your responsibility begins the moment you join our member-run organization.
Specifically, if you see an opportunity for us to improve, you are expected to take the initiative and make the program better for everyone – not to sit back and complain as a “customer.” We are NOT a ski school, and our Board members, volunteers and coaches are NOT customer service. We are fellow parents and likeminded adults working hard to ensure a great race season for our kids.
If you verbally abuse our Board members, volunteers or our coaches, or treat them with anything less than the full respect they deserve, you will be asked to leave our program.
Of course, to repeat, we welcome constructive feedback coupled with volunteerism to improve the program.
2. REGISTRATION PROCESS
First, register with USSA.
Prior to registering with PASEF, all athletes, parents and coaches must register with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association (USSA) for the 2025-2026 season. This is required for insurance coverage, which we obtain through the national governing body. You can register online at USSA.
Athletes on the Ski Race Team (including the Discovery Team) and Snowboard Race Team must register as “Competitors” in their respective discipline.
Athletes in the Development programs and parent volunteers should register as “General Members” or “Volunteers” (as applicable) unless they are required to obtain a higher class of membership (e.g., Alpine Officials).
Then, register with PASEF.
Register online at TeamSnap. (For any technical issues with registration, please contact TeamSnap directly at (303) 476-7296.)
You cannot register without a USSA registration number (see above). Program participation is on a space-available basis, and there has been a high level of pre-season interest in all of our programs. We encourage you to register early to secure your spot and take advantage of the early-registration discount.
PASEF coaches, please contact Kevin prior to registering for the 2025-26 season at headcoach@pasef.org.
2. SKI TEAM INFO AND PRICING
Ski Race Team.
PASEF’s Ski Race Team is designed for expert skiers competing in local, statewide and regional USSA-sponsored events. Membership on the Race Team is competitive and by invitation only, based on an athlete’s performance against objective criteria established by the U.S. Ski & Snowboard, as determined by our senior coaching staff.
Preseason training begins with a 6-day camp between Christmas and New Year’s. Regular training is held on weekend days from late December through late March, with optional Friday evening sessions from 6:00PM - 8:00PM during peak race season.
There are two divisions within the Ski Race Team. The Competition Team comprises those racers who are ready and willing to compete in USSA-sanctioned events. The Discovery Team comprises racers who are still developing certain key skills. Discovery athletes are members of the Race Team and train on the same schedule as the Competition Team. Discovery athletes are encouraged and expected to compete in USSA races alongside the Competition Team. Coaches will continuously evaluate Discovery athletes for promotion to the Competition Team.
Program Costs (season pass not included):
Until October 31: $1,200 ($1,000 Training Fee + $200 PASEF Dues)
After October 31: $1,400 ($1,200 Training Fee + $200 PASEF Dues)
2. Ski Development Team.
The Ski Development Team represents the future of the Ski Race Program. The Development Program is open to skiers 6 to 12 years of age who can comfortably ski intermediate trails (those marked with blue squares), are capable of getting on and off ski lifts independently, and demonstrate an interest in becoming competitive ski racers.
Ski Development is an intensive training program, and athletes must be capable of putting in full training days. The Development Team typically trains Saturdays and Sundays for 9 weeks beginning the first weekend of January.
Athletes who wish to join the Development Team must first try out. Tentative dates for tryouts are: 12/13, 12/14, 12/20, 12/21, 12/26, 12/27, 12/28, and 12/29. These dates are subject to change based on terrain availability on the mountain. Please indicate your availability for tryouts.
In order to try out for the Ski Development Team, athletes must first register with PASEF. If an applicant is not accepted into the Development Team based on his or her evaluation, registration fees will be refunded.
Program Costs (season pass not included):
Until October 31: $1,150 ($950 Training Fee + $200 PASEF Dues)
After October 31: $1,350 ($1,150 Training Fee + $200 PASEF Dues)
3. SNOWBOARD TEAM INFO AND PRICING
Snowboard Competition Team.
Under our Snowboard Director, Maggie Hoffman, the Snowboard Competition Program will offer a blend of three events disciplines: boardercross, freestyle and alpine. Membership on the team is at the discretion of the Snowboard Director. Preseason training begins with a 6-day camp between Christmas and New Year’s. Regular training is held on weekend days from late December through late March, with optional Friday evening sessions from 6:00PM - 8:00PM during peak race season.
Program Costs (season pass not included):
Until October 31: $1,200 ($1,000 Training Fee + $200 PASEF Dues)
After October 31: $1,400 ($1,200 Training Fee + $200 PASEF Dues)
The Annual Fall Meeting will be held on Saturday, November 15, by videoconference. A meeting invitation will be sent to all athletes and parents who have registered with PASEF by November 3. We will review our program and finances and preview the upcoming season.
To summarize your action items:
Renew your 2025-2026 USSA membership ASAP (athletes, coaches and parents)
Register for your PASEF Ski Team or Snowboard Team
Buy your CBK season pass
Mark your calendar for the REMOTE Fall Meeting on November 15
We look forward to seeing you at the Fall Meeting, and here’s to a great 2025-26 season!
Regards,
Austin So
President
