Mac Coleman received his award in May 2025 and has sent us this update. Learn more about Max.

Summer has been super busy! I got back from camp at Mt. Hood and jumped into training and competing on our local cross-country mountain bike team. It keeps my ski legs strong in the off-season.

Here’s an update on my trip to Mount Hood:

It was awesome getting to meet and ski with all the pro coaches. They were super helpful, and I learned so much. I got better at my 360s on bigger jumps, even adding in a couple of grabs. I also leveled up my rail skills, landing a 270 out and getting close on some swaps.

Another big highlight was that TGR and Monster athletes were also training there the same week, so I got to meet some of my favorite pro skiers and even got tips from them. That was incredible!

The airbag was really cool for learning flips. I worked on front flips, backflips, and even tried a misty—it was so fun! The biggest highlight of the whole trip was the last day when I went for my first backflip on snow. I felt confident from landing them on the airbag, but I was so nervous that I forgot to speed check. I went too slow, over-rotated a little, and slid out. With the practice I got at camp, I know I will be able to land them this season

Overall, it was the best week of my life—skiing with my idols, making new friends, and progressing so much. Thank you again to the Flying Ryan Foundation for making this possible. It meant a lot to me to have this opportunity.

I am counting the days for the snow to fly so I can get back out there.  This ski season, I plan to ski and train with my team again and compete as a U15 in the IFSA with a goal of getting enough points to win a spot at champs!

I have attached some photos and videos of my experience at Mt Hood.

Sincerely,

Max Coleman