Jim Galanes Interview

Jim Galanes competed as a US Ski Team member from 1974 to 1984. Some of his top finishes include 5th place in Murmansk, Russia in 1984 and 6th place in Reit im Winkl, Germany in 1983 as well as a World Cup Relay victory in 1982. Jim finished 14th in the 30km in World Championships in 1984 in Oslo, Norway. A 3 time Olympian, Jim’s top individual Olympic finish was 17th in the Nordic Combined event in Innsbruck, Austria in 1976. Jim won 3 US National Championship titles between Nordic Combined and Cross Country skiing. After retiring as an athlete, Jim coached for the US Ski Team for 6 years, then for Stratton Mountain School, and then started and coached the highly successful Alaska Pacific University program. Jim then worked for Edgewise stonegrinding and waxing skis, and then managed Frisco Nordic Center. Throughout it all and continuing today Jim provides coaching services. Jim’s excellent skiing career and results are not only his only contribution to US skiing, but also his visionary creation of the APU program lead to some of our country’s best ever results and put the US on the path to long term excellence. Jim currently lives in Frisco, CO with his long time girlfriend Joyce Allgier.

We discussed competing in the European Junior Championships, switching to special Cross Country ski racing, some of his more memorable races including winning a World Cup relay and 5th and 6th place individual race finishes, competing during the Cold War in Russia and Yugoslavia, his vision for the APU program which he created, creating a Nordic ski culture and community, training principles including most common mistakes, and being a life long learner. This was a memorable interview that was thankfully long.