Bear Valley Snowsports Foundation

Located in Northern California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite, Bear Valley is the ideal location for kids, families and outdoor enthusiasts of all ages to build their snow sports skills while enjoying the world class beauty of the environment.

Founded in 2001 as the Bear Valley Race Team Foundation, Bear Valley Snowsports Foundation has evolved to support all Bear Valley’s teams including All Mountain Development (Devo), Freeski, Snowboard as well as the Race team. Working in close collaboration with Bear Valley Mountain, BVSF provides support in ways which otherwise would not be possible for the Mountain.

Our Mission

The Bear Valley SnowSports Foundation (BVSF) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the support of Bear Valley’s snow sports athletes in achieving their athletic, academic and personal goals. The programs we support promote the development of essential skills; stimulate interest in competitive events and the positive values of sportsmanship, self-discipline, goal setting, character building and the pursuit of healthy lifetime activities.

BVSF assists Bear Valley’s competitive and development teams in many ways including team communication and administrative tasks. We support the professional development of coaches and support their efforts in providing the best possible skills development for our athletes. Our members assist coaches with training setup, safety monitoring, team communication and administrative tasks. Through fundraising and on-mountain volunteer work, we provide Bear Valley with the necessary parent and community support to develop highly competitive ski and snow sports teams. Through these efforts Bear Valley’s programs are among the most affordable in the Sierras. This enables more young snow sports athletes to participate in a sport that would otherwise not be affordable.

How We Support Our Athletes

  • Provide a communication and information resource for all our teams through our TeamBV website and regular email updates

  • Organize and run the Rasmussen Classic SL Race, the Far West USSS Central Series race at Bear Valley

  • Manage and underwrite NASTAR races at Bear Valley

  • Subsidize coach education and participation in USSA annual Congress

  • Assist coaches with training setup, safety monitoring, team communication and administrative tasks

  • Negotiate group purchase agreements such as MedEvac services, wax, uniforms

  • Procure equipment including radio equipment, video cameras, video analysis software and computer for training evaluation, gates, timing equipment, safety gear and other hill supplies

  • Publish the Race Team Orientation Guide for new team members

  • Provide equipment and coach education for the Adaptive Program

  • Assists BVM event staff with events such as Senior Games, BV Ski Club Family Race

Bear Valley Mountain is the manager of of all the team programs which means they hire the coaches, set the schedules, collect the team fees and in general direct all team program activity.

Board Of Directors

Bob Gluchowski, Sunnyvale, CABoard President
Ellen Hoffman, Bear ValleySecretary
Ellen grew up in Castro Valley & her family came to Bear Valley in 1967; built a cabin and joined the Bear Valley Ski Club. The BVSC arranged every-other weekend group lessons and ski club kids started running gates & doing NASTAR. Winter ’72 was her first year on BV Race Team and raced Far West/USSA for the next 12 years. After high school & a year full time in Squaw Valley she returned to BV. She worked for the Rasmussen family and started coaching. Ellen became a race official and served on the Far West BOD for 4 years. Coaching turned into managing the Mt Reba Race Dept. which included the NASTAR program, J3 Junior Olympics & a Western Region FIS series. Ellen is a level 4 Technical Delegate. Leaving winter employment in 1991, she finished her Business degree at Cal State Hayward, and managed her father’s pediatric dental practice and continued traveling to Race Official assignments in the Western Region; including the 2002 Olympics in Park City. She continued to work in dental including consulting to build & then managing a non-profit clinic in Hayward.

Ellen has been back in Bear Valley full-time since 2011 and works for BVRE in the vacation rental department; and in winter works for BVSF managing the NASTAR program. She is also on the Board for the non-profit, Ebbetts Pass Historical Assn & manages the museum in the Village. Along with other BV community activities, including Alpine County Kids Fishing Day & Hermit Valley Aid Station for the Death Ride.

“I have loved my time in the mountains and skiing. I get great joy watching & helping young kids, & even adults, learn about skiing and racing. I love seeing BVRT carry on!”

Nick ShawkeyBoard Member, Head Coach Race Team
Nick is a fantastic board member
Gary Smith, Brentwood Board Member
Gary Smith grew up in the Bay Area and lives in Brentwood for the past 11 years. He’s been Skiing at Bear Valley Ski Resort since the late 1970’s with his family and friends. Gary has literally grown up in the grocery business working for Safeway Stores since he was in high school and currently works as a Web Specialist in the company’s Corporate Communications group.

Gary is also been engaged with many non-profit foundations including (Easter Seals, MDA and Safeway Foundation) to help improve our communities. He is currently a member of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association and is a Competition Alpine Official. His son, Matthew, is a former member of the Bear Valley Race Team, and also participated in both DEVO and in the Skiing Bears programs. Gary and his wife Charisse have been married for nineteen years and met on the slopes at Bear Valley. They love to travel, and being outdoors.

“My goal is to support the mountain with our athlete’s development and life enhancing values thru the BVSEF educational programs. I strongly believe the foundation helps build both life-long friendships and positive life lessons for all our members.”

George StoneBoard Member
George moved to Bear Valley after attending UC Davis, in the spring of 1971. He was hired as a ski instructor by Jon Reveal, the assistant ski school director for The Peter Brinkman Ski School in 1972 and became full-certified (Level III) in 1976. Around 1978, he moved to Kirkwood still teaching for the Peter Brinkman Ski School as he had expanded his ski schools to Kirkwood and Telluride, CO. At Kirkwood he worked as a supervisor, taught in the KIBS (Kirkwood Instruction for blind skiers) program, worked as an examiner for PSIAW, and ran the kid’s program for one season.

George returned to Bear Valley when the ski school administration changed and also at Tim Petrick’s invitation. With his return to Bear Valley, he taught all levels, ran the kid’s program for 5 years and started, with Rick Van Aiken, an adaptive ski program. He had met Mike Young when he came and worked for Kirkwood so when he took over the ski school, George asked to do some coaching and was put in charge of the program for one year.

In 2001, George went back to school at CSU Stanislaus to earn a teaching credential and Masters degree and stopped working full time on the mountain. In the past few years he has been coaching development team and teaching regular ski school at all levels as well as adaptive students.

Martha MontagueBoard Member