Danny Kass Has A New Job

"As a living legend in the sport, Danny needs no introduction," said Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team sport director Rick Bower in a press release. "His unique experience has shaped him to be able to connect with riders in a truly remarkable way. Danny has a deep understanding of what it takes to be the best in the world.”

Stan Wu will serve as assistant pro team coach. Veteran coaches Ryan Conway and Eric Beauchemin will lead the rookie program.

Kass won his two Olympic medals in the halfpipe, years before slopestyle became an Olympic event. He won his first two X Games medals in the halfpipe as well, before winning three of his next four in slopestyle contests. Kass also won four U.S. Open Championships.

Six of the U.S. halfpipe riders Kass coached for the 2026 Olympics made it to the finals. For the women, Chloe Kim won a silver medal. Teammate Bea Kim finished in eighth place, and Maddie Mastro in 12th. For the men, Jake Pates, Alessandro Barbieri, and Chase Josey finished in eighth, 10th, and 11th place, respectively. Chase Blackwell and Maddy Schaffrick each finished in 15th.

Kass will inherit a slopestyle team that has a mix of youngsters and seasoned veterans. For the women, Jamie Anderson and Julia Marino are back, and joined by Jess Perlmutter, Lily Dhawornvej, Rebecca Flynn, and Hahna Norman. For the men, the majority of the team has grown up riding together, with Luke Winkelmann, Judd Henkes, Red Gerard, and Sean Fitzsimons all being within a year of each other in age. Reigning Olympic medalist Jake Canter and Brooklyn DePriest round out that team.

In addition to the Danny Kass news, Jan Klemsa and Harald Benselin will take over the pro snowboard cross program. They join the team after eight years with the Australian national team.

"We are beyond thrilled to welcome Harald Benselin and Jan Klemsa to our snowboard cross program," said Bower. "Harald and Jan have worked together for many years and have a deep understanding of what it takes to be best in the world at racing. We're excited to welcome their systematic approach, focus on conditioning and highly structured time on snow to further develop our athletes."