Winter Leadership Team

VP of Mountain Sports

Christine started skiing in Big Sky with her family in 1981. She fell in love with the mountain, the town, the people, the skiing, and everything that came with it. In 1982 (at age 6), she told her parents she was going to stay and she'd see them next year. "What are you going to do?" her parents asked. "Be a ski instructor," she replied. It didn't happen thtat year, but eventually it did.

You can watch her TED talk here.

MV Senior Manager

Matt was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. He learned how to ski on Mt. Hood and Mt. Bachelor, frequently riding the ski bus up from Portland after school for night skiing. He started instructing at Mt. Bachelor in 2004 and then moved to Big Sky in 2005. At Big Sky, Matt has been working in Mountain Sports since he began here. He moved into supervising in 2010 as the Local's Program Supervisor, then Children's Program Supervisor in 2013, and Children's Program Manager in 2019. he has a Level III in both Alpine and Telemark and is active in PSIA as the current NRM Telemark Chair. He was also a former member of the Board of Directors for the division. The only thing that he might like as much or more than skiing is fly fishing. In the summer, he spends his time on the local rivers as a fly-fishing guide with Wild Trout Outfitters. He lives in Big Sky with his wife, Claire, and their two sons Connor and Brennan.

Madison Base Manager

Francesca, originally from Crested Butte, Colorado, was immersed in the world of skiing from a young age, thanks to her dedicated parents—Jean Pavillard, an international mountain guide, and Mary Cain, a professor, both fully certified ski instructors. While not consistently instructing, Francesca has been sharing her knowledge and coaching skills since the age of 15. Her teaching experiences span various locations, including Crested Butte, Steamboat, Leysin-Switzerland, Cardrona/Treble Cone-New Zealand, Portillo-Chile, and more.

Growing up as a competitive freeride skier, Francesca achieved recognition by earning a spot on the Freeride World Tour in 2013. Transitioning away from competitive skiing in 2016, she redirected her focus towards personal development within the instructor community. Francesca is actively involved in both Professional Ski Instructors of America and the New Zealand Snowsports Instructors' Alliance. She currently holds the position of an alpine, telemark, and freestyle examiner in both associations and is a member of the New Zealand technical team.

Business Manager

Lucia Damberg is from Washburn, a small town in northern Wisconsin. She first learned to ski at Mt. Ashwabay, which boasts an impressive 317ft of vert. After a short hiatus of snowboarding Lucia switched back to skiing and started focusing on racing. She raced USSA for 5 years as well as Wisconsin High School Racing. Lucia studied Sustainability and Society at Willamette University in Salem, OR. After graduating she didn’t want a “Big Girl Job” so she followed her sister Hannah to work in the Mountain Sports Office in Big Sky. Now it’s a “Big Girl Job” here!

SNOBOARD MANAGER

Paul is a Montana native who has spent time in Minnesota and “Wydaho,” working at Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole before coming to Big Sky. Paul is the Chair for AASI NRM’s Snowboard Education Team and loves watching the fire light inside students and instructors alike

TRAINING MANAGER

Zoe has been part of the Mountain Sports School at Big Sky Resort since 2012. She is a member of the PSIA-AASI National Team and serves as an Alpine and Children's Examiner for PSIA-NRM, where she is passionate about developing instructors and helping people grow their skills on snow.

Born and raised in Boulder, Colorado, Zoe started skiing as soon as she could walk. After spending much of her youth ski racing, she moved to Montana to attend Montana State University. She has been teaching skiing since she was 15 and has developed a passion for outdoor education throughout her career.

When she's not on snow, Zoe spends her summers on the river and enjoys just about anything involving water. Whether she's teaching, training, or simply taking a few laps with friends, she loves talking about skiing and is always happy to geek out over technique, learning, and the sport she loves.

PRIVATE LESSON MANAGER

Ben is from Marquette, Michigan and grew up nordic skiing in the Northwoods. Going out west was always a dream of his so when he graduated from Michigan Tech, that’s where he went. After a brief season at Keystone Resort, Ben found his way to Montana and instantly found a new home at Big Sky. While not skiing, Ben leads tours in Yellowstone NP and enjoys anything outdoors.

Nordic Center Manager

We're not in Washington, D.C anymore! Denise migrated to Big Sky via Colorado. After attending University of Colorado Boulder, she thought she'd check out Montana for the winter and move then back to family in Washington D.C. How could she ever leave a place like Big Sky, Montana? Nordic skiing is her passion, with alpine skiing a close second, and she has been teaching people the joys of sliding around on snow for more than 25 years. Denise is a Nordic Examiner for PSIA NRM, and is also certified Level 2 Telemark and Level 1 Alpine and has a Children's Specialist endorsement. During the summers, you can find her rafting, biking, hiking with her husband and 2 college age sons, and guiding guests through the lesser-known places in Yellowstone with her outfitting company, Big Sky Adventures and Tours. Let's get outside!

MV Child Manager

Tom Conway spent his first 18 years of life in McHenry, IL before moving to Montana in 2011. He spent his first few winters as a Child Ski Instructor before transitioning to a Supervisor role. He spends his summers at Big Sky Golf Course where he tries to make the game of Golf at least a little bit fun. Some people have a hard time finding Tom throughout the year, but if you take a quick peak around the Golf Course or the ski slopes you will likely find him either enjoying the sports he loves or trying to pass on knowledge to willing and unwilling participants. He is hard-working, dedicated, and approachable, oftentimes tackling a majority of people’s needs.

MV Adult Supervisor

Conor was raised in Gallatin County and graduated with a BS in History at Montana State University. He spent his college years teaching at the YC but once he graduated he moved to Germany to teach skiing where he spent three years. After his time in Europe, Conor moved to Jackson Hole to be a river/backcountry guide, switching for a winter to guide in Japan and then returning to JHMR to teach four seasons and continue guiding in the summer. Finally returning to Big Sky in 2021. Off the clock you can find him on a bike, in a kayak or in the backcountry.

SB Supervisor

Madison Base Senior Supervisor

Paige is from Northborough, Massachusetts and is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst where she studied Communication. She learned to ski starting at the age of 5 when her parents enrolled her in a kids camp at the local hill, Ski Ward. Years later, Paige taught lessons at the same hill she herself learned for 6 seasons throughout high school and college. Paige spends her summers as a Trail Guide in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. In her down time you can find Paige reading mystery novels, trying out new arts and crafts, and spending time outdoors with friends. Paige is super excited for her first season in Big Sky!

Madison Base Supervisor

MV Childrens Supervisor

Calvin spent the first 18 years of his life in Park City, Utah. He came to Montana for school in 2014 and joined Big Sky as a children's ski instructor the following year, recently transitioning into the lead ski camp supervisor role. In his time away from Big Sky, Calvin enjoys fishing, golfing, camping and getting rowdy at Bobcat football games. He graduated from Montana State in 2020 with a BS in Fish and Wildlife Ecology.

Training Supervisor

From the age of 2 Jill grew up skiing the West with her family. At the age of 22 Jill moved to Big Sky and started working as a Children’s Ski Instructor after college and she hasn’t left yet. Jill also spent 3 summer seasons teaching skiing in the Southern Hemisphere at Coronet Peak in New Zealand. While there she really enjoyed her time working with instructors and people from all other the world. Jill enjoys spending time with her husband Stew, who she met instructing and their 2 children, who are frequent users of the Mountain Sports School.

Madison Base Sales Supervisor

MV Seasonal Program Supervisor

SB Assistant Supervisor

MB Private Lesson Supervisor

MV Private Lesson Supervisor

Jake was born and raised in New Jersey. After graduating from Boston University in 2020 with a BA in Neurobiology he moved to Stowe, Vermont and began to teach skiing. Following a brief stint in the pharmaceutical industry Jake began bartending/fishing guiding in summer and skiing in winter. Last year he found himself at Big Sky and is stoked to be back for another season! In his free time, Jake enjoys fishing, backpacking, music, cooking, and bartending.