I haven't posted much lately - I am here, but focusing on getting my firewood undercover. I finished the chainsaw work yesterday. I was later heading to town, and missed many opportunities for great fall colour photos. With a cooler, wetter forecast, I may not get another chance this fall.
Here are some from the sky coming home.
Today is probably the peak of the deciduous colour - the larch are still pretty much green.
One would think that if we can watch the weather forecast, YRB could too. McKinney Road from the old Microwave up is very rough, and the cold temperatures are coming.
The contractor:
A lot of brushing was done a few months ago. The guys have been back on the hill cutting brush this week, with a few more areas to address before the snow flies.
I spent some time with Guyot this afternoon, and we talked mostly about the content of the info below. Guyot did not "apply" for the job. The Baldy team discussed the best option moving forward, and the job was offered to Guyot with the endorsement of the Baldy team.
Katlin will miss him on the summer construction crew.
Looking over Guyot's work history, managing a dairy farm stuck out to me as very relevant experience. Dealing with some difficult creatures, a product with an expiry date, and long hours.
"Hello! My name is Guyot Bisson
and I am excited to take on the new roll as Operations Manager here at Baldy
Mountain Resort. I have been with BMR for 2 seasons prior to this, as Snow
School and Rentals Director. In this roll you could find me doing everything
from fitting customers with boots to training instructors on the slopes. As a
CSIA Level 3 Instructor my passion lies primarily with skiing however you can
still find me teaching a snowboard lesson from time to time. I have no
prejudice when it come to snow sports.
I got into the industry in the
winter of 2008/’09, as an instructor at Nakiska Winter Sports School. There,
with the help of their training staff, I pursued my higher certifications and
by my fourth season I had my CSIA Level 3 and was made Skiing Technical
Director where I was in charge of making sure our instructors got the same
standard of training, that I received, to pursue their own teaching goals. Whilst
still training instructors I was brought into more of a management roll in
subsequent seasons. Here I learned the ins and outs of running a Snow School.
The winter of 2014/15 was my last season in this roll however I came back for
one last season as a part-time instructor. This is due to the birth of my 1st
son in 2016. From here I stayed on with my brother and lead my own crew for his
construction company in Calgary, which is what I had been doing in the summers
from about 2011.
As my wife and I were starting
our new family we were looking to get out of the city and still have some
stability and support. I put my skiing career on hold for something totally out
of left field, Dairy Farming. In 2019 we moved to New Zealand to take over
management of my wife’s family dairy farm alongside her brother. We had 2 years
to learn how to manage a dairy farm before her parents retired. Here is where I
really learned to manage my time more efficiently as there is just not enough
hours in the day to get everything done on the farm. I really had to prioritize
my time and think about the broader picture a lot more. After learning how to
run the farm, everything from milking cows to pasture management and animal
health, we stayed and co managed the farm with my wife’s brother until 2024 when
I decided I missed skiing too much. Our 4 children were a little bit older, and
we were a little bit wiser, so we packed up and moved to our remote property
just down the road from Baldy Mountain Resort.
We had purchased this land in
2018 because we had always wanted to own our own property near a ski hill and
this was very affordable. The plan was to eventually build a little ski cabin
on it. So, in 2024 that’s just what we did. With the help of my family, I built
our off-grid home just down the road from the resort. My intention was always
to work at Baldy in the winters. Its fun-loving family vibes are what drew us
here in the first place. I guess the incredible snow played a part too!
Moving forward as Operations
Manager with Baldy Mountain Resort, I will do everything in my power to keep
Baldy growing. The mountain has so much potential and I am looking forward to
helping it reach it. My big focus in the years to come will be to bring more
summer activities to Baldy. I believe this is the next step for Baldy Mountain
Resort, year-round operations. I’m sure it will have its share of challenges,
but they will be outweighed by the rewards that come with it. Living and
working in natures playground, what else could you ask for."
As much as I am very disappointed with Brandan's departure, I believe that Guyot is already an asset to the mountain, and deserves our support. When the days are long, he has a very short drive to his home down the road. His wife and four children have already connected with kids and adults in the community. He loves to ski, and I hope he can make room in his days to get out on the hill.
It is hard to say "goodbye" to a guy who has given 7 years to Baldy. Brandan has built a good core team, improved operations, and reestablished a good relationship with the community.
Did you know that he at times slept in his car to attend courses and conferences that provided direct benefit to Baldy?
Brandan and his young family bought a house in Oliver, and I was hoping we would be able to keep him.
We wish him well with new challenges and better compensation.
Brandan will be here Saturday morning - I hope he is still here when we get back from Marion Boyd's memorial service. He had left when I went looking for him this afternoon.
We aren't the only ones sad to see him moving on - the four grandparents of his daughter all live in Penticton.
Excerpt from BMR Facebook
"After seven seasons at Baldy, Brandan Datoff is heading off to his next adventure as General Manager of Revelstoke Transfers. We’re grateful for everything he’s done for the mountain and our community, and we wish him all the best in his new role!"
Congrats to Sharen Gibbs for continuing as our Area E director. Continuity helps as we have established relationships.
The map will stay at the top of the blog until I figure out what I did to the layout at the bottom. If you have been watching tonight, you'll know it took me awhile to sort out the top.