Eden Prairie’s alpine ski team has a simple entry requirement: make parallel turns and know how to stop on demand. No racing experience necessary.
It’s an accessibility point new head coach Jack Hillesheim wants to emphasize as he takes over the program this season. Hillesheim spent last year as an assistant with the team and officially steps into the head role for 2025-26.
Hillesheim started racing in seventh grade for Buck Hill in Burnsville and continued through high school and college at Gustavus Adolphus. He spent two years in Germany as a ski instructor for the U.S. Department of Defense before coaching Academy of Holy Angels for four years and joining Eden Prairie last season.
His teaching approach emphasizes technique while letting athletes learn through trial and error.
“I think it’s very effective when the athletes are able to make mistakes, feel what works and what doesn’t instead of only being told, and learn from it,” Hillesheim said.
“One of the great things about alpine ski racing is that it is timed,” Hillesheim added. “It is less subjective than other sports, and you can see progress in real time.”
Last season, the program had about 30 skiers. Boys and girls practice together but race on separate courses with separate scoring. Hillesheim notes the team’s supportive atmosphere as one of its strengths.
“The social camaraderie is really something that needs to be experienced, and it’s a great opportunity to meet new people,” Hillesheim said. “The team culture is excellent, and the team is very supportive of each other.”
For his first year as head coach, Hillesheim isn’t overhauling anything. He wants to learn the role, keep the culture intact and bring in more skiers.
“As this is my first year as head coach, I want to focus on learning in my new role, maintaining an excellent team culture, growing the program in numbers, and continuing to deliver a great experience for each skier,” he said.
The team is open to Eden Prairie students in grades 7-12. Racing experience isn’t required, but athletes need to make continuous parallel turns and perform a parallel stop on demand. Once there’s snow, practices run weekday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. at Hyland Hills in Bloomington. Before snow arrives, the team holds dry-land practices at Eden Prairie High School.
Varsity races happen Thursdays at Buck Hill starting at 4 p.m. Junior varsity races run at Hyland on Fridays around 4:30 p.m.
The Parent-Athlete-Coach (PAC) meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27, in the main gym at Eden Prairie High School. The season starts Nov. 10.
