Igor Vanovac

Mt. Mansfield Ski Club & Academy Executive Director, Igor Vanovac brings an international love and appreciation for the sport of ski racing to our organization. Igor was born in Sarajevo and grew up skiing in the Balkan mountains. At an early age, Igor devoted himself to the pursuit of competitive ski racing. As his career went on, he was able to race on the FIS circuit, traveling all over Europe and competing against the elite racers of the world as a member of the Yugoslav national ski team.

In 1992, war came to his country and forced him to cut his racing career short. He left the country for Monaco, France and began to work for the Monaco Ski Federation. From there, Igor moved to Australia and New Zealand where he continued to build up his coaching experience. Eventually Igor moved to the United States in 1999, where he became the race program director at Mount Snow. Igor led the alpine program, as well as the race department team, for three years. He then went to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst to receive a BA in Sports Management and International Sports Development. At the same time, he worked as the head alpine coach of both the men and women ski racing teams, and led the UMASS women to the 2003 USCSA national title.

Igor joined MMSCA as the Athletic Director in 2004 and jumped quickly into the numerous responsibilities with his unrelenting energy and passion for the sport. Igor oversaw the construction and completion of MMSCA’s Clubhouse renovations and addition, as well as spearheaded efforts to make Main Street, MMSCA’s racecourse and training hill, a FIS-certified course. In June of 2019, Igor was appointed Executive Director of Mt. Mansfield Ski Club & Academy. Igor is dedicated to the organization’s growth and vitality, and is known near and far for his enthusiasm, positive attitude, and genuine candor. Igor and Micheline Lemay, who leads the Junior Program, were married on the mountain in 2008 and when not coaching student-athletes, they can be found on the slopes with their two children Sofija and Hugo.