Mt. Bachelor Part II: The Orchestra of Ski Resort Operations

Speaker 1: 0:31

Each time that there's a leadership change, you're hopeful that the progression is going to be positive. This transition has a very positive feel, in my opinion, and it's a different view and a different move than we've done in the past. For sure, our leadership team is fairly young for the amount of time that we've been together, but we've got some pretty clear and concise plans and wanting to share more and be more transparent, and just some things that we haven't done in the past that feel really good. Now they also feel awkward because we've never done it this way before, and I was just talking to John about this a week ago. I'm like I think we're in an amazing spot. We have so much going for us, but, I said, it's so different than it's ever been.

Speaker 3: 1:55

On episode 46 of Bend magazines, the circling podcast, we finish a two-part series highlighting those and leadership roles at one of Central Oregon's most popular recreational resources, mount Bachelor. Though the conversations recorded for this episode occurred prior to the last several storm cycles of the month of January, the content on the episode couldn't be more relevant. On the second episode in the series designed to supplement our January-February cover story written by Tim Neville, I start with a great conversation with director of base operations Ryan Gage. Following my chat with Gage, alicia Smith and I shoot the breeze in the old maintenance building lunchroom where she shares her story of how she became the Lyft maintenance electrical supervisor and gives us a new level of appreciation for just how much effort goes into getting the Lyft spinning every morning, especially during a big storm cycle. Lastly, I record my first episode in the cockpit of a snow cat with grooming manager Ben Serrat as he works on building up the on-ramp at the bottom of the new Skyline lift. All were providing a new level of understanding to just how much the grooming department does, both winter, summer, spring and fall. For many in our community, myself included, mount Bachelor has played a key role in why we live here, as it provides some of the best skiing, snowboarding and mountain hiking in the Pacific Northwest. As is often the case, it's the individuals behind the scenes who work hard to provide an experience that many of us can take for granted if we're not careful. Gage Alicia, ben and everyone who works hard for Mount Bachelor, thank you.

Speaker 3: 3:45

The circling podcast is proud to be associated with Noda. Since adding visual show notes on Noda, feedback from listeners has been extremely positive. Visit Noda at Nodafm and experience how Noda takes you beyond the episode and makes podcasts even better with visual show notes. The circling podcast can be found on Patreon. Visit our page and learn how a percentage of your financial support will support local nonprofits and the continued growth of local community podcasting. Become a member and learn about this unique opportunity at patreoncom forward. Slash the circling podcast or see the link in the show notes. You're from Gavi.

Speaker 1: 4:36

Yeah, I grew up in Gavi.

Speaker 3: 4:39

Yes, how old are you? 47. Okay, so you're like three years older than me, but so we're kind of the same generation. That's a unique place to grow up.

Speaker 1: 4:49

It is. There's not many people that can say they're from government. No.

Speaker 3: 4:53

Yeah, I lived in government. I coached snowboarding at High Cascade in the early 2000s. Okay, so we would live in Gavi in the summer? Yep, and like I always was blown away by, it was like two different worlds Gavi in the summer and Gavi in the winter. It is 100%.

Speaker 1: 5:10

Two different worlds, yeah. So the locals, we enjoyed the winter and the shoulder seasons. The summer was kind of a drag for us, yeah, just all the influx and just the always rotating. But I bet I mean it made good money, you know, and it was a really awesome way to grow up.

Speaker 3: 5:31

So when did you moved over here? In 99?

Speaker 1: 5:33

to.

Speaker 3: 5:34

Bend Yep. So you graduated in the mid 90s yeah, from Sandy High, yep. And what were you doing before?

Speaker 1: 5:42

you moved over here. So I worked at Mount Hood Ski Bowl doing some grooming and just miscellaneous stuff. I also was in construction, so I worked for a builder and doing cleanup work and such, moved into a project manager position and then wound up leaving there and starting my own custom home business oh, no way. And I moved that over here. That was part of moving to Bend, but I was still involved with the ski industry and I was coaching ski racing, at one point for White Pass and then from Mount Hood Academy where I had raced for both of them throughout the years. So when I came over here I started coaching for MBSF, yeah, and you know I needed something to do at night during the winter when I was bored, and so grooming was awesome and I was still building custom homes and so, yeah, that's incredible.

Speaker 1: 6:30

So, the snow world and the construction world.

Speaker 3: 6:32

Yeah, one of my old buddies, older brother who you probably know, sam Cordell.

Speaker 1: 6:38

Yeah, yeah. And my supervisor in the grooming when I started here. Yeah, yeah. Sam's a great dude. He's a great dude, I haven't seen him. Usually I run in like once a year and it's usually when he's coming out of Nordic Uh-huh. But no, sam's an awesome guy, and Sarah and their boys and yeah.

Speaker 3: 6:55

I don't think people like realize what a phenom that guy was back in the mid-90s kind of before this whole social media exposure of kind of the phenomenal athletes here. He's like I mean, he's the real deal in the Nordic world. Oh yeah, yeah, he used to go on these like missions at night out. Just go yeah.

Speaker 1: 7:19

You know the guy's an animal. Yeah, that's hilarious, the Norwegian drive-by, as I call it. Yeah, the shooting, that's funny.

Speaker 3: 7:28

I think he was grooming at Meadows for a while.

Speaker 1: 7:30

He did so. He was my supervisor here when I started and then he moved into the manager role, yeah, and then he left here to go to Meadows and was the grooming manager and a couple of things up there, yeah, and now he's back. Yeah, he came back a few years, quite a few years back, but yeah, and I think he's awesome. I think he's a arborist now he is. I believe they started their own business and a lot of trying to do tree rehab and saving when possible, yeah, otherwise removal is needed. I believe is kind of how it works, yeah.

Speaker 3: 8:05

I think he used to fight fire and was like ran a saw.

Speaker 1: 8:09

Oh, he's really good on a saw. Yeah, because he was Primeville Hot Shots, yep.

Speaker 3: 8:14

So yeah, you know him well then. Yeah, yeah, that's cool. We spent a fair amount of years together, yeah, I bet. Yeah, he's back in the day.

Speaker 1: 8:20

Yeah, he's really good on a saw.

Speaker 3: 8:26

What like? What do your folks do that landed them in Gavi Camp?

Speaker 1: 8:28

So dad had several different construction companies Development electrical, custom home stuff in the Portland area, gotcha, and they had a ski cabin in Gavi and the early 80s showed up and liquidated everything. But no one was picking up second homes. Yeah, and that was the last thing left standing and that's where we lived. Yeah, that's cool. So dad commuted to Clackamas an hour each way at that time for ever. I mean, that was the thing. And then mom ran all the books for him.

Speaker 3: 9:02

Yeah, so I think it's. I've learned through doing these podcasts that there's so much understanding and how people kind of ended up in their world, not all the time, but more often than not. Like you know, clearly, you come from kind of this world where you learn by doing. I bet, growing up and it sounds like afterwards you did that, yeah, and now look what you're doing. Yeah, I mean.

Speaker 1: 9:27

It's funny because I was having a conversation with some friends that I hadn't seen in a while and we're talking about where we're at and what we're doing and stuff like that, and this was never a plan. Yeah, if you would have asked me, you know, 20 years ago what the plan was, it wasn't this. You know, the ski industry was super fun. I enjoy it. It was a side hobby and it kept me involved and kept me doing things and you know, the construction world was really where things were at and, just by chance, different things kept happening and you don't, I never even realized it, honestly, until it kind of started looking back and going, oh, that did this and this pushed here and that, oh and yeah, here I sit in with a pretty big combination of the construction world and the snow sports world and I get to partake in both every day.

Speaker 3: 10:19

Yeah, share with people.

Speaker 1: 10:21

What is it you do? So my title is director of base operations, so I oversee facilities maintenance, electrical lodge services, parking in RV transportation, public safety, vehicle maintenance and snow removal. That's all, and I yeah and well. And then I get to work on a lot of the projects, so any of the permitting stuff, with the county or city, so I have my hands in that. I get to work with the elevator inspectors, the boiler inspectors, you know, alongside my facilities managers and such. I get to work with Caterpillar, that doing services and inspections on our big diesel generators, and so I kind of get to be all sorts of places, which is super fun. And then, you know, I actually sit on the NBSEF executive board.

Speaker 1: 11:12

So I'm still involved with that from that end. And yeah, so I just I oversee a ton of stuff and I just like being out and about. You know, being in the office is kind of like the penalty box for me, but you know it's part of the job. But out and about and being involved is what I enjoy in all of those departments that happens.

Speaker 3: 11:34

Yeah, I mean you. I would imagine you have to delegate a fair amount of like. You have a team. You're in a very big leadership role as director of base operations.

Speaker 1: 11:43

I've got really great teams and we've been together for a while, so which is awesome.

Speaker 3: 11:50

So that's phenomenal. You're also kind of in the business of first impressions in terms of like when people roll in the bachelor, what you just described. The first thing I thought of is like you know people's experience. You know from a, from just a. You know a business standpoint of what bachelor is. You know outside of the locals, but people's first experience here is very much in your wheelhouse in terms of it is.

Speaker 1: 12:16

It's, you know, is the lot plowed, is parking? You know the first point of contact? Usually they are, and you know what's that experience like, especially if you've had an easy drive up or a rough drive up. You know you already have a mindset as you pull in so it's a lot plowed and looking good, is parking out there and being helpful and friendly as you get out of your vehicle, what's your traverse across the parking lots or whatever. When you start looking at buildings, you know what's your first take on them, cause you know we've got some things that are a little newer and we've got some things that are a little older. Yeah, you know. Or then, when you enter into the lodges, what, what's the feel? Or you know, are they clean? Or, you know, is the power on? You know a lot, of, a lot of a lot of first touch points land, land with us.

Speaker 3: 12:58

Yeah, unless you work in a mountain and realize kind of how much energy goes into making something that you take for granted every day operate, it's you know.

Speaker 1: 13:09

It takes a lot, a lot. And I mean this is a city, we are our own municipality, we are our own water district, we are our own fire district. I mean all these things that we do, mean our only tether to town is the 20 plus miles of overhead power line. Other than that, all the internet, everything is shot through the air. The water, like I said, is here from our wells. I mean we, we're our own thing and it is 24 seven, 365 days.

Speaker 1: 14:16

Tell me about, like this evolution of camping up here, man you know, camping at Northwest ski areas it's a thing and it's been a thing for a lot of years. We I mean I remember years and years ago when I was a kid, we'd come over here and camping was over at sunrise. Lots there's, you know, no utilities, no, nothing. Yeah, but it's an experience and it's. It's super fun when we put the powered sites in that kind of changed it a little bit, you know, because now you can bring that change a lot of it, I mean it's not bad change, or it's just change but it is a game changer.

Speaker 1: 14:53

It is. I mean, you know, for me I don't come up much in camp during the winter because it's snowing, it's blowing and there's snow removal equipment, you know, all night long. And I've spent enough hours in this snow removal equipment running it, I don't need to listen to it next to me. But spring, oh, and you know our events and stuff we do. I love being up here camping.

Speaker 3: 15:15

Yeah, it's a it's a fun experience. We've been doing it for probably 10 years. We haven't done it the last couple of years just because back when we started it was I have three kids and it was. It was kind of our way of being up here in the trailer and having the space we need for little kids to not be in the elements and it was so fun. And, like February, there's like three campers up here and we all know each other and the kids are just exposed to the elements, sledding and doing fun stuff. Yeah, and I think it's a phenomenal experience. The power I mean it's an obvious progression, right, I mean it's clearly obvious and it I love the experience it gives people. It's a totally different weekend experience staying up here than people coming into town and staying in town Neither better or worse just different.

Speaker 1: 16:10

It's different. You don't have, you know, uber Eats. You don't have a restaurant right next door. You don't have, you know, street lights and such. I mean it's you're up here in nature and you're hanging out.

Speaker 3: 16:24

We got to know quite a few of the like different employees, whether it be plow guys at night, just because you're up here every weekend, those guys would plow and stop and, you know, see by the fire if they had a minute.

Speaker 1: 16:37

And take a break. You see a lot of the same repeat people because they really love it, and that's awesome. I mean, at any given point, you know you kind of wrap up your day and you know you've got friends out there. I mean, I go out and hang out for a little while and then head home. It's super fun. Yeah, it is a thing in the Northwest for sure. You know Stevens has been doing it for a lot of years. Crystal, you know White Pass got on board a few years back.

Speaker 3: 17:01

I think flights are in Idaho. How's the deal going? They've got a little bit yeah.

Speaker 1: 17:06

It's. You get like the East Coast or Colorado or you know Utah, and they're like what? What do you mean? You camp in the You're nuts and like no, it's a thing.

Speaker 3: 17:15

Well, it's also different because a lot of those, especially in like I think about Colorado and even Utah you know there's a lot of Like in Colorado, there's a lot of the ski towns have so many facilities. Yeah, you know, like I've always thought of Bend, like we don't live in the mountain, we go to the mountains and it's rad because there isn't all that up here.

Speaker 3: 17:40

Yeah, we're still a pretty wilderness experience we'll call it no condos, no over, and I mean it's, but that's also not incredibly unique to the Northwest, which goes back to why I think there's more of a propensity to people wanting to camp. You know, I can think of a ton of mountains at least since I've been there that don't have facilities on site. You can drive into town, just like Bend. It might not only be at 40 minutes away, but it is fun to like, you know.

Speaker 1: 18:12

The riders in the Northwest are a little hardier than elsewhere at times.

Speaker 3: 18:19

Yeah, I mean there's some truth to that for sure. I mean in unique ways because of the environment. Yeah, I mean you have to be.

Speaker 1: 18:27

It's. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm all for a great day down at Snowbird in just blower power that we typically don't get, I'm all for it. But being from the Northwest, you just have a little different feel for it, right?

Speaker 3: 18:44

How often do you get on hill?

Speaker 1: 18:46

Not as often as I should.

Speaker 3: 18:47

How's the body?

Speaker 1: 18:48

holding. That Depends on the day. But no, I, you know I, my wife and I try to ski. You know, on Sundays we haven't gone yet this year. It just we haven't been super driven yet. It'll happen. But we try to get Sunday mornings together and I really need to be. I want to be out at least three times a week. You know, while I'm here usually it winds up being one, maybe two. You know I need to do better on that and I've been putting it out there to all of our employees as we've been going through orientations, like if you see me and and there's an opportunity, you know kind of push me to put my boots on. I need to be out more. It's better out there.

Speaker 3: 19:29

Yeah, well, it's really easy, especially in the role you have. You know, it's not like there's ever not anything to do. Yeah, and you can consume so quick.

Speaker 1: 19:39

You roll in the parking lot in the morning and you kind of you make the rounds and see what's going on, and at that point you're into mid to late morning, then you're starting into meetings and the next thing you know it's three o'clock and you're like, yeah, I could put my boots on and go get Ruan run, but at that point I need to. I really I got to. I got to get back in the flow. Yeah, I mean being in this industry and growing up in Govian, always being, I mean I had several years where I was doing 300 days a year on snow, oh yeah, and, and it was didn't matter what the weather was, it was this is what we were doing and all that. And now it can be a little choosier when it's right here, and then you can kind of slack a little bit and just be like you should get out and go ride, you know, so it's it's. It's a line that all of us walk at one point.

Speaker 3: 20:20

I love that guy, the commitment that that guy, josh Siren has, oh the Josh reports. Yeah, we did an episode with him for this podcast. That's, it was fun.

Speaker 1: 20:33

He's another. He's a cool dude.

Speaker 3: 20:35

But he, in the context of what we were talking about, he he'll get after it like at least a couple runs, I think, every day. Yeah, you know, no matter what the weather.

Speaker 1: 20:43

Yeah, he's, he is a diehard.

Speaker 3: 20:46

I mean, granted, he's incentivized to do it cause he's like that's kind of part of his his deal now. But still like, but he loves it Well yeah, and I think that that's cool to have something that holds you accountable, no matter how you're feeling, you know yeah.

Speaker 1: 21:00

So he's. You see him every day that he's here and he's got a smile, whether it's pow day, you know spring rippers, or even when it's raining and and weird yeah.

Speaker 3: 21:12

And he'll be here and he'll make a lap or two. It's funny, yeah. Yeah, this mountain is it's super unique in what it offers people, you know.

Speaker 1: 21:20

It rides so differently than anywhere else. Oh yeah. There's so many natural features and things and to be, you know, like an all mountain type rider, skis board, whatever it this it's here, yeah, so.

Speaker 3: 21:34

So your, your days start early, you end probably fairly late, depending on the weather. How do you, how do you unwind? Like that was a question, alicia, everybody that I'm I'm talking with, I want, I want them to ask the next person kind of question. Yeah, and Alicia's question for you was how do you unwind after a long day up here?

Speaker 1: 21:56

For me it's going home and having a glass of wine sitting in the hot tub and, you know, hanging out with the wife and our, our animal, you know, our four legged kids. So yeah, and try and get some rest and do it all over again. Yeah, so yeah.

Speaker 3: 22:13

That's cool man. Thanks for what you do. Yeah, it was fun I really enjoy it yeah.

Speaker 1: 22:17

I can tell. You know the challenges are there, but you know trying to figure out ways to work through them and you know getting to meet people and and be out and about.

Speaker 3: 22:26

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 22:27

There's. That's pretty rad, yeah, so.

Speaker 3: 22:30

You've you've been with this with Mount Batcher through several different transitions. How? How have things improved with the more kind of recent shift in in terms of leadership and I really like the direction we're headed.

Speaker 1: 22:45

Yeah, yeah, I've been through a few different transitions.

Speaker 3: 22:48

Yeah, I've been here since 2000.

Speaker 1: 22:50

Yeah, that's 23 years. Yeah, I just started my 24th year, isn't?

Speaker 3: 22:54

that crazy yeah.

Speaker 1: 22:56

I mean, I actually started, you know, before Powder owned us. So you know the year, the last year of the Pape owned ship. Yeah, and you know, each, each time that there's a leadership change, you're hopeful that that your, the progression is going to be positive. This transition has a, it has a very positive feel, in my opinion, and it's it's a different, it's a different view and a different move than we've done in the past. For sure, our leadership team is fairly young for the amount of time that we've been together, but we've we've got some pretty clear and concise plans and, you know, and, and wanting to share more and be more transparent, and just some things that we, we haven't done in the past. Yeah, that feel really good. Yeah, now they also feel awkward because we've never done it this way before. You know and I was just talking to John about this, you know, a week ago I'm like you know, I, you know I think we're in an amazing spot and we have so much going for us, but I said, it's so different than it's ever been.

Speaker 3: 24:31

Can you talk a little bit more about that to the level of your comfort? Like what?

Speaker 1: 24:35

what do you mean different, like what are, are just more transparent, more, more transparency, more honest conversations, more trying to break the silos down that that can tend to get built in any organization, really trying to be more collaborative across the board, like with community. You mean With community, for sure, but also just amongst ourselves. Oh, gotcha, so you know, if you can't do that at home, we'll call it. Yeah, you can't do it out of the home.

Speaker 3: 25:06

So you have your house in order, yeah.

Speaker 1: 25:07

So, yeah. And having our house in order is is the number one importance. That's cool.

Speaker 3: 25:13

Yeah, so community culture like yeah, for sure. And there's.

Speaker 1: 25:17

There's been glimmers of it you know here and there, but, like I said, this just it's in the past. Maybe you know we've looked towards, you know, noon or one o'clock and this feels like we're looking at like 10 o'clock, which is just a totally different view point.

Speaker 3: 25:29

Yeah, which, which I would imagine, is necessary in 2023,. You know, I mean, the rate of change in just the world is, so it requires a different like perspective and kind of you got to stay ahead of the curve. And it by no means, no, really anything about the ski industry, but you know, as a as a participant in it, over the years you have a lot of change in terms of how people experience it, where they experience it, the, you know, this kind of inter-mountain network that's forming with ICON and it's just it, it's, it's, it's a fluid industry.

Speaker 1: 26:07

It is, and or it appears to me.

Speaker 3: 26:09

It is.

Speaker 1: 26:10

And you know to be relying on mother nature.

Speaker 3: 26:12

Absolutely.

Speaker 1: 26:13

I mean, that's a very dynamic situation.

Speaker 3: 26:15

In a world where that like dependability is is definitely trending in less dependable ways. You know it's it's clocked differently.

Speaker 1: 26:24

Yeah, you know. And and people's expectations? You know, guess expectations, employees' expectations have changed as well. I mean, it was not that many years back where, if it was a howling rage and storm day, we'd only have half the lot of people here, but as it started to calm down and the weather got better, we'd we'd get stacked up and there'd be more and more people. It's opposite now. They're here during the raging storm cycles and as we go into more high pressure and more just groomer days, we'll call it it goes the other way. So it's people's utilization is different. Yeah, that's really interesting, you know it. On the weather standpoint too, I mean, it used to be by mid-November. Things were happening, yeah, and now it's more mid-December. Yeah, but it also used to be by 1st of April. We were in corn, snow and shorts and all that, and now that's not happening, we're taking the storms.

Speaker 1: 27:20

We're taking the storms. It's like everything clocked by 30 days different, isn't it interesting?

Speaker 3: 27:23

Yeah, yeah, el Nino appears to be kind of doing its thing, yeah, so.

Speaker 1: 27:31

Well, everyone's paying more attention to the weather now too. It's very true. It used to be if you want to go to the weather, look out your window. And now it's what's the next six months? Look like All this stuff.

Speaker 3: 27:41

Well, that's part of how it's changed.

Speaker 1: 27:43

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3: 27:43

That's for sure. I mean, and going back to Josh, like I think part of what he does is inspired by that old concept of kind of the snow phone. You know, I mean, you know.

Speaker 1: 27:56

We got so much grief when the snow phone went away because people would call it repeatable and they'd be looking for info. Deb, and what her update was what's the seven o'clock? What's the 10 o'clock?

Speaker 3: 28:08

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 28:12

They should bring that back, man. That's one of those retro things that could.

Speaker 3: 28:15

Definitely, absolutely it would also kind of be a cool marketing move, like that's different and like harkens back to like kind of a mom and pop era in the ski resort world.

Speaker 1: 28:28

Yeah, so trying to call the you know, call in and it'd be busy. Yeah, dude. It's a special place, for sure. Yeah, lots of memories up here.

Speaker 3: 28:40

you know Lots of memories. Good to meet you, we'll see you out and around Probably. I'm surprised we've never met before.

Speaker 1: 28:47

I am too.

Speaker 3: 28:48

I mean we've, we know a lot of the same people guaranteed.

Speaker 1: 28:51

Yeah, yeah, especially through MBSUF back in the day. I'm sure we crossed paths somewhere.

Speaker 3: 28:55

So Dave Reynolds. So the crew was Dave Hans Hibbard me. That was the first. I think that was the first year in Kit Blackwalder, yeah, that guy's nuts. Yeah. They're just, you know you know, hans Hibbard was, you know. I mean, this is what year was that I don't like.

Speaker 3: 29:13

I want to say it was. It was around 2000. Like 99. I moved here in 1998. And I think it was 99. It might have been 2001. It's kind of somewhere in there. I did it for one year and then I was pursuing other goals, but it was fun and a lot of the kids in my group you know were are still friends of mine today here, you know, and some of them have, you know, they work in the snowboard industry or, like mine, is all a major part of their life still, from what it appears, via keeping in touch with them on social media, but also a fair amount that still live here and do it.

Speaker 1: 30:00

Yeah, it was, that was a really fun time. Yeah, this industry, if it gets in your blood it's gonna forever. It's so true, dude, and it's you're not like more monotony, it's the community.

Speaker 3: 30:11

Yeah Right, I mean, it's the, it's the like-mindedness of people that enjoy being in the mountains and the elements and and kind of the challenge that brings, but also the reward. You know, and it's not everybody's cup of tea, so it's kind of a way to like you know it, it it's kind of a first pass filter going through life where and you find you all have a commonality because you enjoy being up here, which is always a good way to build relationships, Now more than ever. Yeah for sure, All right, man.

Speaker 3: 30:44

I love it. Good talk, yeah, this is fun. Thank you. All right, brother, stay in touch, you as well. Swing by anytime. I will. You know where I'm at. I will, I will. All right, cool, I've never been in this building before. Oh yeah, this is like a stepping back in time in here.

Speaker 4: 31:11

It is. It's still one of the original buildings. It's kind of built in a whole, but yeah.

Speaker 3: 31:16

Well, I love it because it gives you kind of the you know, it reminds you of like an old ski resort from like the 80s I mean.

Speaker 4: 31:23

but there's been. I look at the floor, I look at.

Speaker 3: 31:26

You know how many cups of coffee have been made through that thing over the years and just how many like I love it. And you don't see this stuff because this stuff is probably lower priority in terms of appearances and updates compared to the other parts of the mountain. Understandably. So, oh yeah. So you and your husband work up here. Yes, yeah, and you guys have been up here for a while.

Speaker 4: 31:48

Yeah, I originally started in 2005. Yeah, so yeah.

Speaker 3: 31:52

And you know what is it you do.

Speaker 4: 31:55

So I'm the lift maintenance electrician.

Speaker 3: 31:57

Okay, and talk about that a little bit.

Speaker 4: 31:59

In charge of everything electrical, so any anything that's powered by batteries, shore power, anything from 600 volts on down, is my realm, and then it's all. I'm pretty much isolated to all of our lifts. So we have 15 lifts total, three of which are carpets. So yeah, anything with a drive, a motor, any function of a hydraulic system that's electrically controlled pneumatic systems, all the circuits, all the safety circuits, all the towers, all the safeties on those, anything that's unterminal, that's my realm.

Speaker 3: 32:38

I was taking some laps this morning and my friends and I were talking about how easy and kind of obvious it is that most people probably don't even think twice about the power supply needed to run a ski resort.

Speaker 4: 32:53

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 32:54

And it's, it's, it's insane and, from how I understand it when we were communicating earlier, it's not like this is something that you set out to do. You kind of found yourself going down this path of what seems to be kind of a combination of curiosity but, also like kind of the love of the outdoors. I mean, from what you were sharing, it sounds like you and your husband are that's. You spend the majority of your life outside.

Speaker 4: 33:20

Prefer to yeah. That's where happiness is yeah.

Speaker 4: 33:24

So background on me it was semi-medical and I was overwhelmed at the time, going to school full time as well as working full time and needed a break. And a guy I had just met who was helping me out with a job or the position I was working at at a coffee shop. He had been hired to help alleviate some of the stress I was dealing with, since I was trying to manage a coffee shop and do all this. He moved here super into the outdoors and so we started hanging out and I started showing him around. He'd never mountain bike to jump in that. And then we and his roommate decided let's, let's do something totally random. Let's go work at a ski resort. He's need.

Speaker 4: 33:59

None of us had ever really thought of that before. He's like you said, you go, you ski, you have fun, you don't think of the people that are actually here working in that. It could be a career. So just started off with wanting to have a fun job. So we figured how can we get a season pass and have fun? And for my husband now, my husband and I and we decided let's lift off. You know that'll allow us to ride all day long and then have fun outside and let's see what we if we like it, you know, only expected to be a short term thing, didn't really think it was our career. So that's how I started out.

Speaker 3: 34:31

And that was in 2005. Yes, yeah, and you grew up in Eugene.

Speaker 4: 34:35

Correct. Yeah, I'm a valley girl, yeah.

Speaker 3: 34:39

And talk to me about, like to share the story or some of the memories you have of your first experiences with this mountain as a kid.

Speaker 4: 34:44

Oh, very few, unfortunately, experiences were actually out. Mount Bachelor it was more like in my teens that I started coming here more often with fellow classmates in my high school.

Speaker 3: 34:57

Isn't that still a kid? Oh yeah, good teens. No, I'm thinking like when I originally started skiing at like age 11,. You know I was going to one of the paths that was closer, you know, a lot closer to Eugene I went there my first time, maybe five years ago, and I've lived here 25 years and it was insane. Yeah, like my daughter and I went, yeah, and the snow was really good, oh nice.

Speaker 4: 35:20

You get some really awesome sweeping views.

Speaker 3: 35:21

It's fun we're coming around. Yeah.

Speaker 4: 35:23

No, I like that hill. So, it definitely has some memories for me, but Mount Bachelor was the big place to go that. Or you know, timberlina would go there too. But Mount Bachelor was always sweet. I loved coming to Bend. As a kid I would go to Sisters and Bend before the whole IY 97, you know the whole Expressway was there when it just used to be a two-lane road going through Third Street.

Speaker 3: 35:44

Yeah, Exactly, and I think it was one of the memories of this place when it was very little, yeah, and you went to COCC and then you got interested in veterinary medicine and then that wasn't. Did you finish your vet training?

Speaker 4: 36:00

No, like I said did family reasons.

Speaker 3: 36:02

I ended up coming back to Bend.

Speaker 4: 36:03

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, so I never did finish that when I got back I still wanted to stay with vet medicine. So I was thinking more along the lines of therapeutic massage for canines and equine and kind of started to try to do that here in Bend. And that really wasn't an offer. You know, I'd have to go to Corvallis if I really wanted to finish with that degree. So I just started kind of playing around with options and again working in the medical field. I was actually working for a acupuncturist at the time and she suggested you know what, I've been watching you, you've been working your ass off, you've been doing so many hours and going to school, why don't you just go do something fun? So that's kind of like I said when me and then my friends at the time decided let's go do something and that was working at a speed mountain resort.

Speaker 3: 36:47

What was the first chair you were assigned to?

Speaker 4: 36:50

Pine, pine and curtain. Yeah, I don't know if that was to weed people out or if they thought maybe I was responsible. Not sure, but yeah, that was a fun time. So we had one older Lyft operator who had been here forever, myself and then another younger guy and a couple other younger people as well. We had a lot of fun actually.

Speaker 3: 37:12

Talk about some of the some of the realities of, like the amount of energy and just power that it takes to run this place.

Speaker 4: 37:21

Enormous amount. Yeah, should have found the exact figures for you, but when we're talking about our supply coming up from mid state, we're over 12,000 volts. Is what's supplied. Wow, don't quote me on that, I'll have to get back to you. Yeah.

Speaker 4: 37:36

So there we have our substation and then we have a couple different other substations. We have a couple actually on the mountain where we are now diverting power and consolidating it to those sections. So like, for example, we have a rainbow substation which feeds out east side, and then we have the can't remember if we call it the pine martin substation, but that will feed out west, like it'll take pine lodge, if I remember right out back in northwest. But yeah, so we have these, it's, it's sectioned out and from there then, like I said, we'll step it down with a ton of different transformers. So every building not only has multiple transformers within that building to step it up or down wherever they need it. You know the kitchens are going to require higher voltage than 120 lighting or receptacles, and then you have around 480 supplied to each lift. So when you think about it, every single lift has 480 coming in and they're stepping it down.

Speaker 3: 38:33

Your education is not like. You were not formally trained as an electrician, so did you have like a mentor here early on, that kind of you were an apprentice to, or yeah that's so we do go through the electrical apprenticeship program.

Speaker 4: 38:49

So that's why I am a licensed electrician for the state of Oregon. I just happened to work here. So what happened was it was only a couple years after I'd been Lyft Opping and I was a lead Lyft operator that maintenance saw me actually out fixing chairs. So the maintenance crew, I knew them really well. We always hang out every day after they do startup and we'd show up and they kept saying Alicia, you're out here fixing stuff. Have you ever thought of going to maintenance? I'm like no, not really. I hadn't. Like well, you're already doing it, so why don't you just move over? I'm like okay Again. It's like this whole realm of the resort career and job opportunities Even though you're here, you don't necessarily realize what else is available to venture out into and to really explore. So, like I said, within a couple of years one of the Lyft mechanics said I really want you to come on, I'm going to talk to our boss. And then it wasn't long after that I started out working winters here and I was fighting fires during the summer.

Speaker 3: 39:46

No way.

Speaker 4: 39:47

So I was going back and forth and then about two years into it, it was a lot of work. I'm like, hey, would you guys want me to stick around your round as maintenance, Because if not I need to go back to firefighting. And they're like no, yeah, we'll keep you. So after I think it's two seasons of doing maintenance as an assistant, I just rolled right into level one and always liked the electrical side of things. It was a little bit intimidating, not having a background in electricity or at least electrical training, and so it was always something I really intrigued. Anytime a Lyft would go down or there was a fault, I always wanted to figure it out and not just call for help. So I'd always try to realize how was I supposed to figure out the fault? How do I call it inappropriately?

Speaker 3: 40:31

Have you always been that way Like thinking back, kind of like if you're curious by nature. But it's one thing to be curious, but then to act on the curiosity.

Speaker 4: 40:41

I think. Well, I mean stepping back even further. As a kid I worked on heavy machinery with my family, so their business growing up was road construction. But we're talking like forest roads, so for warehouses or subcontracting with that kind of thing. So from the time I was 11 on up I was on huge machinery, compact great, that makes a lot of sense, yeah.

Speaker 4: 41:03

And on that, you need to know how to do your daily checks on your machinery and keep it maintained and whatnot. So I think maybe that's and also being the oldest of three other siblings for us I think that kind of always lent me to be more in charge, I guess, or wanting to take charge and figure things out and not, like in, to just stand by and wait for someone else.

Speaker 3: 41:25

It's like a blend of personality and opportunity. Yeah, yeah, totally.

Speaker 4: 41:30

Well, nice way to put it. Well it is.

Speaker 3: 41:32

I mean, that's how you learn stuff, is doing it, but it does require a certain amount of curiosity and then like the fortitude to kind of act on that. Not that many people do that, I think a lot of people think, but it's. I mean, I walk into your office and like, granted, you've been doing this a while now but it's impressive. So you know, it looks like some sort of commercial, like electrical supply store.

Speaker 4: 41:58

Yeah, I know.

Speaker 3: 42:01

Stuff's not like. I still don't understand. You know volts, amperages and watts, you know, and you know those. I mean I do kind of and I draw an allergies to understand it. But the electrical world and power and energy is complex and only getting more complex because of demands and supply.

Speaker 4: 42:21

Exactly.

Speaker 3: 42:22

So talk a little bit about like who in the ski industry, if anyone is having the conversation around, you know what are the demands of. You know a ski resort now and you know the supply and what does that look like in five years and 10 years and what other you know like.

Speaker 4: 42:43

Big time. So for years now we've been trying to do minimal upgrades. So of course, we have the EV charging stations out there. We've done RV camp land, you know. So there's power pedestals out there for the draw from. So over the years we've been adding, you know, to what it is that we require, for you know our voltage and what it is that we need to do to keep it going.

Speaker 4: 43:06

So again, there's another set of electricians, which I always call the building electricians, but they're more of the base operations electricians and they're in charge of all that. So, like our supply power, our regulator stations, our generators, and then like the EV station and the RV land, that's their realm. But, like I said, over the years we've tried to upgrade things. So that also includes just something as simple as LED lights, you know, taking out all our fluorescence and halogens and upgrading to LED fixtures so that'll decrease our demand alone. As for on the lift side of things, that's going from a DC motor to an AC motor. We're more efficient with that and it's also a lot less maintenance on our end. So that's another way to boost our efficiency and gain more power.

Speaker 3: 43:48

Yeah, so like cloud chasers DC.

Speaker 4: 43:50

Yes.

Speaker 3: 43:51

Correct. And the new Skylanders DC, it's AC. Oh, it is yes.

Speaker 4: 43:56

So when we installed early riser, our little baby fix strip that's an AC motor as well. So that's one of the things it's almost unheard of to ask for a DC motor. Nowadays, if we order a new lift, it's almost guaranteed it's going to be AC, unless we really spec out a DC motor.

Speaker 3: 44:10

But cloud chasers DC Correct Interesting.

Speaker 4: 44:13

Yeah, it's a mixture, because then you have cooling motors that are AC.

Speaker 3: 44:18

So it's like I've got.

Speaker 4: 44:19

There's so many different motors out there on the hill right now and then that's all different maintenance too, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3: 44:26

And speaking to the level of kind of demand for maintenance, you're developing like a kind of a new team of electrical.

Speaker 4: 44:35

So right behind you is actually Eric and he is. What's up, eric?

Speaker 3: 44:39

He's newer to lift maintenance electrical Nice to meet you yeah.

Speaker 4: 44:44

I've been lucky enough to pull him from the more industrial food production side of things, but he's got years of technical maintenance and electrical behind him, so yeah, so it's been fun to have him on the team. And then we have another. I've actually hired a licensed electrician to join us as well, so I'll have four people, including myself, now in this role instead of just me. So that's awesome.

Speaker 3: 45:09

That's going to be a big help. That's huge, yeah. So kind of talk me through your typical day, like maybe like in February, like a pretty average snow year, you're getting up here, what time at 5am.

Speaker 4: 45:20

Okay, yeah, so 4.45. We're up here by 5.15. We're all doing a safety huddle, meeting, prepping for the day. Go over any of the weather activity that happened during the night so that we can prepare for what we need to attack in the morning. And I say attack because more likely than not we've had storm cycles out of any other resort. I've talked to where the hardest hits. I'm talking US wide. So I'm pretty sure Blackcomb Whistler gets hit really hard with similar weather and patterns, like we do, but everywhere else maybe hood might get hit about the same as we do.

Speaker 3: 45:57

And for obvious reasons, there's not like a range of mountains to break up. No, exactly.

Speaker 4: 46:02

You're the sore thumb sticking out and you're going to hit hard.

Speaker 4: 46:04

So yeah after we've done that, then we've broken into our zones on our team. So and each we break the mountain into three different zones. So you're going to take those 12 to 15 lifts and divided by those people and it's anywhere from three to four people per zone, usually. Right now we have a ton of assistance, so we have more. Yeah, we go out there, we do safety checks first, make sure that all the equipment is ready to roll, there's no deficiencies, nothing's broke.

Speaker 4: 46:27

And then we need to also make sure that if weather did roll in, if there's any ice, any snow loading, anything like that, then we have to run the not run but snowmobile the entire lift line and make sure that we're ready to roll.

Speaker 4: 46:39

So we always want to make sure that our shibs, which are those giant wheels, that the hull rope goes over, that the chair hangs off them, that all of that is clear and free of ice.

Speaker 4: 46:47

Because if we start turning this, this ski lift, and we have ice built up on shibs, they're going to stay stationary and we're going to just start kind of sawing through that rubber and creating those thumping feeling. And if you go up some and after a storm day you're probably going to feel that because hopefully we've had time to replace everything and if they're not that bad we'll let them ride. So yeah, we've now done our safety checks, our weather assessment. If everything's good to go, then we start turning. And again we're people at both zones excuse me, both ends of the lift are out there, physically and visually, checking each grip, every chair that comes through, making sure that everything's good to go, nothing's stalled, there's no bad bearings. And then we go through our lists. There's an entire list in form we have to fill out every day that says that we've checked everything and that's good to go.

Speaker 4: 47:31

Any deficiencies we find, we try to attack. So there are those few random days where something broke overnight or something failed and we're rushing to try to change it as quick as possible. So I'm sure you or anybody else has been here before and heard that maybe Northwest is delayed or some it's delayed due to storm recovery, that's pretty typical.

Speaker 4: 47:51

But yeah. So then we go lift by lift and that's no small task to have to go through all those safety checks, run it multiple times and make sure that the chairs are spacing themselves out properly and that nothing's getting pushed together, and they sign off and go to the next lift. So yeah, from five to about eight is our go time, because we have to get it going before operators and every bail is want to get it the hell. So yeah, once we've done all of our pre-opping and running and setting our top speeds for the day based on weather, then we turn it over to ops and then we can kind of take a little break at that point and we always have our radios on listening for any, you know, calls for help or what's going on and then during the day we send out.

Speaker 4: 48:29

Like for me personally, since I'm on the electrical side of thing, I'm not going out and doing daily checks necessarily. I'm waiting for the assistance and everybody else to do that and give me a list if they found anything, or they'll call me if anything sounds questionable. So yeah, for electrical side of it, you know, we're sitting, like I said, all the assistance out. So they're watching amperage on chargers, making sure the batteries are staying fully charged because that's what's controlling all of our controls for those lifts and then making sure that all the safety switches and proxies are actuating when they're supposed to on and off. If they don't, then I'll get a call and then during February there's not much that I can do because the lifts are turning.

Speaker 4: 49:12

So, like all those tours, all those projects, I have to get done during the summer or at night. So there are times where things break down. So if it's a bad day and something broke down, then I'm here late at night fixing it until it's done and then we can roll the next day. But yeah, and then we wait around until the end of the day when we hear the last chair has been received and all customers are off the hill, and then we have to make sure all the lift ops are off the hill and then we can finally leave. So it's about, you know, during that time it's about a 12 hour day 12 and a half hour day.

Speaker 3: 49:42

You're hustling, you're good.

Speaker 4: 49:44

Yeah, and then there's projects we can do that aren't on the lifts we can pre-plan. You know, like if I know, I have a control box that needs to be replaced somewhere I can sit here and build it, you know and then, as soon as the lift's down, we can run out there and install.

Speaker 3: 49:56

Yeah, talk about that. I mean you have a spectrum of chairs here that span generations and I would imagine the control you know, the control boxes or I don't know what you even call it. I mean it's probably like you think about Red Cher, it's probably like you know, working on your 1970.

Speaker 4: 50:18

Chevy yeah.

Speaker 3: 50:19

And then you have, like you know, like the new Skyliner which I would only imagine is a completely different probably touchscreen you know everything, Very automated. So like that's a whole different challenge for you.

Speaker 4: 50:34

Yeah, because if you look up there again, there are control boards for old 1980s. You know, basic computers is what it is, and everything soldered, everything is plugged in, hardwired. So it's not an easy fix when something breaks on those you end up pulling boards out and trying to find where the break is and repairing them.

Speaker 3: 50:52

Do you go to training Like when they got Skyliner? Do you get trained much on like kind of the new control system when you buy?

Speaker 4: 50:59

a new lift, that vendor will bring you to their facility for training. So typically you'll take at least for us, we always send two people and so, yes, myself and one of the mechanical technicians went to Salt Lake for training on that lift specifically.

Speaker 3: 51:14

Yeah, that's cool, that's really cool. Well, thank you for what you do. Oh, thank you. I mean honestly, like this is it's it's cool to look through this mountain through the lens of, like you know, the electrical staff and the power demands and the supply. Yeah. What's what's? Do you have any good stories not to put you on the spot, but I'm gonna like.

Speaker 4: 51:35

I'm like when someone says good, I always think challenge Right, that's what I'm learning quickly.

Speaker 3: 51:40

That's the way your brain works. Yeah, you like you're.

Speaker 4: 51:43

it was quite a few years ago, you would have been a good bet.

Speaker 4: 51:47

Yeah, we will figure you out, doggy.

Speaker 4: 51:51

No, quite a few years ago and I can't remember the exact year, it might have been 2011 or 10. We had a mountain wide power failure, and it was our generators did not kick in in time, so every single one of us maintenance techs were running from lift to lift to fire them up, because at that point we have to go to our diesel engines and get them fired up and going. And the problem also with that is that if you don't have that running, the alternator is not charging the batteries. So the longer you take, the batteries are starting to deplete because we have all these controls, all these systems that are powered up, and there's nothing regenerating that battery usage Exactly, so they're just starting to drain. So if you can't get on APU quick enough, then you have to go to an APU, which is fine, that's easier. So, yeah, it was one of those deals where we were struggling to get to each lift in time, because again, you have 15th. Well, at that time we only had Ooh, why do we have 12 lifts total?

Speaker 4: 52:46

I believe, and maybe 10 people on staff at the most, and we're just running all over the board. So you're calling it up over the radio OK, I've got out back going, let's turn, go now. And then you're like, ok, on my way to Northwest, running there, running in the terminals quick as you can, getting everything fired up and warmed up as quick as you can, coupling them because that's a mechanical process to switch from one motor to the next. So you're coupling them up the drive shafts, engaging them and then going as quick as you can and then running to the next lift. And I felt so bad because, if I remember right, that day was I don't think it was a sub zero, but it was probably in the 20s, with wind blowing pretty good. And then that just honestly happened not that long ago Again last year I think it was yeah, I think so where we lost power and the generators hadn't quite caught up, and normally our gensets kick in really quick.

Speaker 4: 53:36

We have four large, large diesel motors that act as generators while they are generators and they're down in a bay and they fire in sequence and then they supply power to the mountain, but it doesn't supply power to all the mountains. So, no matter what you're still running from lift to lift, to get them going on auxiliary power.

Speaker 4: 53:51

So yeah, that happened this last year and it was gnarly, gnarly winds and I think it was 10 degrees out, so we know we were in the zeros and it was panic mode, because my focus is I've got to get this going as quick as possible. I have all new people around me, so I'm happy to train them as I'm trying to get it going and I feel so bad because I looked down the hill and I see all these passengers sitting there waiting Because they can't get off the lift. They are stuck and it's just like when you say you know good day. That's when I think of that. I'm just like the most challenging but rewarding, because it was such a bad situation to be in that we still rectified it. We got every single lift up and going, even though we were draining batteries left and right and trying to charge and go, but we got it.

Speaker 3: 54:36

I've only ever had to get it evacuated off the lift once.

Speaker 4: 54:40

And let me say that when I see evac it's the worst thing. That's my problem. I meant to say offloading customers, so evacing usually means that you're taking in, like patrols going down with ropes and taking people off the chairs. No, we've never. As long as I've worked here, we've never had to actually evac the lift. So props to us and compared to other resorts.

Speaker 4: 54:59

I will watch the reports on a yearly basis and I'm like, wow, they had to evac rope, evac people. We have never actually had to do that. We've always got our lifts up and going.

Speaker 3: 55:07

Have you ever done it personally?

Speaker 4: 55:09

Oh, we do it for fun. Yeah, exactly, I've never been stuck in that situation where I'm the customer getting evac. No, we just do it for training.

Speaker 3: 55:15

I was stuck on an old double chair in North Idaho. It's what silver horn. Before it was silver mountain.

Speaker 4: 55:23

And had to get evac as a kid. You weren't on the large one, were you? Not? The gondola?

Speaker 3: 55:28

OK, because it was a gondola that was prior to the gondola, but there was only I forget the name chair seven is what I anyways yeah, it was and some of those old double chairs from back in the day that are 80 feet off the ground, like those things. That's pretty sketchy when you think about it.

Speaker 4: 55:47

There isn't too much of a safety factor around you.

Speaker 3: 55:50

I think about what we used to do, just full on holding on for life. Yeah, it's funny when you work at a mountain, you grow up and you enjoy the experience of skiing. And then you work at the mountain. It changes your relationship with that experience of skiing, because I worked at Brighton one year in Utah in the maintenance department at night and I just remember, yeah, it totally changed it. Do you still snowboard?

Speaker 4: 56:20

That many years of snowboarding. Goofy foot has destroyed my knees, so I'm back to skiing now, I know a guy. Yeah Well, hey, we'll get together with you. I've got knee issues. I love snowboarding, but the impact every time I hit a bump just kills my knees, so with that being said, although I have destroyed my body from too much playing all my life, it's the not wanting to be at work. My day's off. That has kind of killed it for me. Yeah, that's what I mean. I will be honest.

Speaker 4: 56:50

And I know we're a play forever mentality, where we're supposed to be out there enjoying our mountain, having fun and making it great for our guests, and I love that. I love making it great for our guests and keeping that in perspective, that they are here to have fun and that is my job to make sure that they can. But I just don't have the same amount of fun anymore.

Speaker 3: 57:09

Yeah, no, I think that's a very. I think anybody, myself included, has gone through those seasons. And then do you guys do you and your husband, I know you're super active in the summer Like what other winter stuff do you guys do?

Speaker 4: 57:21

Do you guys just like cross country skiing? Yeah, yeah, so we'll, do you do any?

Speaker 3: 57:24

back country skiing? Yeah, we do.

Speaker 4: 57:26

We're not like super, let's go up to the top of the mountain and have avi bankins or anything like that, but we just take our dogs out, get out there. And we have our skins, and then we'll just go as far as we can, that's right.

Speaker 3: 57:35

Have you done the hut to hut trips? Yes, we have. That's fun yeah.

Speaker 4: 57:39

So, yeah, that's one of the main things we love to do. And as much as he wants to get a snowmobile, I keep reminding him we have too many toys and too many hobbies maybe not just yet. It's hard, but we get to ride snowmobiles every day, so it's kind of like eh. But yeah, ice skating is another big thing. So for us, what we do is we'll cross country or back country ski out to lakes and bring our skates with us and the dogs adore that, so it's hilarious.

Speaker 4: 58:01

We'll be out there skating around. They're trying to chase us on the ice. It's running around and sliding everywhere.

Speaker 3: 58:05

What's a common link you give to Todd? I can't tell you yeah that's a bad question. I've got my secrets, no.

Speaker 4: 58:13

Yeah, there are some places that.

Speaker 3: 58:16

Yeah, fair enough, I respect that Well.

Speaker 4: 58:17

I will say that now I don't know that Sun River would appreciate this, but their ponds and their golf courses are amazing ice skating areas at night when no one's around. So I won't say that I've done that, but I've heard it's great. But yeah, so those are our big things. We also bought a really awesome telescope not that long ago. We just haven't hit any good nights with the meteor shower going on right now.

Speaker 3: 58:42

Are you into astronomy and stuff?

Speaker 4: 58:44

It's trying. Not like I'm knowledgeable in it by any means, I just adore it. And I think it's amazing what nature is out there.

Speaker 3: 58:51

Absolutely so, brandon, your husband. He's a lift maintenance manager. Now, correct. Yeah, that's rad. You guys have carved out a cool life. Yeah, thank you, I did it seriously. It's really cool.

Speaker 4: 59:03

I realize how unique it is every time someone asks us or has a question For sure, and we start talking and then you realize how many questions are being propagated by this conversation and how unique it is. That is very common.

Speaker 3: 59:14

Yeah, that's super cool. Well, thank you. Yeah, it's been super fun getting to know you. Anytime.

Speaker 4: 59:19

Yeah awesome.

Speaker 3: 59:21

All right, alicia, thanks. What time do you get up here on an average day?

Speaker 5: 59:34

Usually about 6. At 6. 6.30. And then I work during the day. More than likely yeah, as long as everything's running smooth.

Speaker 3: 59:42

Yeah.

Speaker 5: 59:43

So if it's not running smooth, then I'm up here all day.

Speaker 3: 59:47

And what's like an example of things not running smooth.

Speaker 5: 59:51

Cats breaking down is probably the biggest thing, so having a winch cat go down on summit, stretched out with all its cable, is a big deal. So we have a lot more winch cats than we ever have before and they can reach from the top of summit to the bottom summit lifts and I have the privilege of looking at these right now.

Speaker 3: 1:00:12

But a winch cat is kind of just exactly that. It's got a massive hydraulic winch on the front of it. But tell people a little bit about what's the application of that.

Speaker 5: 1:00:23

So they work really well for places that are hard for a normal cat. You would either go sliding down and not be able to get back up and make a really long loop, have to come all the way back around. So it's a really efficient way to move snow up and down the ski runs and cover areas that are rocky or just, in deep snow, open them up, get them groomed nicely and consistently a lot more often. So one of our winch cats has 1,400 meters of cable Wow and so that can reach from top of summit to the bottom of summit building in one pole. So we don't have to unhook, we don't have to do anything. So it's really nice. So, if some people have noticed, we've been keeping a cat up on summit at the top. We bring it up in the spring and it's up there right now. It gets shrink, wrapped and gets left all year and we'll use that the first time we can groom summit and put it together.

Speaker 3: 1:01:19

So you use the cable and the winch both to descend and us in slope yeah. Interesting man. So another place that comes to mind would be like some of those steeper slopes on the backside, like in Northwest Yep, like under the chair kind of where you guys do groom back in there.

Speaker 5: 1:01:37

Yeah, northwest we use it a lot, outback we use it everywhere, but those are kind of the main focus areas of them and summit.

Speaker 3: 1:01:45

Yeah, you know what they call these things, at least in the UK, I think. Is where but peace bashers? Have you ever heard of that?

Speaker 5: 1:01:54

No, that's a pretty good name for it. That's what they call it.

Speaker 3: 1:01:58

I was doing a little bit of reading on kind of snow cats and the evolution of them over the years and one I kept finding reference to them called peace bashers, which is I might start calling them that. I kind of like it better than groomer. Yeah, it sounds cooler yeah. We had this bumper sticker on my buddy's car in high school that was the silhouette of a grooming machine and it said stop the brutal grooming, because you know I mean. As much as I love groomers, they also kill the pow.

Speaker 5: 1:02:33

Oh, it totally does, so yeah it's always kind of adjusting to the times on what the customer's looking for and what the guest is looking for More groom, less groom. We're kind of in the cycle right now with groom at all.

Speaker 3: 1:02:45

Well, yeah, I mean this has been an interesting start of the season. There it is, man. That's the first time I've seen Skyliner.

Speaker 5: 1:02:52

Moving. Yeah, it's awesome.

Speaker 3: 1:02:55

What's the status of this right now? It?

Speaker 5: 1:02:56

is grand opening tomorrow, tuesday. My name is Ben Surat and I am the grooming manager at Mount Bachelor.

Speaker 3: 1:03:05

And you started grooming up here when.

Speaker 5: 1:03:07

Ben In 2004, 2005. Grew up in Eugene, started a year of college at Portland State and quickly realized that that's not what I wanted to do, so I came over here to go to Oregon State, cascades.

Speaker 3: 1:03:21

OK.

Speaker 5: 1:03:23

And went to school. Groomed at night, went to school during the day, so it was a fun combination.

Speaker 3: 1:03:28

Talk a little bit about how you found, like, how you landed in this job. Were they just hiring groomers? Did you have background experience in like operating heavy machinery?

Speaker 5: 1:03:39

No, I didn't have any background in any sort of heavy equipment. So my first winter up here working was actually as a ticket checker, part-time on the weekend so I could get a pass. Yeah, common story, common story. And so that was probably one of my worst nightmare jobs with doing that checking people's passes. But then it ended up being a summer gig where they're looking for summer work, for summer grooming, and so I hopped into that and then just went right into winter grooming. What's summer grooming? It's actually my favorite season up here. So summer grooming is awesome because we do everything from hazard tree removal, we do run grading, we do oh man, what don't we do? We do snow fence building, we do road maintenance, we do all sorts of stuff. So we get all sorts of like heavy equipment dozers, dump trucks, loaders, big mowers and come up.

Speaker 3: 1:04:39

And there's no snow and maintenance, the trails and the runs and the cat tracks and all this stuff Definitely.

Speaker 5: 1:04:44

I'd say like for my job summer's way busier than my winter time. We're in a groove. Everything's going pretty smooth for the most part. It's easy then in the summer at all. One day we're in dozers doing run grading, the next day we're cutting hazard trees and making it on the lift. It's just something different every day with a problem to try to solve.

Speaker 3: 1:05:05

Did you get out and run a saw every once in a while? Yeah, man, I think I would have liked this job. Oh, it's sweet hiking around, I should have seen if Sam and Lev would have hired me back in the day. You've been here a long time, man. That's crazy. What is that? 18 years? Is this your 18th winter, A while I?

Speaker 5: 1:05:21

took a couple of years off, when I had a kid and I went and did civil construction around Dozers, building Roads, all right, but came right back. This place is just awesome.

Speaker 3: 1:05:33

Talk a little bit about. How does the mission and the job, what's it look like? Yeah, so I'll start with the summer.

Speaker 5: 1:05:43

So summertime is when we decide what trees where do we maybe want to widen, what second growth needs cut? We've focused really heavy on the last couple of years of maintaining outback in Northwest and getting those runs. So maybe instead of 60 inches we could open with 40 inches. 30 inches Outback is an area where we put a lot of focus on our second growth cutting. So all that ties in with snow management. Then in the fall it's making sure our snow fences nothing's broken, whether it's very top of summit snow fence that one's always fun to rebuild.

Speaker 3: 1:06:17

Tell people what a snow fence is.

Speaker 5: 1:06:19

It's basically a big wooden fence, anywhere from 4 feet to 15 feet tall. I think is what we have. That as the wind comes, and especially at the tops of the lifts, the wind will scour all the snow, but the snow fences will catch the snow on the backside and make big drifts that the snow cats can then push out and move the snow where they need to go. So then that ties in to fall early season. If we get snow we have to figure out how we're going to save it. So our parking lot snow will get rode up to then go be hauled by our loaders and dump trucks that we have to all the base areas, or we can haul it with a snow cat that we have a dump bed for.

Speaker 5: 1:07:00

So, the snow cat takes a while but will halt to tops of lifts anywhere where it's really thin, and we'll pad that up.

Speaker 3: 1:07:07

Does that tend to change year to year? Absolutely yeah.

Speaker 5: 1:07:11

Some years it's a busy snow making year Snow hauling this year has been busy like that and some years you get all the natural snow right away.

Speaker 3: 1:07:19

So it goes easy On these kind of slow starts to the season. Where do you guys tend to be focusing a lot of your energy?

Speaker 5: 1:07:29

Yeah, so if you can't get on or off the lift, then you can't ski. So that's definitely the focus first, and then it's any hazard areas. So, whether it's rocky areas, the top of Pine Martin over to the top of Skyliner is a big focus. It's really wind, scoured, hard to maneuver, lots of bike trails, no doubt. So it's a lot of snow moving and padding.

Speaker 3: 1:07:52

Who's building the mountain bike trails in the summer? Do you guys participate in that as well, or is that different?

Speaker 5: 1:07:57

Scrooming will help out, but that's a train park's department.

Speaker 3: 1:08:00

Train park yeah.

Speaker 5: 1:08:01

So they cover all the mountain bike trails in the summer.

Speaker 3: 1:08:04

Talk a little bit about. It's pretty neat to see Bachelor being utilized more than just during the winter. I mean the whole summer scene up here is drastically blown up over the last decade, I would say with the evolution of mountain biking and freeriding and stuff. There is a difference. You've probably seen a difference in what it's like up here in the summer before versus now. I mean you're probably having to contend with more public.

Speaker 5: 1:08:33

Yeah, it definitely matters. All of our summertime activities now, whether it's zip or mountain biking, we have to plan around our projects a whole lot more, so even our run maintenance we either have to do before we open in the spring or in the fall. We have to plan and hope that we don't get snow, so some of our projects might take a few years to get to, just because timing-wise it doesn't work out. So I've seen it where we used to just be open a couple months out of the year for sunset dinners, yeah, and we had a disc golf and then have grown into what it is now with mountain biking.

Speaker 3: 1:09:10

Yeah.

Speaker 5: 1:09:10

So it's busy.

Speaker 3: 1:09:12

I mean, people are coming up and camping as much in the summer as in the winter. Now, yeah, it's incredible. Yeah, I was talking to Ryan about first impressions up here and definitely the parking lot is one, but also and it probably differ between locals and maybe people who are here visiting on vacation but the quality of the groomed runs is massively important for a lot of recreational skiers.

Speaker 5: 1:09:43

And when you walk up from the parking lot, up the hot walk at West Village and you can look up and see perfect corduroy when the sun's coming up, it's pretty cool. First impression.

Speaker 3: 1:09:53

And you guys did a good job yesterday. The groomers in the morning were fun. Considering kind of the snow quality right now, they were really fun. I bet you've had some stormy nights up here working.

Speaker 5: 1:10:04

Oh yeah, there's a lot of nights where you can't see your blade in front of you. The four or five feet, how do you?

Speaker 3: 1:10:10

guys navigate.

Speaker 5: 1:10:12

We have a spotlight that's up here on the roof, yeah, and that's like the key navigation tool, so you'll turn all your lights off in a storm, no matter where you're at, and you spotlight a tree, you might spotlight a lift tower, you might spotlight a fence Some of the stuff we have little reflectors on so as we're heading uphill we can find our reflector and know where we are. A lot better. I've had some storm nights. One year is a long time ago, but I was at the top of Pine Martin and I couldn't see and it was windy and I thought I was going forward and I realized my face was on the windshield and the wind stopped for about a second and I realized as just in a drift in the same spot, just slowly going but not going anywhere. So I've been there for a couple of minutes just in the same spot.

Speaker 3: 1:10:58

That's like the next level of vertigo.

Speaker 5: 1:11:01

Sometimes it's like guys that have motion sickness. It's not a good thing.

Speaker 3: 1:11:05

Yeah, well, I mean, when you get, when you get, when your vision goes south and you still have kind of the proprioception of motion and movement, it gets crazy quickly.

Speaker 5: 1:11:18

Yeah, you can also see pretty well when you have a snow cap behind you that has all their lights on and you turn your lights off so they can't see, but you can see. And then that first cat can can go where it needs to go and the Xcat follows it.

Speaker 3: 1:11:33

What do you listen to in here, like on a typical, do you listen to podcast radio music? A little bit, gather your thoughts.

Speaker 5: 1:11:41

I like the silence sometimes, but usually I'll just stick it on some sort of streaming radio. The older I get, I've kind of like sports radio too, as boring as it used to be, but I'll listen to anything. After tons of hours in a machine, you need something.

Speaker 3: 1:11:57

You are an operator, so what do you got over here? You got like this thing is controlled with the joystick.

Speaker 5: 1:12:03

Yeah, Everything's controlled off your two hands. So your left hand, the two sticks on your left. They move your track so forward, backwards, so right track, left track, forward, backward.

Speaker 5: 1:12:18

And then everything on your right hand which is like this joystick with a whole bunch of buttons that controls everything from your blade in the front to your tiller which grooms snow in the back, and then all these buttons. You hold them and everything has secondary or third functions on them. So all of these do something. So joysticks on joysticks and buttons on buttons and then hold the button, move the joystick and a whole bunch of other stuff. That's cool.

Speaker 3: 1:12:45

I mean, what's the training requirement you guys? Is it on the job training? Do you guys send people to school?

Speaker 5: 1:12:52

I wish there was a school. That'd be pretty cool. We do through the manufacturers. They do have classes that you can take online. So usually our new hires will do that sort of stuff, especially before we're open. So they'll take online classes. That kind of give them an introduction. And then it's a lot of hands-on training. It might be a month or more of riding along with somebody and then getting to run the cat for a little bit and then getting your own machine.

Speaker 3: 1:13:21

Yeah, and I bet these things are on a pretty regular just maintenance cycle.

Speaker 5: 1:13:25

Huh, yeah there are a couple hundred hours. They're in for services, that's cool man which, at 16 hours a night, it adds up really quick. No doubt.

Speaker 3: 1:13:36

Lots of busy mechanics, very busy shop. You said you had 16 of these. When's the last time you guys purchased a new one?

Speaker 5: 1:13:45

We got two new ones that showed up this year, both wearing a Prenoth brand cat right now, and then the other brand of cat is PistonBully. So there's two competing brands like Ford, chevy, yeah.

Speaker 3: 1:14:00

Are they? Where are they out of? Are they European? They are Italy and Germany. Yeah, Seems like a lot of ski industry equipment is out of Europe. It's interesting.

Speaker 5: 1:14:11

But then they have offices. The representation for Prenoth is out of Reno and then PistonBully's in Toalette.

Speaker 3: 1:14:19

Yeah, that's cool, oh, that's close, yeah, so that's nice. Is your department and the park crew and the pipe crew? Are they different?

Speaker 5: 1:14:26

now? Yep, they're all different. So the train parks now, I mean they probably have 45 people total in their department between day crew that does all the park maintenance and then the groomers.

Speaker 3: 1:14:40

So it's a whole different crew of groomers as well.

Speaker 5: 1:14:42

Yeah, yeah, so there's no overlap anymore.

Speaker 3: 1:14:46

Yeah, so it's pretty. So you've been here long enough where I bet you were doing some of those builds, and did you ever cut the pipe with a dragon? No, no. I never did that.

Speaker 5: 1:14:57

But, yeah, some of the guys that were on train parks back in the day when you might have been around, they're now just on the alpine grooming side. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3: 1:15:12

Yeah, it's been the evolution of snowboard parts and jump design and geometries and it's been fun. Gone are the days where you fall out of the sky. I mean you still do, but I love the kind of new trajectory.

Speaker 5: 1:15:28

You have no more unknowns. Everything's a little like.

Speaker 3: 1:15:31

Yeah, it's a little bit more predictable.

Speaker 5: 1:15:33

Yeah, yeah, yeah, some of the cats too. They have a whole other screen here where it'll be a mountain map with all your depth and stuff. Yeah, it's pretty cool.

Speaker 3: 1:15:41

So on the control panel.

Speaker 5: 1:15:44

Yeah, it's like an iPad that tells how deep your snow is.

Speaker 3: 1:15:46

Oh, that's cool. Where you're at, it's almost like a depth gauge on a fishing boat or something yeah.

Speaker 5: 1:15:53

Wow, I want to see if I can fit under the lift.

Speaker 3: 1:15:55

Yeah, this is fun.

Speaker 5: 1:15:58

Maybe the first person to build a ramp at Skyliner. This one's one of our new winch cats.

Speaker 3: 1:16:05

OK.

Speaker 5: 1:16:05

So that's a preenoth branded. Bison X, and then we'll go around. I'll show you our brand new winch cat. That's train parks, but it just showed up last week. It's pretty nice.

Speaker 3: 1:16:18

Who is your equivalent in the train park world, alex?

Speaker 5: 1:16:21

Storjahallan Super mellow and one of the most humble, quiet operators that you'll see. That's cool, really, really, really good at what he does.

Speaker 3: 1:16:31

Is that right? Yeah, really, what makes him so good?

Speaker 5: 1:16:35

He just can see what needs to be done and he can make a really good product so that one's brand new. Oh, that thing's gorgeous Geez In the front. It's a LiDAR depth planning system, so it'll project I forget what exactly, but like 100 to 200 feet out in front of you, and so it'll give you all your snow depth there. So you know where to take snow from, where it's thin, where you might have more snow than.

Speaker 3: 1:17:02

Holy smokes, that's pretty cool. Yeah, man, it almost looks like a mix between an underwater sub. I mean all the machinery coming off it for doing for working. That's incredible.

Speaker 5: 1:17:19

And then all of our snow depth machines. They're linked together. So just because, like if this snow cat went over somewhere, but then the one next to it didn't and is working the different side of the mountain, it still relays to everyone's maps what your depth is at. So it's pretty cool, Wow. But we don't have it in. We only have it in three of our machines.

Speaker 3: 1:17:42

Yeah, but it shows you where the future is.

Speaker 2: 1:17:44

Holy smokes After work, mama would call in all of us. You could hear us singing for country mile. Now little brother has done gone on. I'll join him in a song. I'm going to join the family circle at the town.

Speaker 3: 1:18:04

Hey, thanks for listening to Bend Magazines, the circling podcast. Make sure to visit bendmagazinecom, where you can subscribe to the number one selling magazine in Central Oregon. Make sure to check out the first issue of 2024. There's a great article by Kathy Carroll and Noah Nelson on the startup landscape of Central Oregon, and Lee Lewis Husk shares the story of local ski legend Frank Camp. Our theme song was written by Carl Perkins and performed by Aaron Klobaker and Aaron Zerfley of the Aarons.

Speaker 3: 1:18:39

We love mail, so please send us comments, questions or art to thecirclingpodcast at bendmagazinecom. Support the circling podcast by becoming a member on Patreon at patreoncom. Forward, slash thecirclingpodcast and learn how your financial contribution will help support local nonprofits while also supporting local podcasting. Follow us on Instagram at thecirclingpodcast to learn more about past, current and upcoming episodes. Please subscribe to the circling podcast on all major podcast platforms and leave us a review. It really does help. I'd like to say thank you to all of those who participated in the making of this episode. It wouldn't be the same without your contribution and I appreciate your trust. An extra special thank you to Mount Bachelor's Communications and Community Relations Manager, presley Quan, for helping me organize this two-part project. Lastly, if you know someone who you think would enjoy today's episode. Please share it with them today. Hey, thanks for your time, sir George, go get outside. We'll see you out there and remember the health of our community relies on us.