{"id":2044891,"date":"2026-07-15T15:17:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T12:17:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2044891"},"modified":"2026-07-15T15:17:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T12:17:31","slug":"u-s-snowboard-team-announces-star-studded-coaching-staff-for-2026-27-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2044891","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Snowboard Team Announces Star-Studded Coaching Staff for 2026-27 Season"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_416013\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-416013\" style=\"width: 1500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-416013 lazyload\" src=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAoAAAAGrAQMAAABqgLQIAAAABlBMVEUAAAD\/\/\/+l2Z\/dAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAADhJREFUeNrtwTEBAAAAwqD1T+1tB6AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADgDIcbAAEnbF1FAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC\" alt=\"jake canter team usa\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/jake-canter.jpg?resize=640%2C427&amp;ssl=1\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/jake-canter.jpg?w=1500&amp;ssl=1 1500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/jake-canter.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/jake-canter.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/jake-canter.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/jake-canter.jpg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-eio-rwidth=\"640\" data-eio-rheight=\"427\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-416013\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/jake-canter.jpg?resize=640%2C427&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"jake canter team usa\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" data-eio=\"l\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-416013\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The U.S. Snowboard Team has announced new coaching changes for its slopestyle\/big air and snowboard cross programs. | Credit: People<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-1\" style=\"margin: 8px auto;text-align: center;display: block;clear: both\">\n<!-- GAM 71161633\/SNWBR_snowbrains\/article_hrec_1 --><\/p>\n<div data-fuse=\"article_hrec_1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><b>The 2026-27 snowboard competition season is just around the corner, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usskiandsnowboard.org\/\">U.S. Snowboard Team<\/a> is introducing a set of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usskiandsnowboard.org\/news\/kass-named-slopestyle-big-air-head-coach-benselin-klemsa-lead-snowboard-cross-program\">new coaches<\/a> for its slopestyle\/big air and snowboard cross programs.\u00a0<\/b>The new hires bring both new and familiar names to the staff as the team prepares for another season of international competition.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Related: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/snowbrains.com\/us-ski-world-cup-schedule-2026-27\/\">13 Events, 10 Venues, One Historic Season: The U.S. FIS World Cup Schedule Revealed<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Slopestyle\/Big Air: Head Coach Danny Kass<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The U.S. Snowboard Team has announced Danny Kass as the new head coach of its slopestyle\/big air program.\u00a0<\/strong>A familiar name in the snowboard community, Kass brings both riding and coaching experience to a team famous for its elite riders.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The 43-year-old Vermont native began his coaching career in 2022, leading the U.S. rookie halfpipe team and training its riders as they moved up to the pro squad.\u00a0<\/strong>Kass was quickly promoted to head coach of the pro team one year later, coaching American halfpipe stars like Chloe Kim, Maddie Mastro, and Jake Pates during his stint.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Before coaching, Kass had quite an impressive riding career.\u00a0<\/strong>He holds seven X Games medals in the halfpipe discipline, including one gold from 2001. He also won two Olympic silver medals in the halfpipe: one in the 2002 Salt Lake City Games and the other in the 2006 Torino Games.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-16\" style=\"margin: 8px 0;clear: both\">\n<div id=\"sb-newsletter\" style=\"background:#2B2E3A;border-top:3px solid #D7424E;padding:26px 24px 22px;margin:28px 0;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;width:100%;display:block\">\n<p>    @media (max-width:600px) {<br \/>\n      #sb-newsletter { padding:18px 20px 14px !important; }<br \/>\n      #sb-newsletter h3 { font-size:14px !important; white-space:nowrap; }<br \/>\n      #sb-newsletter .sb-body { font-size:12px !important; margin-bottom:8px !important; }<br \/>\n      #sb-newsletter .sb-proof { font-size:11px !important; }<br \/>\n      #sb-newsletter .sb-form-row { flex-wrap:nowrap !important; }<br \/>\n      #sb-newsletter .sb-form-row input { font-size:12px !important; padding:9px 10px !important; }<br \/>\n      #sb-newsletter .sb-form-row button { font-size:12px !important; padding:9px 12px !important; }<br \/>\n    }<\/p>\n<div id=\"sb-form-wrap\">\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:2px;text-transform:uppercase;color:#D7424E;margin:0 0 9px 0;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif\">SnowBrains Newsletter<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"color:#ffffff;font-size:19px;font-weight:700;margin:0 0 6px 0;line-height:1.25;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif\">The snowsports journalism skiers trust.<\/h3>\n<p class=\"sb-body\" style=\"color:#ffffff;font-size:13px;margin:0 0 8px 0;line-height:1.5;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif\">Award-winning journalism, resort reports, powder forecasts and industry deep dives from the world&#8217;s largest independent snowsports outlet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sb-proof\" style=\"color:#9ca3af;font-size:12px;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 12px 0;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif\">Join thousands of snow lovers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sb-form-row\" style=\"display:flex;gap:8px;flex-wrap:wrap\">\n<p>      <button style=\"background:#D7424E;color:#fff;border:none;border-radius:4px;padding:10px 20px;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;font-weight:700;cursor:pointer;white-space:nowrap\">Subscribe free \u2192<\/button>\n    <\/div>\n<p style=\"color:#ffffff;font-size:11px;margin:10px 0 0 0;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif\">No spam. Unsubscribe any time.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"sb-success\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p style=\"color:#ffffff;font-size:26px;font-weight:700;margin:0 0 8px 0;line-height:1.2;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif\">You&#8217;re in!<\/p>\n<p style=\"color:#ffffff;font-size:15px;margin:0;line-height:1.5;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif\">Thanks for signing up. The best ski news is on its way.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>function sbSubscribe() {<br \/>\n  var email = document.getElementById(&#8216;sb-email&#8217;).value;<br \/>\n  if (!email || !email.includes(&#8216;@&#8217;)) {<br \/>\n    document.getElementById(&#8216;sb-email&#8217;).style.borderColor = &#8216;#D7424E&#8217;;<br \/>\n    return;<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n  var url = &#8216;https:\/\/snowbrains.us5.list-manage.com\/subscribe\/post?u=1f247afab0a546e393c022f9a&amp;id=bcbf6caf6b&amp;f_id=003bf2e0f0&#8217;;<br \/>\n  var data = new FormData();<br \/>\n  data.append(&#8216;EMAIL&#8217;, email);<br \/>\n  data.append(&#8216;tags&#8217;, &#8216;2188762&#8217;);<br \/>\n  data.append(&#8216;b_1f247afab0a546e393c022f9a_bcbf6caf6b&#8217;, &#8221;);<br \/>\n  fetch(url, { method: &#8216;POST&#8217;, body: data, mode: &#8216;no-cors&#8217; });<br \/>\n  document.getElementById(&#8216;sb-form-wrap&#8217;).style.display = &#8216;none&#8217;;<br \/>\n  document.getElementById(&#8216;sb-success&#8217;).style.display = &#8216;block&#8217;;<br \/>\n}\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Despite his career as a halfpipe specialist, Kass brings a deep understanding of what it takes to excel in competition.\u00a0<\/strong>As a former pro himself, he brings valuable experience of working under pressure to a slopestyle\/big air team that draws eyes from people around the world.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cAs a living legend in the sport, Danny needs no introduction,\u201d U.S. Snowboard Team sport director Rick Bowers said in the announcement.<\/strong> \u201cHis unique experience has shaped him to be able to connect with riders in a truly remarkable way. Danny has a deep understanding of what it takes to be the best in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>The U.S. slopestyle and big air team is coming off a mildly successful 2026 Winter Olympics that saw a bronze medal in slopestyle won by 22-year-old Jake Canter. <\/strong>In 2027, Kass will look to build upon that success at the World Championships in Montafan, Austria.<\/p>\n<p><strong>On Kass\u2019 staff will be Stan Wu, who is entering his third season as the pro team assistant coach. <\/strong>Veteran coaches Ryan Conway and Eric Beauchemin will coach the rookie program.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Related: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/snowbrains.com\/tanner-hall-coach-olympic-usa-freeride-team\/\">Freeski Legend Tanner Hall Wants to Coach Team USA\u2019s Olympic Freeriding Team<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Snowboard Cross: Harald Benselin and Jan Klemsa<\/h2>\n<p><strong>On the racing side of things, Harald Benselin and Jan Klemsa will lead the snowboard cross program.\u00a0<\/strong>They each bring eight years of coaching experience from the Australian National Team, giving the U.S. program a pair of coaches with nearly a decade of racing under their belts.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The pair most famously coached Josie Baff to a gold medal in snowboard cross at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.\u00a0<\/strong>Baff\u2019s gold was Australia\u2019s first in the discipline.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cWe are beyond thrilled to welcome Harald Benselin and Jan Klemsa to our snowboard cross program,\u201d Bower said.<\/strong> \u201cHarald and Jan have worked together for many years and have a deep understanding of what it takes to be best in the world at racing. We\u2019re excited to welcome their systematic approach, focus on conditioning and highly structured time on snow to further develop our athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Joining Benselin and Klemsa are three Italian wax technicians who worked with the coaches during their time with the Australian National Team.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Leading the snowboard cross development program will be Nathan Park, who is returning for his fifth season.\u00a0<\/strong>Hunter Dercks will serve as the development program\u2019s primary wax technician.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_391567\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-391567\" style=\"width: 1422px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-391567 lazyload\" src=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAoAAAAJeAQMAAAAeNyY\/AAAABlBMVEUAAAD\/\/\/+l2Z\/dAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAEZJREFUeNrtwTEBAAAAwqD1T20IX6AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOA1v74AAUWUBygAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\" alt=\"Men&apos;s slopestyle podium\" width=\"640\" height=\"606\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-18-at-7.45.40-AM.jpg?resize=640%2C606&amp;ssl=1\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-18-at-7.45.40-AM.jpg?w=1422&amp;ssl=1 1422w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-18-at-7.45.40-AM.jpg?resize=300%2C284&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-18-at-7.45.40-AM.jpg?resize=1200%2C1136&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-18-at-7.45.40-AM.jpg?resize=768%2C727&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-18-at-7.45.40-AM.jpg?resize=600%2C568&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-18-at-7.45.40-AM.jpg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-eio-rwidth=\"640\" data-eio-rheight=\"606\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-391567\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-18-at-7.45.40-AM.jpg?resize=640%2C606&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Men&apos;s slopestyle podium\" width=\"640\" height=\"606\" data-eio=\"l\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-391567\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Team USA\u2019s Jake Canter (far right) celebrates his bronze medal in slopestyle at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics | Credit: Snowboard Magazine Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 1 -->\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. Snowboard Team has announced new coaching changes for its slopestyle\/big air and snowboard cross programs. | Credit: People The 2026-27 snowboard competition season is just around the corner, and the U.S. Snowboard Team is introducing a set of new coaches for its slopestyle\/big air and snowboard cross programs.\u00a0The new hires bring both new [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,267],"class_list":["post-2044891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-snowbrains-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2044891","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2044891"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2044891\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2044891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2044891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2044891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}