Giving Time and Talent from the Crow's Nest
12/17/2025 12:07PM ● By Kaiti Kinshella
Chris Johnson continues to volunteer for SSWSC long after her children have graduated from the program. Photo courtesy of Chris Johnson.
If you see a ski jumper flying through the air on any given snowy Saturday at Howelsen Hill, you can bet volunteer Chris Johnson is nearby, hard at work. As the chief of calculations, Chris collects and processes scoring data for all ski jumping and Nordic combined events. She produces timely and accurate results from a tall watchtower called the crow’s nest. From this vantage point, Chris is able to see all of Howelsen’s happenings; it’s no wonder she calls it “the best view in Steamboat.”
Chris began volunteering for the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club 14 years ago, when she and her husband moved to town with their four children. Enrolling them in the club was a given. “One of the great things about living here is the Winter Sports Club, so when we moved here, we signed them right up,” she recalls. With her background in mechanical engineering, she eagerly raised her hand to help with the complicated and quick-paced math behind ski jumping and Nordic combined scoring.
When the previous chief of calculations retired, Chris stepped up to the plate. For years now, she has gathered and interpreted the scoring data, made it comprehensible to those who aren’t as math-minded, and shared the results in one culminating report. The program depends on her numeracy skills and knowledge of the scoring software.
Many parents volunteer their time with SSWSC, but few stick around to help out after their children have left the program. “What separates Chris is that she has continued to give well after her kids have moved on from the club, and that’s outstanding because if you don’t have kids in the club, then it’s just pure volunteerism,” says Todd Wilson, the ski jumping and Nordic combined program director.
Additionally, her deep involvement in the club helps her spot challenges and create solutions that benefit everyone. No Wi-Fi at an event? No problem – Chris will develop a spreadsheet to enter scores on coaches’ phones. Score cards flying away in the wind? Chris will create a purpose-built clipboard. “I don’t know if we have ever had a challenge that she hasn’t been able to figure out,” Todd says. “She has such a brilliant mind."
Chris loves being a part of a program that is so special to Steamboat. “It’s such a good thing for our whole town,” she says. “Steamboat wouldn’t be Steamboat if it wasn’t for the Winter Sports Club. It helped form Steamboat as a community when Carl Howelsen started it many years ago."
Currently, Chris has her own small community in SSWSC calculations that consists of herself and two other women, Christine Russell and Deirdre Mewborn. Both Christine and Deirdre’s children have grown up and are no longer in SSWSC. Yet, like Chris, whose penchant for volunteering is contagious, they continue to selflessly give their time to the club.
This keeps the club running smoothly. With around 65 event days per year, Todd points out that it “takes an army to pull it off.” The legacy and future of SSWSC are core to the Steamboat
community as the club helps local kids form friendships, gain independence and build confidence. “It’s a small organization with a huge impact on the lives of our kids, and they can’t do everything with just the employees they have,” Chris says. “Everybody needs to chip in.” And for Chris, volunteering isn’t just a duty – it’s a joy and an honor.
Editor’s Note: Each edition, the staff of Steamboat Magazine selects one or more locals to showcase as examples of the strong sense of community that keeps Steamboat Springs genuine.
If you see a ski jumper flying through the air on any given snowy Saturday at Howelsen Hill, you can bet volunteer Chris Johnson is nearby, hard at work. As the chief of calculations, Chris collects and processes scoring data for all ski jumping and Nordic combined events. She produces timely and accurate results from a tall watchtower called the crow’s nest. From this vantage point, Chris is able to see all of Howelsen’s happenings; it’s no wonder she calls it “the best view in Steamboat.”
Chris began volunteering for the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club 14 years ago, when she and her husband moved to town with their four children. Enrolling them in the club was a given. “One of the great things about living here is the Winter Sports Club, so when we moved here, we signed them right up,” she recalls. With her background in mechanical engineering, she eagerly raised her hand to help with the complicated and quick-paced math behind ski jumping and Nordic combined scoring.
When the previous chief of calculations retired, Chris stepped up to the plate. For years now, she has gathered and interpreted the scoring data, made it comprehensible to those who aren’t as math-minded, and shared the results in one culminating report. The program depends on her numeracy skills and knowledge of the scoring software.
Many parents volunteer their time with SSWSC, but few stick around to help out after their children have left the program. “What separates Chris is that she has continued to give well after her kids have moved on from the club, and that’s outstanding because if you don’t have kids in the club, then it’s just pure volunteerism,” says Todd Wilson, the ski jumping and Nordic combined program director.
Additionally, her deep involvement in the club helps her spot challenges and create solutions that benefit everyone. No Wi-Fi at an event? No problem – Chris will develop a spreadsheet to enter scores on coaches’ phones. Score cards flying away in the wind? Chris will create a purpose-built clipboard. “I don’t know if we have ever had a challenge that she hasn’t been able to figure out,” Todd says. “She has such a brilliant mind."
Chris loves being a part of a program that is so special to Steamboat. “It’s such a good thing for our whole town,” she says. “Steamboat wouldn’t be Steamboat if it wasn’t for the Winter Sports Club. It helped form Steamboat as a community when Carl Howelsen started it many years ago."
Currently, Chris has her own small community in SSWSC calculations that consists of herself and two other women, Christine Russell and Deirdre Mewborn. Both Christine and Deirdre’s children have grown up and are no longer in SSWSC. Yet, like Chris, whose penchant for volunteering is contagious, they continue to selflessly give their time to the club.
This keeps the club running smoothly. With around 65 event days per year, Todd points out that it “takes an army to pull it off.” The legacy and future of SSWSC are core to the Steamboat
community as the club helps local kids form friendships, gain independence and build confidence. “It’s a small organization with a huge impact on the lives of our kids, and they can’t do everything with just the employees they have,” Chris says. “Everybody needs to chip in.” And for Chris, volunteering isn’t just a duty – it’s a joy and an honor.
Editor’s Note: Each edition, the staff of Steamboat Magazine selects one or more locals to showcase as examples of the strong sense of community that keeps Steamboat Springs genuine.