Coach Speak: Alex Norden
Ski racing is a downhill sport, but everything is trending upward for the varsity team from Boston College. Meet the head coach who says their greatest accomplishments are just around the bend.
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On March 5, 2025, Bode Flanigan ’26 became the first Boston College skier to finish in the top three of an NCAA championship race. Hitching a ride on Flanigan’s Rossignol skis that day were the hopes and dreams of countless Eagles past and present. The achievement was not only a new summit for the program, but as James R. Maher Head Ski Coach Alex Norden says, it was a preview of exciting things to come.
Norden was the first head coach hired by William V. Campbell Director of Athletics Blake James, and she is one of only three women head coaches of NCAA alpine ski teams. The former Gould Academy coach and two-time USCSA MacConnell Division Coach of the Year at Brown University came to the Heights because she saw “an incredible amount of untapped potential” that she believes could grow Boston College skiing into a top-five national program in the next five to seven years.
What are you most proud of in your first three years at BC?
It’s easy to say that I’m proud of the results, but I’m even prouder of the overall character of the athletes that we’re bringing in and seeing that character develop over their time at BC. We have talented student-athletes who are really buying into making the program better and leaving BC skiing in a better place than they found it. It’s really important for me to bring in athletes that are fast skiers, but more importantly are going to represent us well in the classroom and the community.
I think we have great people and it’s created a family atmosphere around the team. Our alumni are enthusiastic—they’ve been a part of the program since it was a club, worked its way up to varsity, and now is working toward becoming a nationally ranked team. We started an athlete-alumni mentorship program where the recent graduates have constant communication with current student-athletes to talk about career networking and finding their identity and place in the world after skiing.
How can your team get to the next level of success? What obstacles stand in the way?
We’re an ACC institution, so when the athletes are on campus, they’re getting some of the top support in the country in terms of our weight room, recovery room, sports medicine, and support from the administration.
However, when it comes to ski-specific facilities, we have a lot of work to do. Our athletes have their respective locker rooms where they are able to change, but we need a ski room to be able to tune all of our equipment right here on campus. Each athlete has four pairs of skis. With a roster of 25 athletes that’s potentially over 100 pairs that we have to maintain on a regular basis.
It’s really important for me to bring in athletes that are fast skiers, but more importantly are going to represent us well in the classroom and the community.”
—Alex Norden
How can and how does donor support help?
The team relies so heavily on the generosity of our alumni and family members—more than half of our budget comes out of our gift account. We have to fundraise about $100,000 a year just to fund our preseason camps in November and January and our seasonal consulting coach position.
What does it mean to you to have an endowed coaching position?
We’ve seen what just one alum can do, so imagine the things we could accomplish if we were able to endow the BC skiing program and have a proper ski room. Five years ago, a podium finish at the NCAA championships was not even in the conversation. Now we have even bigger goals.
This interview has been edited and condensed.