Freeskiing has a long history at KUA and is part of a vibrant group of Lakes Region and other schools that compete in interscholastic slope-style competitions throughout New Hampshire and Vermont. Beginning after Thanksgiving break, the Freeskiing team trains at Sunapee and Okemo in addition to building a terrain park on campus when conditions allow. Fun and safety are the guiding principles of our team. Skiers are taught and encouraged to expand their limits following an incremental approach. Our program is suited to skiers looking to take their first lap through the terrain park and those who have been flying off jumps and riding rails for years.
During Winter Term at KUA our course schedule is structured to enable our ski programs to get on the slopes four days a week without missing a class. On the weekends, partnering with our Alpine Racing team and student-life opportunities means that Freeskiers can get on mountain up to six days a week if they desire. Currently our program does not extend to USSA competitions held on the weekends, however, our Athletic Department is keen to help accommodate skiers that want to attend these competitions so please reach out if this is something you are interested in.
Learn More About Freeskiing at KUA
If you would like to learn more about our Freeskiing program and what life outside of ski boots is like at KUA, please reach out to Head Coach Ryan McKeon at rmckeon@kua.org or get in touch with our Office of Admission (admission@kua.org).
Ryan McKeon was born and raised in New Hampshire and has been on skis of some form since he was two years old. He brings more than 10 years of coaching experience, a ski patroller’s eye for safety, and the drive of a national and international competitor from his own high-school years to KUA’s Freeskiing team.
Ryan got his start alpine racing and Nordic ski jumping with the Ford Sayer Ski Club here in the Upper Valley. In high school, he focused on ski jumping exclusively and trained in Lake Placid, NY, attending the National Sports Academy. Ryan went on to college in Colorado and after moved to Bozeman, MT in search of bigger mountains and better snow where he worked as a ski patroller at the Yellowstone Club and Big Sky.
After moving back to New Hampshire 10 years ago, Ryan has been coaching ski jumping for Lebanon Outing Club and Freeskiing for KUA since 2022. In addition to coaching Freeskiing, Ryan is the STEM Director, computer science teacher, STEM Scholars Program co-director, and House Head of the Howe-Dewdney Residence Hall. Ryan lives in Kilton with his wife, two children, and two dogs.
The Lakes Region Freeski series rolled on to Loon Mountain on Wednesday and we were treated to a great day with milder temps, good snow, and a local to show us around - thanks Max! In the competition, the guys did great, finishing in 3rd place behind Holderness and Proctor (oh so close to Proctor this time). Individually, Jack again led the way with a solid tie for 5th place, Kefe fixed his binding issue and put down a solid second run for 8th, Phil was back in the mix and landed 11th and Noa rounded out our top scoring 4 for the team with a 20th place finish. More important than the results, we won at having fun on Wednesday, skiing all over the mountain and taking advantage of a great day in the White Mountains.
This week we hosted the Lakes Region Freeskiers at Sunapee. In all we had 68 athletes from six schools competing in Slopestyle on the great terrain park that we get to ski three days a week. Our guys were great hosts and braved the cold to cheer everyone on from the top of the course.
Congrats to Jack for landing in 8th place and for Aiden (14th), Noa (16th), and Alex (20th) all getting in the top 20 in a strong field! As a team we ended up 4th behind Holderness, Proctor, and New Hampton. Next week is Loon... stay tuned.
It was a snowy, windy, fun day at Carinthia. Nice job in the adverse conditions today gentlemen! Many first competition 360's were thrown in the soft conditions, an awesome step forward.
Jack led the way with stellar second run that landed him in 6th place, Aiden followed closely in 10th, and Kefe (14th) and Alex (26th) rounded out our top four finishers. As a team we made the podium, landing in 3rd place and just a single grab behind second.
Next week we are looking forward to hosting the Lakes Region at Sunapee!