Freestyle Coaches
AVSC is the proud winner of the US Ski & Snowboard's Freeski Club of the year for the third time, winning in 2018, 2022 and 2024, due in large part to the dedicated coaching staff listed on this page.
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Eric Knight | Freestyle Program Director eknight@teamavsc.org
Eric has worked for AVSC for over 25 years! Under Eric's leadership, the Freestyle Team has grown from 17 to over 250 athletes. In Eric's words, "Coaching with AVSC for all these years has given me the opportunity to see kids grow through our programs, developing into athletes and young adults. It's clear how much of a positive impact AVSC has had on their athletics, lives and personal growth." Over Eric's years as Director, numerous athletes became Olympians, have medaled in The Winter Olympics, won X-Games, National and Junior Nationals Championships in Moguls, Aerials, Halfpipe and Slopestyle. Eric was a mogul skier and competed in Nor-Am, Europa Cup, World Cup and World Pro Mogul events around the world for over 10 years and brings his knowledge and experience from the highest levels of freestyle skiing to AVSC.
Dave Zweig | Head Coach, FIS Park and Pipe
dzweig@teamavsc.org
Dave is a highly decorated freestyle coach and is excited to bring his expertise and passion for the sport to AVSC. Most recently, Dave served as the Assistant Head Coach of the Chinese Olympic Halfpipe team. Zweig is a highly decorated freestyle coach with over 15 years of experience in the field. Zweig began his coaching career in 2007 at Woodward and Copper, Colorado. Dave is also certified in a number of USSA coaching disciplines including Freeski (Level 300) and Aerials (level 100), airbag and trampoline.
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Matt Newton | FIS Park & Pipe Coach
mnewton@teamavsc.org
Matt was born in Syracuse, NY where he started ski racing in the hills of Central New York. At age 13, his family moved to Eden, Utah where he began competing in freeskiing disciplines. After winning a national championship in open class rail jam, he started attending the University of Utah pursuing a degree in Operations and Supply Chain. During college, he spent his summers working at Woodward Copper and winters coaching for Park City Ski & Snowboard Club. Following college graduation, Matt moved to Jackson, Wyoming where he became Head Freeride Coach for Jackson Hole Ski & Snowboard Club. After six years in Jackson, Matt moved to Aspen where he is excited to continue his coaching and skiing journey with the athletes of AVSC.
Dylan Burch | Freeride Comp Team Coach
dburch@teamavsc.org
Dylan is a new recruit to Aspen this winter. He was Head Coach for the Diamond Peak Freeride Team in Lake Tahoe, skied on a collegiate slopestyle team in Tahoe for Sierra Nevada University, and won the collegiate national championships in Mammoth for slopestyle. He also won a national championship in his younger years for USASA Slopestyle at Copper. During his time at Sierra Nevada University, he was the captain of the Freestyle ski team and received academic awards for his interdisciplinary studies. Dylan graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno, and is an IFSA L200 certified Freeride coach. Dylan is an active Wilderness First Responder and plans to continue competing in Freeride skiing. In Dylan's free time, he goes mountain biking and backpacking, enjoys training in the gym, and believes the practices of yoga and mindfulness to be critical in one's pursuit of a balanced and examined life.
Jetzen O'Connor | U12 Comp - Moguls, Freeride
Ethan Holcomb | Freeride National Teameholcomb@teamavsc.org
Ethan relocated to Aspen in December 2022, drawn by a coaching opportunity that arose in spring 2022. Graduating early with a degree in Exercise Science, specializing in human performance, he began his coaching journey in his Vermont hometown at Mad River Glen. Earning the prestigious L100 IFSA coaching certification, Ethan honed his skills.
Outside skiing, he's an avid biker and skier, bringing a holistic understanding of athleticism and performance to his coaching. Thrilled to continue his journey in this new environment, Ethan blends his academic knowledge, certification, and passion for outdoor sports to inspire and elevate athletes to their fullest potential.
Kelly Hilleke | Freeride 
Mido Morimoto | Moguls Head Coach
Owen Fredrick | Moguls .png)
Tim Shepard | Big Mountain Telemark Head Coachtimshepard@teamavsc.org
This is Tim's fourth year with AVSC. He is thrilled to continue passing on his passion for skiing and winter to future generations. He doesn't mind getting to ski every day, either. He grew up ski racing in Massachusetts and Vermont, where he also ran cross country, nordic skied, and ran track in the spring. Between his time in New England and Colorado, he spent 4 years in Alta, Utah. He is an IFSA Level 100 coach and a registered EMT. When he's not at AVSC, he can be found running around in the mountains with his fiance, Bridget (also an AVSC Big Telemark Coach!) and their Golden Retriever, Alfie.