COACHES
EVAN Elliott, Head Coach
Evan is a Colorado native, born and raised in Durango. He grew up skiing for Durango Nordic Ski Club (DNSC), attending multiple regional and national championship races. He attended Fort Lewis College, where he competed in their multi-national championship cycling team as a member of their downhill mountain biking team. Evan began his coaching career in 2007 and quickly moved up to the assistant head coach position for DNSC, a title he happily held though the 2013 season. He continued his coaching career as the assistant head coach for Boulder Junior Nordic Race team for the 2014-2015 race season. He then made his way to the Vail Valley, joining the Ski and Snowboard Club Vail in the summer of 2015. In the summer of 2017 Evan accepted the Head Coach position for his home club of Durango Nordic Ski Club and held the position until the fall of 2019, when he took a position with Rossignol as their Nordic Race Manager.
He has been named as a coach for the Junior National team, Rocky Mountain Division, annually since 2012. In 2016, he became the head glide wax technician for the Rocky Mountain Division and was the head glide wax technician for the US Ski Team at the 2016 U23 World Championships in Roznov, Romania and again in 2017 at the U23 World Championships in Heber City, Utah. Evan can be reached at evan@durangonordic.org.
Hannah Peterson, Coach, U20, U18, U16 Race Team
Hannah Peterson grew up in Durango, Colorado and began skiing for the Durango Nordic Ski Club in 2008. She continued competing for DNSC through her senior year, competing in 4 Junior Nationals, and making All-American in several races. From there, Hannah attended the University of New Hampshire and skied for their ski team. She traveled the East competing for UNH's carnival team from 2014 - 2018. Hannah was senior captain of the team in 2018. Hannah graduated from UNH in May of 2018 with a degree in Therapeutic Recreation and moved back to Durango where she returned to DNSC as a coach for the U14/U12/U10 Race Team.
Gunther Ott, Head Coach, Cruisers
I started skiing with the Durango Nordic team when I was ten years old and competed until I graduated from high school in 2011. After that, I took a couple of years off working on a cattle ranch in Montana, and a vineyard in Germany. Upon returning to the States, I joined the National Guard’s Biathlon team. Winning the Western Regionals in Alaska was the highlight of that chapter of my life. At that point, I decided I didn’t want to continue as a professional Biathlete, and started working full time in the summer with my family on the James Ranch, and coaching the Nordic Team in the winter. This winter is my third season of coaching for the Durango Nordic team, and my first year running my own pastured pork business. I find my job as a coach to be very fulfilling as it affords me the opportunity to instill my love of skiing in future generations. Being friends with the amazing athletes on the team and helping them reach their full potential, while having fun, is my passion.
Sarah Tescher, Head Coach, Nordies
Sarah Tescher has been a coach for the Durango Nordic Ski Club for 12 years, mostly with the younger groups. Her favorite skill game is Red Rover and her favorite trail is Lower Powerline on skate skis, Boyce Lake on classic, Haviland Lake Trails on scale skis, and Silverton Town Loop on her fat/snow bike.
She is currently the head coach for the Nordies, DNSC's program for skiers who just like to explore and adventure on scale skis. When she is not leading her group in snow cave building, jump creating, or a game of camouflage, she is off skiing in the back country or working at her local business: Durango Academic Coaching.
