ski coach

It’s not every day that a person’s passion, drive, and hard work allows them to achieve success at the highest echelon but, that’s pretty much exactly what happened recently with Granite Chief’s own Josh Benge. Some of you might know Josh as the ski coach who helped your child reach their highest skiing potential at Squaw Valley, or maybe you know him from when he tuned your skis to race-quality in Granite Chief’s back shop or, maybe you just know him from having met him around town at some point. Chances are he had a smile on his face and something nice to say.

In any case, congratulations are in order, as Josh has recently become an assistant coach and serviceman to the Korean National Ski Team. That’s right, Squaw Valley’s own Josh Benge is going to be the assistant Korean National Team ski coach at the next Winter Olympics, two years from now in Pyeongchang, South Korea. So, not only will he be coaching an Olympic ski team, they’ll be the host team for that year!

We’ve had the pleasure of having Josh work in the tune shop here at Granite Chief since he was a freshman at UNR and, though he always did a great job in the shop, it’s fair to say that nobody, probably Josh included, saw this coming at the time. But hey, it just goes to show that if you provide a quality tune for all your customers at all times, even those on the international stage tend to take notice. It could also have to do with the fact that Josh has a ski coach at an incredibly high level for years, and currently 5 of his former athletes are competing on the US National Ski Team. But really, we prefer to think that it’s his countless hours spent toiling over your skis that secured him his spot with the Korean team.

josh3 Josh hard at work tuning some skis in the shop at Granite Chief

In addition to working here at Granite Chief, Josh has been the ski coach for the U-16 ski team at Squaw Valley, a program with a rich history of sending skiers to the highest levels of competition. As mentioned previously, Josh has sent many skiers to the US National Team, including 5 current members. Given this, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Josh would be tapped to coach and tune equipment at the highest levels of the sport. Regardless, it’s an incredible accomplishment and everyone here at Granite Chief couldn’t be happier for Josh or more excited to see what comes next.

Despite his globe-trotting and international resume, the tune shop here at Granite Chief will always remember Josh as the fun-loving, humble, and great guy that he is. So, from everyone here, congratulations Josh! We can’t wait to see your Korean athletes finishing just behind all the members of the US Ski Team in a few years!