Longtime BSF coach Bailey Servais has announced she will move on from her position as Freeride (Big Mountain) Program Director at the end of this season in order to pursue backcountry guiding work. From her early days coaching the BSF Alpine team to stepping up to pilot the BSF Freeride program and turn it into our most popular high school program, Bailey has impacted hundreds of athletes over the years.
In 2018, Bailey joined the Alpine team coaching staff while she was a college sophomore. She later took the reins to create the BSF Freeride program, and opened up the world of Big Mountain skiing to a crew of BSF athletes who were eager to explore new terrain. “The freeride team has been a passion project of mine since its beginning,” says Bailey, “but now it is time for me to close that chapter and start a new one. I'll be moving on from working in-bounds to working in the backcountry pursuing guiding work around Bozeman, Washington, and internationally. Unfortunately, doing both guiding and running the Freeride team is unsustainable.”
“I have seen many athletes grow into amazing skiers and people. BSF is not just a place to work, it's a community and a lifestyle. When the families, athletes, coaches, and staff across all disciplines are as stoked on skiing as you are, it creates a beautiful environment where fun, learning, and growth can thrive. All that is to say, BSF is a special place.”
As much as we hate to see great coaches depart, the truth is that when you have people like Bailey mentoring both athletes and coaches, it creates a culture of success that can thrive long after they’re gone. “The Freeride coaching staff continue to amaze me with their stoke, expertise, and professionalism, and I can't wait to see how they grow and develop the Freeride program,” says Bailey.
Likewise, a new generation of skiers has now grown up with Bailey showing them the possibilities of not just Big Mountain skiing but in her work in avalanche education and mountain guiding.
BSF Executive Director Evan Weiss says, “I've had the pleasure of working with Bailey across two disciplines (Alpine and Freeride), and I'm so proud of the positive impacts she has had on our athletes and coaches. Under Bailey's leadership, the BSF Freeride program has grown into our most popular high-school-aged program and allowed the BSF community another option to both compete and to deepen ties to our mountains and community. Thank you, Bailey, for sharing your passion for the mountains with all of us.”
We’re sad to see Bailey move on, and we’re also incredibly grateful for all her years with BSF. The feeling is mutual. Bailey says, “I am so grateful to BSF, the coaches, and the athletes for making my time in this role incredibly fun and rewarding. Keep shredding, keep the stoke high, and I'll see you on the slopes!”
