David Gagnon and his amazing wife Lolli own and operate Higher Ground Sports in Golden, B.C, while raising four wonderful children. His passion for instruction and using a variety of teaching methods started when he worked as a school teacher and coach. He combined his talent for teaching and his passion for the outdoors by teaching snowboarding and biking, as well as training instructors. He has worked and competed in the outdoor sports industry for 25 years. David founded the Crüx Initiative to give back to Golden and the surrounding communities by offering quality sports clinics, courses and events.

David has had many roles in the mountain bike and snowboard coaching and teaching industry:

• Quebec regional coordinator for the Not-For-Profit Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors
• He is a current Board Member of the Professional Mountain Bike Instructor Association
• Cycling Coach, PMBIA course conductor and guide

The Crüx Initiative has come together from a combination of passion for the outdoors and experience. David's vision is to offer a higher level of teaching and coaching quality by:

• Exclusively using certified coaches/instructors,
• Using a shuttle vehicle,
• Maintaining small group sizes
• Using modular obstacles.

As the CRUX initiative grows David hopes to create job opportunities and offer more community-based outdoor programs.