August Teague ’99: Challenge. Community. Growth.

From early morning Nordic practices at Spring Gulch to leading one of the nation’s premier ski and snowboard clubs, August Teague’s journey exemplifies the lasting impact of a CRMS education.

When asked about favorite CRMS memories, August Teague doesn’t reach for the dramatic. Instead, he recalls the moments that quietly shaped everything that followed: Nordic team practices, soccer with friends, fall and spring trips paddling the river, and the profound feeling of being part of something bigger than himself. 

Teague came to CRMS from Aspen Community School (ACS), which his mom helped to start. There was a natural connection between ACS and CRMS, both rooted in the outdoors, community, and grit. Teague was ready to take his skiing more seriously, and CRMS was known for its Nordic program, “the best program west of the Mississippi, thanks to Mark Clark.” Nordic appealed to Teague for many reasons, most importantly, the people. The Nordic team was a group he wanted to be around, and that made it an easy choice. In the woods, he could find his flow state and relish the feelings of accomplishment after a long or difficult ski session.

“CRMS had a way of making the campus, the outdoors, and the community all blend together,” Teague reflects. The friendships forged during those years have proven equally enduring. Looking at a photo from his senior year, when he was a Wilderness Assistant, he recognizes faces that are still a part of his life today, many of whom attended his wedding. “Luca Steiner ‘99, who lives in Lugano, was the officiant at my wedding!” He also notes Melody Schiffer ‘99, a Nordic teammate, and recalls that they co-led the first student-led fall trip sent out without faculty. His best friends today were his classmates at CRMS, a testament to the deep connections that form when students challenge themselves together in the classroom, the community, and the outdoors. That sense of belonging and purpose has informed his professional and personal pursuits.

Since graduating in 1999, Teague has built a remarkable career in the Nordic skiing world. After skiing for the University of Denver, he embarked on a coaching journey that would span continents and competition levels. His positions have included:

• Nordic coach at Whitman College
• Nordic coach and then Director of Skiing at the University of Nevada, Reno
• Four years with the Australian Ski Team, coaching through two World Championships and an Olympic cycle
• Founder and operator of his own junior club in the Tahoe basin

Throughout it all, Teague maintained a clear focus: creating opportunities for young athletes to experience the same transformative power of skiing that shaped his own life.

Today, Teague serves as Executive Director of the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club (AVSC), back in the Roaring Fork Valley where his journey began. It’s a homecoming that feels both natural and meaningful.

“AVSC and CRMS share more DNA than people might realize,” Teague explains. “Both put character, curiosity, resilience, and community at the center of growth. My time at CRMS taught me the value of pushing boundaries physically, academically, and personally. At AVSC, I am trying to build a culture where young people experience that same sense of challenge, belonging, risk-taking, and discovery that shaped me.”

The influence of CRMS on Teague’s leadership approach is evident.  Through academics, extracurriculars, and competitive skiing at CRMS, he cultivated a belief in experiential learning, grit, and community responsibility. “You could not be a bystander. You had to show up, contribute, and take care of each other.”  This foundation has shaped everything he has done professionally, from how he coaches teams, runs programming, and engages with the local community. This philosophy of active participation and mutual support now shapes how Teague builds programs at AVSC, creating environments where young people cannot help but grow.

For someone who has coached at the World Championship and Olympic levels, Teague finds the most rewarding moments witnessing young people in the process of discovery.  

• Seeing kids experience snow for the first time and find the confidence they didn’t know they had. 
• That moment when a young athlete realizes they are capable of more, whether on snow, in school, or in life, is incredibly powerful. 
• Watching young athletes discover the flow state. 

Creating a community that helps make those moments possible is what keeps Teague in this work.

Among the career highlights, one stands out as particularly meaningful and a full-circle moment.  Teague is a mentor and coach to Kate Oldham ‘20, another CRMS alum, and has watched her rise on the Nordic national stage. “There is something special about giving back to the community that helped raise you.”

Outside of work, Teague remains deeply connected to the outdoors through Nordic skiing, mountain running, cycling, and long days in the mountains. “I love endurance sports and the process behind them,” he explains. It’s a passion that informs his coaching philosophy—understanding that athletic excellence comes not just from talent, but from embracing the journey and the discipline required to pursue it.

When asked what wisdom he would share with current CRMS students, Teague offers perspective gained from decades of pushing personal boundaries:

“Lean into the opportunities that feel a little uncomfortable. CRMS is one of those rare places where challenge and support go hand in hand. Take advantage of that. The habits you build there, including the willingness to work, to try, to fail, and to get back up, will carry you farther than you think.”

And one note of reflection: “Do it all. I stuck to soccer, Nordic, and kayaking, and I wish I had explored even more.”

August Teague’s story illustrates how CRMS prepares students not just for careers but for lives of purpose and impact. From those early morning practices at Spring Gulch to leading a club that serves thousands of young athletes, the thread is clear: show up, contribute, and help others discover what they’re capable of achieving.

As Teague continues to shape the next generation of mountain athletes in the Roaring Fork Valley, he carries forward the same ethos that shaped him—that growth happens at the intersection of challenge, community, and the transformative power of the mountains.