What is your favorite travel memory?
By far, walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain! If you haven't heard of it, watch a movie called The Way and start packing. We walked about 1000k over 2 months on the French route through Northern Spain. Everything slowed right down living day to day with just a pack on your back. Learned so much from that experience.
I didn't realise how much of a planner I was. I kept wanting to make sure we had our next accommodation set unsure that we would find a place. Took a while but was able to let go a bit and found that a big part of any experience is to just go with the flow and see where it takes you.
How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?
One big growth area for me has been learning how to best work through challenges. When running a business, each day throws new curve balls at you. For any challenge I start with the mindset that there are usually multiple solutions and I just need to find them. Each morning I generally meditate to put me in a calm and open mindset to tackle each day.
It is guaranteed that they will be a part of life no matter what you do. I believe that it is important to see the opportunity to learn from anything that comes your way as we can't control life but we can choose to be positive and ready for anything.
What is the best story you've heard from a return student?
Bryan, out head trainer, said it best when I came back from an incredible day on the mountain. "Tristan, that's just what we call Tuesday". (Insert whatever day of the week in there, 😂 ) Once the tap is turned on, it just keeps dumping and dumping snow. You try to explain it to others but until you're out there experiencing it you realise that words just don't do it justice.
If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?
As I am experienced, I would jump onto The Epic to get both the level 1 and 2 certifications. We created The Primer especially for those who haven't had the opportunity to get out to the snow...yet. With no experience needed, we have options for everyone to substantially develop their snow skills over the season.
What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?
The main reason is that we have a very high level of engagement as we only specialize in Niseko and limit spaces on our courses. We ensure the right balance of training, down time, cultural experiences, future season planning and life skills so no matter what your next step is you've developed as a person as well as a better skier or snowboarder.
What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?
Our level of attention to each individual on our courses. Before the season we speak with everyone to specifically determine what their goals are from their time with us and we check in periodically to ensure they're on track.
By focusing on each and everyone's experience we know we'll be successfully helping them achieve their goals from the season with us. Our students' success is our success.
