When Karin Harjo isn’t on the mountain, she and her husband enjoy windsurfing and wingfoiling in the Gorge. Harjo became the first woman head coach to lead a team at the World Cup level.
Karin Harjo was named as the new head coach of the Canadian women’s alpine ski program.
Contributed photo
UNDERWOOD — Underwood resident Karin Harjo has been hired as the head coach for the Canadian women’s alpine ski team. Her 22 years of coaching experience has helped her become the first woman alpine skiing head coach for Canada.
“I am humbled and honored that they offered me this position,” said Harjo. “I pinch myself every day I get to do this.”
It was initially reported by Alpine Canada that Harjo was the first woman to lead a team at the World Cup circuit, but according to the Swiss Ski federation Marie-Theres Nadig coached the national team during the 2004-05 season.
Currently, Harjo is the lone female heading a team at the World Cup level.
When Harjo was in college she was part of a research team at the University of Washington when she started to feel burnt out. She graduated in 2001 and bought a house in the Gorge and soon after, got a job on Mount Hood coaching the Timberline summer race camps. Before coaching teams at Timberline, she worked at other resorts and clubs giving lessons and coaching young athletes. She spent time coaching in Utah at the Snowbird Ski Resort and in Washington at the Crystal Mountain Resort.
She also served as the Western Region Alpine coach from 2011-2015 before she joined the U.S. women’s alpine team as an assistant coach. During her tenure with team USA, she coached some world class athletes. Harjo worked with two-time Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin and other all-time great American skiers, Lindsey Vonn. Although Shriffin and Vonn competed under her instruction, Harjo says they helped her become the coach she is today.
“I definitely learned more from them than I taught them,” said Harjo. “But I would say the number one thing that strikes me about them is that every moment matters.”
Every inch matters in the alpine discipline. At high speeds athletes are expected to shift weight and momentum. Whether it is a downhill or a slalom, different races call for different skill sets.
A downhill race features skiers flying to the finish at speeds of nearly 80 miles per hour. Slalom races require more technical movements. Dodging inside and out of designated poles they zigzag down a course. Harjo said Vonn and Shriffin never wasted a day of training and their attention to detail is why they are considered some of the best women skiers in the world.
When Karin Harjo isn’t on the mountain, she and her husband enjoy windsurfing and wingfoiling in the Gorge. Harjo became the first woman head coach to lead a team at the World Cup level.
Contributed photo
Harjo met her husband, Randy Pelkey, in 2010, who is the head coach for the U.S. mens world cup speed team. Pelkey joined the U.S. team after a stint with the Korean National team in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. Despite their different training locations Harjo explains they still find some time to see each other while out on competition.
“We spend a lot of time on the same continent year round and that’s always important when it comes to these jobs,” said Harjo.
Harjo is still shaking hands and meeting everyone on her team, but between budget meetings and preseason training sessions she is excited to help her team compete at the highest levels. Harjo and team Canada will soon travel to New Zealand for some technical training and Chile with the speed teams in September. World Cup competitions don’t begin until October and until then the athletes and coaches are working to build their physical and mental strength.
“It is a critical part to being successful in this sport,” said Harjo.
While the athletes will continue to build muscle, Harjo is working to build a staff. She believes that continuing to evolve as a team and never being satisfied is at the root of running a successful program. Coaching strategies and approaches will be different for each athlete and Harjo wants to ensure they are prepared for any situation.
“Hopefully as coaches we can continue to foster that kind of constant evolution,” said Harjo.
When she isn’t on the mountain, Harjo and her husband have become big river sports enthusiasts. They love the Gorge because of the versatility of the recreational options. Mount Hood is close enough to go skiing in the morning and finish the day with some windsurfing down at the Hood River Waterfront.
“We are both avid windsurfers, and now we’re fully addicted to wingfoiling,” said Harjo.
Harjo still has a few months — when World Cup competition begins — until her first competition as head coach.
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