Jonathan Shefftz

BIO:

I have been skimo racing since the 2004-05 season, with eighteen wins at nine different venues, in three different states.  I have been organizing the NE Rando Race Series since the 2008-09 season, with 77 races through the 2023-24 season across four different states.  For the 2024-25 season, the geographical coverage looks to expand – to New Jersey, at the Big Snow indoor ski slope in the American Dream Mall!  I am also a PSIA certified ski instructor in both alpine and nordic, an NSP instructor in three fields (avalanche safety, mountain travel/rescue, and nordic/backcountry skiing), an AIARE instructor, and an American Avalanche Association board member for over ten years, currently serving as Treasurer.  I support my skiing habit as a Harvard-trained economist with a consulting practice that includes serving as an expert witness on financial economic factors in federal court litigation.

Location:

Amherst MA & Twin Mountain NH

Favorite HAGAN Ski:

Ultra 65s

A pair of Ultra 65 that at first glance might not have much to distinguish it among the four pairs of Hagan race skis currently in my quiver.  And indeed its origins were typical, purchased via NE Rando, shipped to my house, mounted by me, and then handed off an NE Rando venue to one of our avid participants.  But alas, then tragedy struck, or rather, more specifically, an elderly driver hit Chris when he was crossing a street in broad daylight.  I purchased the skis from his widow so that I can have a close reminder of Chris for years to come.  You can read about Chris’s all-too-short life HERE.

Favorite Touring Spot:

Nordic skiing out our Western Mass backdoor with my wife and our daughter

Favorite Treat:

Hammer Nutrition products and Athletic Brewing Company beverages

Little known fact:

Perhaps the only person to ski both the NH Mt Adams and the WA Mt Adams each season.