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Former Aspen ski club director Greg Needell joins Team Summit Colorado

Summit Daily staff report
Greg Needell shortly after he was hired as the new alpine director and head coach for Team Summit Colorado before the 2015-16 ski season. Needell, a ski club veteran with more than 30 years as a coach, died at Mammoth Mountain before the start of summer training on June 7.
J.Selkowitz / Special to the Daily |

Team Summit Colorado has a new alpine director and head coach with top-level experience, including a stint coaching U.S. Ski Team Olympians like Ted Ligety.

Earlier this month, the Copper-based ski and snowboard club hired Greg Needell, a ski club veteran who has coached domestically and internationally.

Most recently, he was alpine director for the Aspen Valley Ski Club. During his tenure with Aspen, the team placed three athletes on the U.S. Ski Team’s National Training Group. The club also had several members named to Division I collegiate teams across the country.



“I am looking forward to joining Team Summit Colorado and helping the athletes and staff reach new heights,” he said. “TSC has a tradition of building programs that help the athletes meet and exceed their goals and expectations. I feel my experience and previous success will shine here, and I am excited to join this team and take advantage of the natural terrain and training venues available here in Summit County.”

As an athlete, he was a member of the ski team at Stratton Mountain in Vermont. From there he went on to race for St. Lawrence University’s NCAA alpine squad. He returned to Stratton after college to serve as head coach for the men’s team and a women’s J2 coach.



Along the Pacific Coast, he has served as the program director of the Mission Ridge Ski Team in Washington and head coach at Mammoth Mountain in California.

“We are very excited to have Greg head our alpine ski racing program, as we strive to provide world-class opportunities for our athletes,” said Jerry Karl, TSC’s executive director. “He possesses the experience, passion and energy to lead Team Summit Colorado through this next phase and he will set a new standard of success for our young athletes as they reach for their dreams.”

Needell also boasts experience as a World Cup coach. From 2002 through 2009, he was a U.S. Ski Team coach under head coach Phil McNichol, helping lead the men’s team — including international superstars Bode Miller and Ted Ligety — to 43 wins, 105 podium (top three) finishes and 264 top-ten results.

“Greg was one of the best coaches I ever worked with,” Ligety said. “He was always on the cutting edge of advancing my technique and played a huge role in my giant slalom progression, but, on top of that, he’s just a great guy to be around.”


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