Michel Rudigoz - Olympic ski coach, restaurateur

Michel Rudigoz, a U.S. Ski Team Alpine coach and Sun Valley restaurateur, passed away May 29, 2026, at his home. He was 81.

Born in Lyon, France, Rudigoz began coaching in Val d'Isère, where in 1972 he was recruited by Sun Valley coach Lane Monroe. He made the jump onto the U.S. national staff in 1978, coaching the men’s team with superstars Phil and Steve Mahre. He next transitioned to the women’s team and was its head coach in the early 1980s. In 1982, he coached the U.S. women’s team to the Nations Cup. (See “The Almost Perfect American Women’s Ski Team,” November-December 2024.) At the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics, he guided Debbie Armstrong and Christin Cooper to gold and silver medals, respectively, in giant slalom.

In the mid-1980s, Rudigoz left the U.S. ski team and launched his restaurant Chez Michel (later renamed Michel’s Christiania) in Ketchum. He continued to coach for the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation. In 2011, Rudigoz was inducted into the Sun Valley Winter Sports Hall of Fame.