BY HEATHER FOSTER

The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation has named Sarah Verst the Program Director of the Big Mountain Team, succeeding Banks Gilberti, who has accepted a full-time position with the Sun Valley Fire Department.

Under Gilberti’s leadership over the past six years, SVSEF’s Big Mountain Team has built a distinctive culture pairing inclusivity and camaraderie with high standards and competitive ambition. It has emerged in the IFSA (International Freeskiers & Snowboarders Association) community as a team to watch.

Verst, who served as Assistant Coach and a key architect of the program’s growth during the same period, will lead the team into its next chapter.

“Banks has been a transformational leader for our Big Mountain program,” said Scott McGrew, executive director of SVSEF. “He cultivated the right mix of stoke, structure and belonging. While we’re sad to see him step away from the director role, we’re equally proud to support his next chapter with the Sun Valley Fire Department. Our gratitude to Banks runs deep.”

McGrew added that Verst has been at the heart of the team’s progress—planning travel blocks, integrating avalanche education, widening access and female engagement and “keeping our systems tight.”

“She brings wisdom, passion, vision and exceptional organizational prowess to the director role. We’re excited for the continuity and momentum she’ll carry forward,” he added.

SVSEF’s Big Mountain philosophy is intentionally different from most. Athletes often grow up within SVSEF’s more traditional pipelines—Alpine, Snowboard, Freestyle, and Freeski—and then transition to Big Mountain with a technical foundation and competitive experience that sharpen their judgment, creativity, and line choice.

This model leverages cross-disciplinary training modalities and hard work, while fostering a community that values character as much as results.

“After four years as Assistant Coach, I’m beyond grateful to step into the Program Director role,” said Verst. “Banks and I have poured a lot into building this program and I’m honored to carry that work forward. My time as Assistant Coach has been much more than a supporting role. I’ve had the opportunity to be an integral part of developing and delivering the program whether that meant planning and leading travel trips, integrating avalanche training into our curriculum, or creating new pathways to increase female engagement.”

Asked about his tenure leading and building the Big Mountain Program, Gilberti reflected on the shift that working with what he believes is the most unique team experienced offered in the Wood River Valley presented in his own life, the progress in the sport of Freeride and his confidence in Verst’s vision and skillset to take the helm moving forward.

“Six years ago, I sat down for lunch with Scott McGrew to help walk through what the success of the Big Mountain team would look like through my eyes,” said Gilberti. “I was still actively skiing professionally, filming and traveling the globe from one winter destination to the next.

“From that moment on, my life took a dramatic change of course and my focus shifted to the continued development of a team that had something very special in the works but was working to figure out its identity and future. I was able to hire a staff that brought everything we needed to build a team that would offer a life-changing and lasting impact on our athletes and the freeride community as a whole.”

Gilberti noted that Verst had been by his side since the beginning, through the toughest times, through injuries and heartbreak and through the greatest triumphs.

“Sarah has not only become an amazing coach and leader, but she has become a lifelong best friend to me,” he added. “The idea of moving on from the Big Mountain team was an incredibly difficult decision but knowing that it would be passed on to Sarah calmed any doubts and fears. This team has no limits to its potential and its growth, and my heart is full knowing that Sarah will be the one behind the wheel.”

Seeing where the sport of Freeride has progressed over the last half decade is incredible, Gilberti said.

“And from the looks of it, the ceiling is still so much higher. The time I’ve spent working with our athletes through the years has undoubtedly been the highlight of my life. The relationships I have made with these kids and their families have been so unbelievably impactful and transformative—I am endlessly thankful every day that I have had the opportunity to be a part of something so special.”