Joel Munn Founder- Executive Director
Born: January 13, 1949, Saranac Lake, New York
Joel has spent nearly sixty years working in the ski industry, quietly shaping the profession of snow sports instruction in his roles as teacher, mentor, and leader.
Raised in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, where his father ran a small ski hill, Mt. Pisgah, Joel was practically “born on skis”. He inherited his Dad’s passion for the sport, and has shared that energy across the globe—from his roots in the Eastern U.S., to the American West, a stint in Europe, and on to Australia and New Zealand.
Over the years, Joel held leadership positions at several world famous ski resorts. He was often hired to evolve cultures, rebuild, or re-focus ski school programs, and enhance inter-departmental collaboration. He valued teamwork, clear communication, and high-quality instruction, and he created and shaped environments where instructors could take pride in their work and grow professionally.
In the early 2000s, Joel became involved in Powder 8 and Synchronized Skiing, at Nationl and World Championship competitions. He was also known as the Lead U.S. Judge, as was Founder and manager of the Powder 8 America Tour. His role was less about personal recognition, and more about providing opportunities for dedicated young skiers to express their love of the sport, hopefully helping them find the same success he has enjoyed.
From 2007 tO 2016, Joel served as President and Board Chair of PSIA-Rocky Mountain-AASI and held a seat on the National Board of Trustees of the PSIA-AASI. During that time, he worked alongside others to help strengthen instructor standards and support the broader snow sports education community. Now 76, Joel still teaches part-time at the Vail Ski and Snowboard School.
More recently, Joel has shifted the majority of his energy and focus to humanitarian work in Cuenca, Ecuador.
As Founder-Executive Director of Snow Angels in Ecuador, a small nonprofit, he helps with the support of elderly and disabled individuals, as well as impoverished children living on the streets (Los Ninos de Calles). The mission is simple, personal, and direct, personalljy helping find small medical needs, dental care, clothing, food, and perhaps most important, having caring conversations with those who need it most…the people Joel calls his “Angels”.
Throughout his life, Joel has tried to contribute where he could—on the mountain and now in the streets of Cuenca. His path has been shaped by a gentle heart, a love for skiing, a belief in service, and a desire to make good things a little better.
He truly is, our Snow Angel in Ecuador!
Joel Munn Founder- Executive Director
Born: January 13, 1949, Saranac Lake, New York
Joel has spent nearly sixty years working in the ski industry, quietly shaping the profession of snow sports instruction in his roles as teacher, mentor, and leader.
Raised in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, where his father ran a small ski hill, Mt. Pisgah, Joel was practically “born on skis”. He inherited his Dad’s passion for the sport, and has shared that energy across the globe—from his roots in the Eastern U.S., to the American West, a stint in Europe, and on to Australia and New Zealand.
Over the years, Joel held leadership positions at several world famous ski resorts. He was often hired to evolve cultures, rebuild, or re-focus ski school programs, and enhance inter-departmental collaboration. He valued teamwork, clear communication, and high-quality instruction, and he created and shaped environments where instructors could take pride in their work and grow professionally.
In the early 2000s, Joel became involved in Powder 8 and Synchronized Skiing, at Nationl and World Championship competitions. He was also known as the Lead U.S. Judge, as was Founder and manager of the Powder 8 America Tour. His role was less about personal recognition, and more about providing opportunities for dedicated young skiers to express their love of the sport, hopefully helping them find the same success he has enjoyed.
From 2007 tO 2016, Joel served as President and Board Chair of PSIA-Rocky Mountain-AASI and held a seat on the National Board of Trustees of the PSIA-AASI. During that time, he worked alongside others to help strengthen instructor standards and support the broader snow sports education community. Now 76, Joel still teaches part-time at the Vail Ski and Snowboard School.
More recently, Joel has shifted the majority of his energy and focus to humanitarian work in Cuenca, Ecuador.
As Founder-Executive Director of Snow Angels in Ecuador, a small nonprofit, he helps with the support of elderly and disabled individuals, as well as impoverished children living on the streets (Los Ninos de Calles). The mission is simple, personal, and direct, personalljy helping find small medical needs, dental care, clothing, food, and perhaps most important, having caring conversations with those who need it most…the people Joel calls his “Angels”.
Throughout his life, Joel has tried to contribute where he could—on the mountain and now in the streets of Cuenca. His path has been shaped by a gentle heart, a love for skiing, a belief in service, and a desire to make good things a little better.
He truly is, our Snow Angel in Ecuador!
Joel Munn
Get to Know Joel
Joel had a 50-year career in the ski industry throughout the United States, New Zealand, and Australia. Born in the Adirondack Mountains on the border of New York State and Canada, his father managed a small ski hill where Joel’s career started at the age of three as a ski racer and ski jumper.
In 1966 his career moved into ski teaching and the management of ski schools and resorts. In 2005 he began a thirteen-year stint in the non-profit world as President and Chairman of the Board of the Professional Ski Instructors of America in Colorado and as a Trustee with the American Snow Sports Instructors of America.
Now mostly retired from the ski industry, Joel is dedicating his retirement to helping people in need within the city of Cuenca through his leadership of Snow Angels in Ecuador.
