Meet the Coaches
Phil Patterson – Program Director and FIS Coach
Philip Patterson has over 28 years of coaching experience: Red Mountain Racers for the majority of that time; two years in Whistler; one season as Whitewater head coach and one year instructing in Verbier, Switzerland. Born in Kitchener, Ontario, Phil competed for the Ontario Alpine Ski Team. He proceeded to pursue coaching education, attaining Performance Level certification (Level 3). ?Phil has also led ski programs from U6 through to Nor-am FIS for many years. With tremendous experience at all levels, Phil has ample familiarity with various stages of athletic development. Through BC Alpine, Phil has worked at BC Ski Team training camps both on-snow and dryland, as well as working with Team Canada at the U16 Whistler Cup.
Mike Osatiuk – U16/U18/FIS Coach
Mike Osatiuk has been sharing his passion for the sport of alpine ski racing with youth for over 25 years. Mike is a CSCF Level 3 Coach who has been working with the Red Mountain Racers for more than 15 years. As a former FIS racer himself, Mike brings both coaching and racing experience to the table as he works with our athletes.
When Mike isn’t coaching or watching World Cup racing, you can find him enjoying some downtime with a fishing rod in hand. Whether it is fly fishing on the Salmo River or ocean fishing near Port Renfrew, Mike definitely enjoys his annual fishing trips
Jeff Vibert – U12 Coach
Jeff is from Orillia, Ontario, and has been coaching alpine skiing in Canada for more than 30 years. Jeff is an ACA Performance Level (Level III) Certified Coach and Coach Mentor/Evaluator. He has coached all levels from Nancy Greene to FIS-level athletes.
In the 2017/18 season, after retiring as a Senior Commander in the Ontario Provincial Police, Jeff spent a season here at Red as the U12 Coach.
Jeff is also a co-host of The Next Turn Podcast. A podcast about skiing, ski racing and sport. (The number one ski racing podcast in the world). Jeff’s coaching philosophy is Fun and Fundamentals!
Colin Curtis – U12 Coach
As a kid, Curtis was lucky enough to spend most winter weekends at a small hill called Devil’s Glen near Collingwood, Ontario. He ski raced in various leagues, competed in some local FIS races and chased powder in the woods. Skipping ahead, Colin was an instructor with Vancouver Adaptive Snow Sports and started a small adaptive ski program at a hill in Northern Manitoba with his wife Dixie. Shortly after moving to Rossland in 2011, friends recruited Colin and Dixie to coach Jack Rabbits at Black Jack Nordic Ski Club, but we convinced Colin to share his passion for downhill skiing with our young athletes and join the Red Mountain Racers as a Nancy Greene Ski League Coach. In 2025, Colin moved to being one of our fabulous U12 coaches.
Katie Spittlehouse – Nancy Greene Ski League Technical Coordinator.
Katie was born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario, where she learned to ski and raced up until I was 18 years old. Katie continued to stay involved in ski racing, becoming a coach and now Performance Level certified. She has been coaching ski racing for 15 years, the last 4 for Alpine Canada with the Canadian Para Alpine Ski Team. Katie coached at the 2022 Paralympic Games in Beijing, and travelled the World with the team, coaching on the Paralympic World Cup circuit. Katie is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and when she is not ski coaching, she pursues her other career as an MRI technologist at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital. Katie’s passions include mountain biking and enduro racing, being a little bit of a gym enthusiast and baking sourdough bread.