The Blade Dive

The Blade Dive - Episode 50, Maddie McConomy joins me in the virtual booth all the way from Thredbo Australia!

Originally from Ontario, Canada, Maddie found Snowboarding through the support of her parents, but ultimately fell in love with the idea of supporting her passion for riding through working directly or indirectly with ski resorts.

After taking a year off from university and truly realizing that welding was a trade skill she wanted to pursue, the journey began. Maddie has completed and been a part of fabrication projects for Thredbo Ski Resort, Arena Snow Parks, Kosciuszko National Park, has competed in welding competitions and is never afraid of her next challenge.

These are the conversations that get us outside the ropes and into discussions about other careers within this small industry. Maddie and I discuss community and what it means to truly have support and remembering who those people are. We talk about her hand injury and the lessons learned. We discuss being your authentic self in a male dominated industry and that snowcats are just fucking awesome machines. As an operator who has 1 season in a machine but has built a name for her herself in welding, the sky is the limit for Maddie as she climbs back into the operator seat and works with the had crew in Thredbo during a marquee 2024 season.

Enjoy...  and if you're in the machine, go ahead and TURN THE VOLUME UP!

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The Blade Dive - Episode 49, we are joined by Ken Gaitor who was Brighton Resort's Terrain Park Manager in 1997, and just like every other park builder in that era, was responsible for carving out a reputation for his program through failures and successes as the golden era of park riding took off.

In the early 2000s, he headed east to join the team at Mt. Snow and was the
Terrain Park Manager as well as the Project Manager that spearheaded the planning and launch of Mt. Snow's all mountain park portion of the resort, Carinthia. In 2010, he returned to his home state of West Virginia to over see the the Terrain Park, Grooming and Snowmaking department and would eventually assume the role of VP of Operations at Snowshoe. Not only has Gaitor been impactful in operations and terrain parks, but he has worked on sustainability initiatives and has been an instructor at Cutter’s Camp since it began.

Episode 49 is a really fun dive into the life and career of Gaitor through a long list of special guest questions from Elia Hamilton who knows Gaitor incredibly well. We discuss what it’s like to involve conflict within your management style, the power that your co-workers have to influence you as a  leader and that you should allow them to remind you of why you started on this journey. We discuss the biggest career mistakes as well as best career decisions, the value in being able to talk professionally about money when it comes time to budget for your department, and yes, there are some great stories and big laughs in this one!

Enjoy...  and if you're in the machine, go ahead and TURN THE VOLUME UP!

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The Blade Dive Episode 48- We are joined by Day Franzen, Charles Beckinsale, Marsha Hovey & Landon Taylor at SAM Magazine's Cutters Camp, Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood Oregon!
 
The Fireside Chat is sponsored by Prinoth 

Enjoy! And if you’re in the machine… Turn up the volume!

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The Blade Dive Episode 47 - We are joined by Chloe Butel, Matt Dunn, Braden Keitzman, Charles Beckinsale, Ben Finn, Adam Mahler, Steve Petrie, Brandon Dodds, Nick Boggs & Lucas Ouellette at SAM Magazine's Cutters Camp, Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood Oregon!
 
Enjoy! And if you’re in the machine… Turn up the volume!

Big Sky Resort Jobs:

https://bigskyresort.com/employment

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The Blade Dive Episode 46 - We are joined by Mary Walsh & Chloe Butel at SAM Magazine's Cutters Camp, Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood Oregon!
 
Enjoy! And if you’re in the machine… Turn up the volume!

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The Blade Dive Episode 44 - Take The Rake! We are joined by Mary Walsh,  Laura Rogoski, Chloe Butel, Abby Lewis & Adam Mahler at SAM Magazine's Cutters Camp, Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood Oregon!
 
Enjoy! And if you’re in the machine… Turn up the volume!

Take The Rake at Trollhaugen:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IX_lMBiLI_Q

Meet the builders of Take The Rake:
https://snowboardmag.com/stories/take-the-rake-at-trollhaugen-meet-the-builders

Sun Valley jobs
https://www.sunvalley.com/jobs

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The Blade Dive Episode 44 - We are joined by Lane Knaack & Brandon Dodds at SAM Magazine's Cutters Camp, Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood Oregon!
 
Enjoy! And if you’re in the machine… Turn up the volume!

Diamond Peak Slope Maintenance Manager Application:
https://www.diamondpeak.com/events/details/now-hiring-slope-maintenance-manager

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The Blade Dive Episode43 - We are joined by Laura Rogoski & Drew Petersen in the Blue Ox Bar at Timberline Lodge during SAM Magazine's Cutters Camp. The conversation is all about mental health within the ski and snowboard industry.

Laura is the creator of wereallfuckingmental.com and its a resource for all. Be sure to check the website and find the zoom link to the mental meet ups that happen every Monday at 3pm CST.

Drew Petersen is a professional skier but that's not what defines him. Drew has created a film called "UP's & Downs's" which is presented by Salomon TV in association with Hestra, The Mountain Gazette & Sweet Water Productions. The film focuses entirely on Drew's battle with mental health.

Drew most recently interviewed with SAM Magazine covering the topic of mental health in an article titled "Breaking Point".  Within the article are many resources for people in need.

www.wereallfuckingmental.com
www.drew-petersen.com

The Blade Dive Episode 42 - We are joined by Harmonee Johnson, Charles Beckinsale, Lucas Ouellette & Adam Mahler for the first in person Blade Dive conversation......SAM Magazine's Cutters Camp Fireside Chat at Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood Oregon!

Enjoy! And if you’re in the machine… Turn up the volume!

The Fireside Chat is sponsored by:  Prinoth

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The Blade Dive Episode 41 - We are joined by Matt Rowan. The Oklahoma native who called Mammoth Mountain home for years has contributed to mountain operations teams all over North America and has even spent time in Australia perfecting his craft.  Matt is not only passionate about the ski industry, but has loved heavy equipment and running it since he was a kid. Through the highs and lows of his career, Matt Rowan has been  surrounded by some of the best snowboarders and operators in the world.

Growing up in Northern Arizona, Matt Rowan learned to snowboard in the 5th grade and never looked back. Moving to Mammoth the year he graduated high school, Matt worked multiple jobs to keep the dream of living in a ski town alive. Treasuring his time at June Mountain, but having  built a reputation as being a talented operator, Rowan understands the power of being held accountable for the product your offering to the public.

Episode 41 is a genuine conversation about change. We discuss addiction, substance abuse and the hard work it takes to recover. Matt weighs in on whether or not dirt world operators would ever consider pushing snow. We discuss the differences of working for smaller ski resorts compared to larger resorts. Which machine is better? Matt has his thoughts. We talk about inspiration and what it’s like to live your life to the fullest.

Enjoy! And if you’re in the machine… Turn up the volume!

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