Meet Annie. She mountain-bikes with the best of them. She rattles off ski specs and features of the newest ski boots at the drop of a hat. She is the daughter of one-half of the infamous bump skiing duo, the Byerley Brothers. She helps run her family’s Walla Walla, Washington farm, grew up sleeping in an Edelweiss condo and skiing Warm Springs, and wears her hair in braided pigtails every time she’s on the slopes. To top it all off, she is one wicked skier.
And this winter, Annie Byerley is one of the newest members of the Sun Valley Ski Patrol (SVSP). Here we ask Annie a 12-pack of questions about her new job, her ski gear and the best popcorn on the mountain.
SVM: Why Sun Valley?
AB: My birthday is in November, and the winter I was born my dad lived here and my mom drove here from Walla Walla seven times with me in the back seat. I have been coming here to ski ever since. So after college I moved here permanently. That was five years ago and just like any typical young person in the Valley, I have juggled four jobs to stay. Ultimately I am here for the mountain biking, the skiing, and my friends. I love it here.
SVM: When did you start on the patrol?
AB: I applied last season and didn’t get hired. Then I applied again this season and again, I wasn’t hired. But then at the beginning of December they had an opening and I got the call. It’s my dream job, so I am pretty stoked.
SVM: What is the best part of your job?
AB: The skiing. Oh, and practicing lift evacuation. Sweeping Holiday, and the vibe on the mountain on powder days. Also, being present on the mountain every day.
SVM: What is the hardest part of your job?
AB: Heading to a wreck and not knowing what it is going to be or who it is going to be. And maybe putting pads on the Cold Springs lift towers. Also, getting “shacked”(which is SVSP code for having to stay in the Ski Patrol Shack because there must be five patrolmen in the shack at all times, no matter how good the snow is outside.)
SVM: What is your everyday ski and your powder ski?
AB: K2 Backlash and Salomon Czars.
SVM: What are your boots, poles, goggles?
AB: Some awesome Fischer’s that have kept my feet surprisingly comfortable over the past month. Scott poles. Smith goggles.
SVM: Who tunes your skis?
AB: The guys at PK’s.
SVM: Warm Springs or River Run?
AB: That is a loaded question. There is a friendly rivalry between patrollers who go up the Warm Springs side and the River Run side, which ends in an epic softball game at the end of every season. I live at the base of River Run so I go up that side.
SVM: Best lunch on the mountain?
AB: The Lookout. It is also the cheapest.
SVM: Best coffee on the mountain?
AB: I don’t drink coffee but the (ski patrol) Shack has the best popcorn on the mountain.
SVM: Any secrets to keeping hands and feet warm?
AB: Hmm…. I guess take lots of breaks.
SVM: What is the greatest thing you have learned from Patrol?
AB: Two things. First, that the only way to learn is to tackle everything head on and go on as many wrecks as you can. Second, figure out what everyone else’s strong suits are and learn from those. Actually, those are pretty good life lessons too.
