For more information or questions about coaching The Bluewood Alpine Race Team,
don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Program Director, Trevor Tyas, at
toy.77@hotmail.com or 509-301-2307
My name is Trevor Tyas, and I am 38 years old. I am a General Contractor and own Tyas Construction. I have been in construction for 20 years. My snow career started early in high school when I picked up snowboarding with friends. My home mountain has always been Bluewood. I caught on fast and loved pushing the limits on snow. I have dabbled in Boarder Cross, Banked Slalom and was a snowboard instructor for many years at Bluewood. As soon as I had kids, I knew I wanted to share my passion with the next Tyas generation. When my daughter surpassed what I could teach her, we found and joined the BART family. I then found myself skiing and became the Program Director of BART soon after. I am now a certified Competition Official and a Certified Referee, enjoying my 8th season with the team. There is nothing like watching these kids learn and grow in confidence and skill to become great skiers. I now have three kids on the team, ripp’n as much fresh corduroy as we can.
PRESIDENT
My name is Christopher Bess, and I love skiing!!! I have been in the BART family since 2014 with my son Peter and the following year, my daughter Sophia joined the race team. I have been a board member, serving as the President since 2015. When I am not skiing, I have a Chiropractic Practice that keeps me busy in Walla Walla, WA.
VICE PRESIDENT
Hi- I am Mark Hammer. Born and raised in Pasco, Washington. I am a farmer, hunter, fisher, youth soccer coach, and, most importantly, a skier. I have been skiing at Bluewood for over forty years…..Yikes! I did not have the opportunity to race, but I remember growing up on the mountain, watching the Bluewood Blazers (BART) ripping the mountain up. Oh, how I wished I could have joined them. So when my wife Randi and I had our two kids, getting them on the team was a no-brainer. Randi and I had no idea what was in store for our family. Having our kids on the race team was much more than just skiing and racing. We created endless memories by spending so much time together and having so much fun together. There is no better family sport than skiing. Add the competition element, and you have a family sport that teaches many life lessons. Thanks, and I hope to see you on the mountain!
SECRETARY
Pete Korfiatis is the current GM of Bluewood. He has a lifelong love of skiing, years of alpine racing and coaching experience, and nearly a decade of mountain managerial roles at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area.
SECRETARY
If she could, she would ski nicely groomed corduroy every day or explore the mountain and find fresh powder deep in the trees. Anabrenda’s son is in his third year with BART, and the weekends spent at Bluewood are a blast!
“Skiing is the best way in the world to waste time.”
-Glen Plake
TREASURER
Born and raised on the wet side of the state, I grew up with Stephens Pass as my home mountain. While attending the University of Washington, my ski horizons expanded through ski travel with my now-wife Chelsea. Bouncing between the Tetons, the Cascades, and Whistler, I learned I am happiest when skiing with family and friends. So, when we had kids, it was a no-brainer that skiing would be a central part of our family culture, and B.A.R.T has become the centerpiece of all that. We moved to Walla Walla for our work in wine, but it may just be Bluewood that keeps us here.
Patrick grew up ski racing in Wisconsin and raced competitively through high school. He doesn’t miss the mid-west ice or wearing a race suit in negative temps at all. He moved to the Pacific NW because he fell in love with the area after attending summer ski race camps at Mount Hood. He works at PNNL and hopes to get more Tri-Cities families to join BART. Come say hi and don’t be shy!
Born and raised in Walla Walla, Tera started skiing at age 8 at Spout Springs and eventually found her way to the Bluewood Blazers ski club at age 12. She raced with the Blazers for a few years until the team went in different directions. Throughout high school, she often trained with the local Whitman Ski Team, attending many local and college races to find as much time as she could on snow. In 1998 she won the Junior Olympics Downhill, which led to a spot at the US Nationals in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The following year she raced with Rowmark Ski Academy out of Park City, UT, as a Post Graduate Athlete. She competed at a high level internationally for years until ultimately finding herself with a torn ACL, MCL and Meniscus. Although the injury was not career-ending, she decided it was time to join the real world by becoming a Loan Officer, which she has held for the past 20 years. She enjoys coaching in her free time and following her 4 children and husband in the many directions they go.
My name is Christopher Bess, and I love skiing!!! I have been in the BART family since 2014 with my son Peter and the following year, my daughter Sophia joined the race team. I have been a board member, serving as the President since 2015. When I am not skiing, I have a Chiropractic Practice that keeps me busy in Walla Walla, WA.
Sophie is a senior at Walla Walla High School. She joined BART at the age of 13 and raced for three years. This year she’s coaching for the blazers team and loves every moment of it!
Hello, I’m Quinn, and I’m a first-year coach. I raced for the program for two years and had some fantastic experiences. I am a passionate skier and hope to inspire a new generation of racers. I was on the Bluewood Ski Patrol last year and enjoyed giving back to our Bluewood community through that work, but my focus is squarely on coaching this year. I’ve coached and umpired youth baseball, but this is my first ski coaching experience. I’m excited to work with your kids and help develop them into better skiers, athletes, and young adults. I hope to create experiences that align with the ones I had as a racer. I’ll see you on the mountain!
Joey is from Richland, WA, played college baseball at Linfield University, received a law degree from Willamette University in 2001, and is currently an Assistant General Counsel for Battelle Memorial Institute. He’s been skiing since age five and is now a first-year coach for BART and a member of the Tri-Cities Desert Ski and Snowboard Club.
Born and raised on the wet side of the state, I grew up with Stephens Pass as my home mountain. While attending the University of Washington, my ski horizons expanded through ski travel with my now-wife Chelsea. Bouncing between the Tetons, the Cascades, and Whistler, I learned I am happiest when skiing with family and friends. So, when we had kids, it was a no-brainer that skiing would be a central part of our family culture, and B.A.R.T has become the centerpiece of all that. We moved to Walla Walla for our work in wine, but it may just be Bluewood that keeps us here.
Coach Stan grew up skiing in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, where he developed a particular love for deep powder skiing, particularly in the Wasatch Backcountry. During high school, he got a weekend job as a ski instructor, an experience he has drawn on since while working with young people to develop their skiing skills. When he is not doing pole-jumpers, tuck races, or skiing gates with BART, he enjoys ski touring in the Wallowas, the Elkhorns, and the Blues. In addition to alpine skiing, he enjoys cross-country and telemark skiing and even did some snowboarding in a former life.