Our Coaches
Dasha Atkins
Coach & Club President
Member of the 🇨🇦 National Ski Team in 2003-2014, Dasha competed in 115 World Cups, 4 World Ski Championships and 2010 & 2014 Olympic Games. Two-time World Cup medal winner and 14-time Canadian Champion, Dasha was the top female Canadian skier for the last 4 years of her racing career. Since retiring from racing, she has coached adult skiers in Calgary, Canmore, with the University of Montréal cross-country ski team, and also serves as the head coach at Nordic Ski Lab Training Club (on-line ski technique and training). Dasha holds both CANSI & NCCP coaching certifications.
drea dupont
Performance Team Coach
World Champs, World Loppets, & World Cups racer
After completing her M.Sc in biochemistry at the University of Waterloo, Drea moved to Canmore and dedicated herself to full-time ski racing as a mature athlete. One of the fastest female racers in Canada, Drea represented Canada in 22 World Cups, 2013 World Championships, and many international-level loppets, including the 90km Vasaloppet in Sweden (Drea still holds the 🇨🇦 Women's result record, finishing 11th in Vasa in 2013). Drea is CANSI certified.
Georgie FEar
RecFAST Top Dog (Head Coach)
Georgie is a lifetime learner & a lifetime teacher. Discovering and falling in love with skiing as an adult, Georgie is continuously obsessing over ski technique and improving herself through CANSI and mentorships with our other club coaches top dogs.
Georgie is a Registered Dietitian & Board Certified in Sports Dietetics, specializing in sports nutrition, weight management, & binge eating disorder. Georgie is also an accomplished writer and an author of The Racing Weight Cookbook, Lean Habits For
Lifelong Weight Loss, and Give Yourself More. Finally, Georgie also hosts 2 podcasts (Breaking Up With Binge Eating & The Confident Eaters Podcast). https://georgiefear.com/
ANdy Pohl
Performance Head Coach
World Cup and World Championship racer, team 🇳🇿
Andy spent 9 years on the New Zealand National Cross-Country Ski Team, racing in 2 World Ski Championships and multiple World Cups. As a coach, Andy won Nordiq AB Coach of the Year Award in 2024, and has led Space Dogs to multiple Alberta Cup podiums, World Masters medals, and WorldLoppet personal bests. Andy holds a PhD in biomechanics, and works as a biomechanics consultant with the Philadelphia Phillies. Andy is a CANSI course conductor.
Alex Shpylovyi
RecFUN Head Coach
Alex comes from biathlon & ski orienteering competitive background. It is not possible to find a happier and more excited coach than Alex (we tried). It's no surprise that the RecFUN group, perhaps overall, had the most progress in winter of 2025-26, with everyone achieving new milestones such as falling in love with loppet racing, falling in love with skate skiing, and skiing the longest distances of their lives. Alex brings fun, play, and a sense of immense gratitude to each of his sessions. Oh, he also sometimes brings candy & chocolate to share. There is nothing like doggy treats for Space Dogs! Alex is CANSI certified.
Rory Wilson
Team Coach
National Biathlon Team, World Cup biathlete
Rory has been racing in biathlon for 12 years, competed at Youth World Championships, IBU Cups, and concurrently also coaches cross-country skiing and biathlon. Rory is a rising star on AB Biathlon Team. Watch for Rory as he continues to train and represent 🇨🇦 on international stage. When he has time, Rory jumps into a coaching sesh with Space Dogs, especially when it's a technical session in skate technique.
⚫️ ⚫️ ⚫️ ⚫️ ⚫️
Mikhail kudienko
Team Coach
Coach Mik grew up ski racing at the regional level in high school. After a long break, he rekindled his passion for skiing at age 30, despite a challenging start (ask him about his first 42K ski marathon without proper training!). His dedication paid off, leading to significant accomplishments, including a Bronze Medal 🥉 at the 2011 Masters World Cup 45K race and WorldLoppet Gold 🥇 Master status for completing 10 long-distance races on 2 continents. Mik coaches beginner & intermediate skiers, focusing on technique and fostering a passion for the sport. Mik holds CANSI certification.
Lenny Väljas
Team Coach
Olympian, World Cup medallist
Lenny won 5 World Cup medals, numerous Canadian Championships and raced for 🇨🇦 in 2014 & 2018 Olympics. By the time Lenny was 17, he excelled in two sports in particular: mountain biking and cross-country skiing. At one point, Lenny had the distinction of being named to the provincial teams in both sports. When not gliding on snow, Lenny enjoys many of his other favorite sports, including Surfing, Windsurfing, Mountain Biking, Dirt Biking, and Wake surfing. As a ski coach, Lenny has an uncanny ability to teach anyone to ski better in the shortest amounts of time, which is pretty amazing.
Natalie Thain
Team Coach
Alberta Team, World University Games racer
Natalie is a former ski racer with the Alberta World Cup Academy and the Camrose Ski Club. Natalie represented Canada at the 2023 FISU World University Games in Lake Placid. Throughout Natalie’s career she has coached and helped the younger skier begin to grow their love of the sport. Natalie's coaching style exudes kindness, deep experience and a sense of quiet confidence.
Scott Hill
Team Coach
World Cup racer, Canadian National Champion
Scott has represented 🇨🇦 at two World Junior Championships, three Under-23 Championships, the 2019 Senior World Championships, and 10 World Cups. Scott coaches skiers of all levels while still actively competing at the highest international levels. Scott won 🥇 2025 Canadian National Championships.