The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF) announced today a new scholarship opportunity—the Ashley Snyder Briggs Scholarship Award. The scholarship will provide $10,000 towards tuition and expenses for one high-school-aged female alpine athlete per year for the next ten years. The first recipient of the award will be announced as the 2022/23 season gets underway in September.

Ashley Snyder Briggs grew up skiing and racing with the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation between 1974-1985, from her first turns on Baldy through high school. After graduating from Sun Valley Community School, she went on to ski race for Middlebury College’s Division 1 team. Snyder Briggs has remained closely tied to the Wood River Valley community and to SVSEF through her family and her nephews’ participation on the ski team, and has witnessed the consistent trajectory as a ski club over the years.

“I have always wanted to give back to an organization that gave so much to me,” said Ashley Snyder Briggs. “There are so many acquired traits, lessons learned, and experiences gained through sport and competition, and you come away with a skillset that serves you for the rest of your life. Work ethic, goal setting, leadership, resiliency, teamwork—I am thrilled to be able to give this opportunity to a young SVSEF athlete who wants to take their sport to the next level.”

The Ashley Snyder Briggs Scholarship will be awarded each year by a committee of SVSEF coaches and Snyder Briggs. All high-school-aged SVSEF female alpine athletes are eligible to be considered for the scholarship. Ultimately, the Scholarship will be awarded to the athlete who consistently shows love and passion for alpine ski racing, shows dedication both on the hill and in the classroom, intends to pursue the sport after high school, and demonstrates an appropriate need for financial support to chase their dreams in ski racing.

“For an athlete to work towards the highest level of ski racing, it takes a tremendous time commitment and dedicated mindset by the athlete, it takes a team of people to support so many aspects of growth and technique in the sport, and it is a significant financial commitment to cover equipment and coaching, travel, entry fees, and oftentimes some level of tutoring to maintain high-level academics,” said Will Brandenburg, SVSEF Alpine Program Director. “Ashley’s genuine understanding, generosity, and vision to help support young women who want to take this sport as far as they can, is an incredible gift to our program and to all the athletes who are awarded the Ashley Snyder Briggs Scholarship in the years to come.”

Photo: Courtesy of Ashley Snyder Briggs