TJFS Founders

Eric Deslauriers
Series Founder
Cofounder of TJFS, Eric founded the organization with Sean Carey and penned the original rules and regulations. In the beginning, "the goal was to prove to everyone that these junior big mountain competitions could be done safely and that the kids would love them." The original two competitions were invite only, for 10 boys and 5 girls from Squaw Valley and Sugar Bowl.
Eric's personal skiing background includes a variety of accomplishments, such as skiing in 20+ ski films, 40+ off-piste instructional articles in SKIING magazine, and several first descents in Alaska and Chile. As a result, Eric hopes to contribute "a sense of well-grounded personal challenge tempered with an intellectual approach to balance ability, terrain and risk/reward" to the next generation of skiers and snowboarders. The best advice Eric has received is "listen to your inner voice, embrace personal challenge, know when to go, but never be afraid to turn back."
Sean Carey
Series Founder
Sean Carey grew up skiing at Bogus Basin in Idaho. Despite being self taught, he had a successful skiing career and competed in many competitions including the US Open, X-Games qualifiers, Super Park, and Freeze magazine's " Parkasaurus" He finished in the top 10 in halfpipe at the 2002 US Open in Vail. Upon retiring from competition in 2004, Sean really switched his focus to ski coaching and providing opportunities for the youth in the Tahoe area. We found a high demand for young athletes pursuing a new avenue; Freeride.
 
In 2006, Sean became a cofounder of the Tahoe Junior Freeride Series, a fun and challenging freeride competition series that consists of six big mountain freeride competitions for kids 9-18 years old. The series draws athletes and families from the extended ski community in Truckee, North Lake Tahoe, Reno, the Bay Area and across the Nation.


Sean currently lives in Truckee with his wife, daughter and son who are active participants in Winter sports and loves nothing more than sharing the mountain experience with his family.
Cathy Howard
Past TJFS Executive Director &
Original Board Member
Vertical Divider
Past Executive Director, Cathy Howard,  ran the organization from its inception as a 501(c)3 nonprofit until the Fall of 2019.  Cathy's role was critical in developing the sport of big mountain freeride, serving on the International Freeskiers and Snowboarder’s Association (IFSA) board of directors for three years during the formative years of the organization.  Cathy's work developed the organization into the vibrant success it is today at international and local levels.

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Trevor Tanhoff
Original Board member
Founder of TJFS
​501(c)3 Nonprofit
Trevor served as a contributing and founding member of the Tahoe Junior Freeride Series from its inception. Inspired by Jim Jack for his passion for everything and impact at all levels of the sport, Trevor contributed humility, sportsmanship, and love for the sport. The best advice he has ever received is "work hard, play hard". ​
Jason Dobbs
Original Board Member
As a longtime ​Head Coach and Founder of (now) OVFree's Freeride Program, Jason Dobbs served as a TJFS Board Member since inception before it had a name or structure. Over the years, Jason enjoyed contributing to the progress and growth of the developmental freeride competition series for local athletes to "gain experience choosing, dissecting and executing their lines." A formerly 12th-ranked in the world competitive freerider himself, Dobbs strived to contribute his "appreciation that skiing ability is but one small measure of a person but it pales compared to the way we treat others, the willingness we have to explore and cherish the world with openness to new ideas, and how much we value education, laugher, love and health."
Jacques Fix
Original Board Member
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Coming soon.
Wes Pyatt
Original Board Member
Wes started working with Tahoe Freeride (TJFS) in 2009 after seeing the need for snowboard representation within the freeride community. Wes has helped shape the direction of today’s nonprofit and is also an original board member. “What I enjoy most is being part of the larger freeride community. Tahoe Freeride continues to offer something special, that stretches much further than just the far west region.” Still an active board member today, Wes is also the Freeride Director at Palisades Tahoe. “I couldn’t be happier with my role in the freeride world and can’t wait to watch it continue to grow!”