Hey guys, thanks for stopping into check out the blog. Being the first post I make, I’ll give you a bit of a background of my skiing experience.

The Beginning

I grew up in southern Ontario – not exactly a mecca of skiing. My dad was, and still is a racer, so as soon as I could walk he wanted me on skis. I didn’t ever take skiing super seriously and it was more or less a side hobby as I predominantly played hockey in the winters. As I grew up hockey eventually took over, and my ability/time to ski wore away. Nonetheless, skiing has been part of my life for about twenty years.

In those 20 years, I’ve haven’t had much time/money/resources to expand my horizons and get some serious mountain experience. A trip to Whistler tops the list, although it was during a hockey tournament in Vancouver, so it was very half-assed. Other western experiences include Cyprus and Seymour in North Vancouver. Aside from these brief visits west, the largest I’ve skied in the east are Bromont and Whiteface.

The Return

Once hockey had slowed down, my timetable had opened up a bit and allowed for skiing to pick back up. The winter of 2009/2010 was the year that my love for skiing returned and I began slashing turns again. The crux moment for this return to form came from a school ski trip. I started back up skiing in my dads old Salomon 1080 boots and my moms old Volkl skis. It was great to be back. From 2009 to 2015 my love for the sport continuously grew and I spent hours reading up ski reviews, watching edits and watching the pros throw down. I was inspired to become more involved in the sport.

I started working at my local ski hill. At first I was a rental shop grunt, setting up tons of old, sweaty and tired gear. I was lucky enough to eventually be promoted to working in the actual shop, where I learned to operate a rusty old Wintersteiger. Working on skis all day was something I really enjoyed. Being able to help people out and make sure their gear was all set gave me joy and I was able to take pride in what I did – even though I was really only doing a simple wax-job. Being a seasonal position, I was out of a job come May.

Where I am Now

The next season, I looked for something where I could learn even more about the industry and be more involved in tuning. I sent off a brief email to one of the only local ‘real’ ski shops in my area – turned out my experience on the old tuner at the hill paid off. They hired me on the spot and I was stoked to begin. To this day I remain at the aforementioned shop. It’s awesome to be a part in keeping skiing going in my community. There’s nothing better than getting a kid set up on some new gear before their very first season, or finding a new boot for the dedicated top-tier skier. There are so many great moments that come from working in a shop. Needless to say, I love my job at the shop – even through the long, tough days on the tuner.

Why Create a Blog?

You may be wondering, why would I create a blog?

The answer is pretty simple, it’s a very unique industry that I have grown a very deep appreciation for. When looking at the lifespan of skiing, and compare it to other sports, it hasn’t had a super long, or necessarily famous stint. However, over the course of it’s life the change has been constant. The industry is always changing and advancing. I want to explore and share these changes and all the things that have occurred to get our sport where it is now. I’m sure we’ll both learn some things through this!

Thanks for stopping by!

B