Jonnie Merrill grew up skiing and snowboarding at Grand Targhee, Wyoming, a snowboarder in his younger years. He switched to skiing in 9th grade (although he still snowboards every now and then.) "I specifically remember watching the old ski films, like MSP's 'Focused' in the days when Seth Morrison was launching himself off of cliffs in the Targhee backcountry and actually putting it to his feet and riding away," he says. "After watching ski videos religiously for a couple years, I decided to make the full switch to skiing." After high school, he moved to Salt Lake City to pursue an engineering career and fell in love with the ski community at Snowbird and Alta. "Now, helplessly addicted to cold, dry powder, I ski predominantly in the backcountry. I love exploring new zones on sleds with good friends," he says. In the off season, he loves the beach, mountain biking, surfing, scuba diving, cliff jumping, skateboarding, hiking, backpacking, and traveling. He and his wife have an adventure pup (a rescued blue heeler named Kira) that he brings along on many of his mountain adventures. "My primary focus in life is to go on as many outdoor adventures with as many rad people as possible, a never ending endeavor."
Jonnie Merrill '19 & '20 from jonnie merrill on Vimeo.
