Team Snowell started from modest beginnings in 1996. The
team was started by current team president, Markus Galehr
and former Snowell / North America employee Jim Malgrem. We
have always been an international supported team with members
coming together from lands where skiing is king.
Our first star, Linda, hailed from Sweden and after a late
start into the 96' race season we finished in 5th place overall.
Even with us missing a few races in the beginning. We knew
that being 5th out of nine teams just couldn't be our future.
The following year, being known as the Destroyer, Kevin Calabrese
came on board Team Snowell. With his speed skills we clawed
our way up the ladder to 4th overall in Vail for that season.
In Beaver Creek it was a podium year for us coming in 3rd
overall with Marty Slott getting it in gear for us. We knew
we must get further so we made some adjustments. Jimmy was
leaving us as did his Swedish girlfriend. Funny, after they
left the team, they were never seen together again.
So it was up to Kevin and Markus to form a new and fresher
team. For the1998 season we found our next Swiss Wonder, Heidi
Bosch. After not getting her breakthrough on the International
Carving Tour, she was trying her luck with Team Snowell. We
relied on substitutes that year and towards the end we took
on Franz, the Powder King, Fuchsberger and joined us for some
races since he was racing unluckily on his snowboard, and
after finding out there was no more room on his face for stitches,
he must return to skiing. There we were, 2nd behind Mill Creek
Sports. Now that Fuxi was on board, we all knew that from
then on we would always be on top. Team Snowell then became
a serious and strong powerhouse in the Valley. We had Kevin
and Markus as the veterans, Fuxi and our Swiss lady Heidi
and charged on to our first Victorious Season in 1999. It
was very tight but we did end up taking both Vail and Beaver
Creek championships.
We knew that to keep it up the following year we needed to
get more focused and to expand the team's roster. Then came
4-time Olympian, Martin Bell as well as Eric Archer, former
Pro racer. And there we went, killing the competition in the
2000 season taking again, the Vail and Beaver Creek series.
And then all of a sudden, our team roster was filled up quickly.
For 2001, Heidi left us and Eric Wolf, a former Austrian National
Team member, hopped on board. Then we really expanded the
team not only adding Wolfi but John (the Beaver Creek race
guru) Mechem, Harry Reiter, another Austrian. Plus all the
others were still there.
In 2001, we were un-beatable on the hill and off the hill
as well winning or course, both series again and looking forward
to the 2002 season. We had so many racers, we split and became
Team Snowell and Team SnowellUSA.com and finished not only
1st but 2nd in the two series. We had a few changes that year
with Harry leaving us and adding Sandy Treat, Matt Redman,
Ted Johnson and Barry Levinson. 2003 had its ups and downs
as a lot of our competitors have been gaining strength and
their focus being only to beat the powerful Snowell team.
Since we ruled racing in the valley our focus was the competition
between our own teams.
In 2003 we put together two equal teams which broke our
un-beaten winning streak of placing 1 and 2 but it brought
us together and made for the most fun year yet. Ski Club Vail
brought the Colorado Town Series Championships and look what
happened, oops, the underdog Snowell team took 1st and our
other team took 2nd. Our 2003 MVP, winning the last race with
a huge margin of over 6 seconds, was Wolfi. We also have a
great new superstar, Tony Larese who fit into our 2003 team
like he was there from the beginning as did Mike Porter.
Now, after being on top for 5 years, we will see some changes
again and one of our top racers has left us for his waiting
girlfriend in Austria. Team Snowell will lose one of the greatest
racers we ever had. Not only is he a great racer, he is a
friend that you can always count on. Thanks Wolfi! The team
will never be the same and there will always be a spot open
for you. This is the Team Snowell History that will be continued
in the 2004 race season. Team Snowell has seen some changes
but the focus has always been about winning and having fun.
