MEET THE TEAM

 

Ash Breese takes the role as UNIQ Snowsports Co-Founder, Managing Director and Lead Coach. Ash is now entering his 7th season in full time coaching and has great experience in working with individuals of all ages and abilities. He is based in Worcestershire, with his home slope being Telford Dry Slope. His career ranged of winning National Titles, 7 years of racing for the British Alpine Ski Team; to now becoming a fully qualified ski instructor and coach (BASI Level 4 ISTD & Carte Pro). Ash spent four years working as a Lead Coach for Kandahar Racing working with U12 – U16. Amongst this, he spent an impressive two years excelling as RLC Army Head Coach, managing their ski operations and building professional relationships. Skiing is an intense passion of his and his ultimate goal is to motivate and inspire the next generation of athletes.

Ash can be contacted on: ash@uniqsnowsports.com

Dan Poth takes the role of UNIQ Snowsports Co-Founder, Managing Director and Lead Coach.  Dan is one of the UK’s brightest young coaching talents and his services are highly sought after.  He is now going into his 8th year full time coaching across all age groups ranging from U12 - FIS.  Dan left racing early to pursue a career in coaching at Kandahar Racing. He worked himself up from Lead U10 Coach to Head Coach in his time spent at the club. The experience he gained has set him up to be a great leader and camp manager. He raced from U10 through to U18/FIS on the snow, dry slope and indoor circuits. He also raced for the British Children’s Ski Team at numerous International Children’s races. Dan has found himself on the coaching team at these International Children’s races in recent times helping British athletes compete at a very high standard. Dan is based in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire with his local slope being the Hemel Snow Centre. He is a coach that is very open to working with a range of abilities and ages. He is on track to completing his BASI ISTD Level 4 qualification, as well as holding the highest cert in the UKCP as a Level 3 Alpine Coach.  He brings passion, energy and enjoyment to every session with his main aim being to ensure that each individual athlete enjoys their time spent on skis. 

Dan can be contacted on: dan@uniqsnowsports.com

Marco Furio is one of our team’s most valued Coaches. His skill set is second to none and we are blessed to have him as part of the UNIQ Snowsports team. He has over 13 seasons of coaching and instructing under his belt working with a variety of different aged athletes. He is a fully qualified instructor (BASI Level 4 ISTD and Carte Pro) and in recent seasons has been using his qualification in Val D’isere to build up an amazing client basis. He is a coach and Instructor in high demand which makes it even more special to have him on our coaching team. He brings a wealth of knowledge and creative ideas to the table which makes him a favoured coach to the athletes. Marco also provides exceptional media content for the team, so be sure to follow our social media pages in order not to miss out!

Marco can be contacted on: marco@uniqsnowsports.com

Rob Poth is a highly respected professional Athlete and Coach. He is a two-time Overall British Slalom Alpine Champion accumulating 15 consecutive seasons on the British Alpine Ski team. Individually he reached the ranks of 200 in the world in Slalom and Giant Slalom so carries a wealth of knowledge and experience competing at Europa Cup and on one occasion World Cup level. Following Rob's retirement from racing in 2022, he actively became a regular core staff member on the UNIQ Snowsports team.

Alongside Coaching, Rob is also currently on the GB World Cup Para Team as a VI Guide training and racing around the world in preparation for the Winter Paralympics in 2026. 

He is the younger brother to Dan Poth and spent his early years racing with fellow coaching team members Ash Breese and Marco Furio. Rob currently is in near completion of his Level 3 ISIA and Level 3 IVSI qualifications with the aim of becoming fully certified. He brings a wealth of current racing experience at the highest level to the table and we are very lucky to be able to share this with the UNIQ Snowsports athletes.

 
 

Will Rogers joins this team this season as our new operations manager. He was lucky enough to have started skiing at a very early age on family holidays which then developed into spending seasons abroad in the mountains working in chalets for various clients. After enjoying his time in the industry Will then went onto fly through the BASI instructing pathway. After gaining his qualifications as a ski instructor and coach since 2013 this enabled him to work all over the world with a whole number of different clients ranging from members of the Royal family to youth race teams in China and members of our British armed forces. When Will was not skiing, he spent the rest of the year working in for various companies in Cornwall helping with management, HR and logistics for a number of years. Will is extremely excited and motivated to finally be able to bring both elements of his professional career together.

Sam Liddell joins the UNIQ team this year as the FIS Head coach. Sam comes with a wealth of coaching experience having worked across Europe, Canada and Norway latterly with top end FIS racers. Sam is the former coach of Rob Poth who was responsible for putting him onto the GB EC team back in 2019. Coaches Dan and Ash also have Sam to thank as they were able to shadow him on the hill for two seasons before the years of Covid.

Sam has over 25 years of coaching experience so his influence on the team is going to be brilliant for the development of the UNIQ programme. He is very excited to get the opportunity again to be working with up-and-coming ski racers from the UK. With his links and contacts across Norway that he has built, we will be utilising the epic conditions and training venues throughout the season.

Sofia joins the UNIQ team full time this season and is based in France from having grown up in the Pyrenees. She raced from a young age with her local club and moved on to the British circuit eventually ending up on the GB Children’s team. After hanging up the boots she quickly progressed through the BASI system and now she is at the end of finishing her Level 4 ISTD qualification.

Sofia has got over 10 seasons coaching and instructing experience, both in Europe and New Zealand. Some of her career experience includes being an instructor trainer for a Swiss ski school, a U12 and U14 Head coach (with ATC) and children’s performance race coach for the Cardrona alpine ski team.  

Teaching ski lessons at all levels and coaching across various age groups, has provided her with a wide range of experience and she has gained valuable insight along the way, enabling her to adapt to each athlete's individual needs. 

Sofia has always loved being in the mountains and sharing the same passion with like-minded people, especially on a powder day! 

Passing on her knowledge to help athletes progress along their journey is what she finds the most rewarding. Not only training gates but also focusing on free skiing in bumps and off piste to become an all-round great skier. Her goal is to keep the next generation of ski racers within skiing whether it be through racing or to help them build a future career out of it. 

Sam Dix has been a valued member of the UNIQ team since we began, and he has developed into a brilliant technical coach. His passion and love for the sport is huge and he makes it very clear to pass this onto all the athletes that he works with. Sam is the U12 lead coach for this coming season, and he will be working with this age group on all camps.

Sam’s journey into snow sports was relatively late as he only began ski racing at the age of 14 at Gloucester ski centre. He quickly fell in love for the sport (and Gloucester) and started to race around the UK at various competitions. Sam then trained to become a ski instructor in the French Alpes and continued to develop his technical skills in gates and freestyle. Believe it or not, Sam is the only member of the UNIQ team that is able to pull a back flip!

Sam provides the UNIQ team with brilliant energy and enthusiasm and we are very lucky to have him on the team working with the new generation of athletes.

 
 

Kev makes up the second part of the U12 coaching team and is an extremely valued member of staff. He is the most patient and understanding person on the team which makes him the perfect coach to be working with this age group. Kev began his journey in snow sports at a young age as his family would go on regular ski holidays. After he completed University, Kev then trained to become a ski instructor and found himself doing various jobs across the Alps working for many ski brands.

Kev joined the UNIQ coaching team in 2021 after meeting Ash on a BASI course. His role on the team is much more than just coaching, he has been great to have on the team for guidance and to share his experience working with a variety of clients. Kev is also a presenter who since 2002 has built his broadcast and corporate career in the UK and USA through his constant hard work, versatility, professionalism and love for all that he does.  Expect to see him on the mic for some very exciting upcoming UNIQ Events.

Erika is former GB skier who went on to train as a Level 3 Teaching Assistant, specialising in PE and teaching English as a foreign language. She has accumulated seven years of invaluable experience in both state and private education settings in the UK and abroad working with day pupils and living in a boarding house. 

With a comprehensive background in both childcare and education, Erika assumes the role of coordinating the academic aspects of our core winter Alpine camps this season. Additionally, she will be an integral part of our pastoral team ensuring the well-being of our athletes, attending to their pastoral needs from wake-ups to bedtime routines and everything in between. 

UNIQ recognises the importance of a structured routine and values our athletes' education. We are confident that Erika's involvement will bring enhanced structure and support to our Alpine camps. 

Elliott D’Souza - Founder of HealthKix

Elliott is a passionate and driven individual with an immense hunger to educate individuals about the power of exercise and nutrition, empowering those to develop optimal health and performance. He is proud to have extensive experience in delivering professional services in the domains of exercise, nutrition and weight management, particularly in Australia, America, Ghana, Norway & UK. 

Qualifications

MSc Clinical Exercise Physiology, BSc (Hons) Sport & Exercise Science, Level 3 Personal Trainer, Level 2 Fitness Instructor, Level 2 Sports Leader, X-Pert Health Coach

Interesting fact

He bases his work on relationships and loves a handshake. So much so, he has a personalised version with each individual that he has the pleasure of working with. 

Elliott can be contacted on: elliottdsouza@healthkix.co.uk

 
 

Meet Joel, our new assistant ski coach with a lifelong passion for skiing. From the age of 5, Joel has been carving his way through the slopes, mastering dry slope (becoming the All England Dry Slope Champion 2023) and competing in alpine racing including the Audi ski cross competitions across Europe. With a solid foundation in all techniques of skiing, Joel embarked on his coaching journey just two years ago and is eager to share his love for the sport and continue learning alongside his athletes. Joel understands the challenges and joys of skiing at every level, making him a relatable and supportive mentor for aspiring skier. 

The UNIQ team are delighted to welcome Adam Hall to the coaching squad. Despite being the youngest staff member Adam is BASI Level 3 certified with three seasons of coaching experience, and is well on his way to completing his Level 4 this coming season. He has worked in a variety of ski resorts; ranging the UK to The French Alps, as well as previously racing for the Scottish National Team. Adam is currently studying a Bachelor degree of International Finance at the University of Dundee and now represents the GB Paralympic Alpine Ski team as a guide for visually impaired athletes. Adam is also a fully qualified barber so the team will always be looking sharp!

Becoming a welfare officer and house parent within Snowsports was initially driven by her parental responsibilities when her children were 8 and 10. Over the years, witnessing the growth of numerous children into remarkable young adults has been an immensely rewarding experience for Naomi. She firmly believes Snowsports can offer invaluable opportunities for personal development, which is something that UNIQ Snowsports are big advocators for.

Throughout her involvement, Naomi has observed how Snowsports foster skills such as organisation, independence, and respect among children as they transition into young adulthood. Ski racing extends beyond the skill just on the slope; it requires organisation, managing pressures, and maintaining equipment with care and respect. Naomi hopes to help the children she cares for developing and managing these skills and ensuring that they feel part of a happy and healthy team, both on and off the slopes.