My Three Cents

Who am I? I am a lot of things. If asked this question, I would respond with words like: skier, marketing student, music snob, golfer, Suits-watcher, socialite, beer-lover, actually-secretly-Palm-Bay-lover. This list may change and the order may be revised, but I know that one word will always be present and will always be at the top: skier. In light of our recent class with Julio, discussing our personal brands, I wanted to dive further into who I am as a skier.

Hi from on top of the world!

This is me, I am a skier. It is my first and foremost passion. It is the biggest part of my personal brand. In class, Julio outlined five key points to having personal branding success:

• Make sure you’re passionate
• Define your personal goals
• Create value-added relationships
• Create a tribe
• Connect with influencers

In this post, I want to touch on these five points for myself as a skier.

Am I passionate about skiing?

Hell yes, you bet I’m passionate about skiing. I’ve been skiing since I was two years old and I’ve been a seasons pass holder at WhistlerBlackcomb for fourteen straight years. I’ve covered all types of skiing, from park to big mountain to backcountry, and I love it all. I also love the new equipment that comes out each year and the ski movies that come out each year. Give me a ski, I’ll tell you the brand and the year it was made. Give me a movie segment, I’ll tell you which skier it was and what movie it’s from. Trust me, I’m passionate.

Define my personal goals:

I have always dreamed of working in the ski industry. Which part? That’s always been unsure for me. However, after working for WhistlerBlackcomb last year, I know that this is my home and it’s exactly where I want to be. I want to be a part of their marketing team, showcasing to the world the beautiful place that I get to call home. I know everything about the mountains, the town, and the people that live here. Let me share my passion with the world.

Create value-added relationships:

Be friends with people who are just as into your passion as you are. Easy.

Create a tribe:

The constant hype around new videos being released.

My tribe is my group of friends who share my passion for skiing. We all grew up in mountain towns and know how much the sport means to us. Every day we’re finding new videos to share with each other online, new articles to read about mountain expansions or new backcountry techniques, or new gear that’s being released. We’re all in the same headspace and we all support each other’s mutual interest by starting conversations and resharing each other’s content.

Connect with influencers:

Throughout my years in and around Whistler, I’ve met some very cool people. People who have inspired me and given me insight into the sport that I love. Thankfully, skiing is large community of people all stoked on the same thing- being out in the snowy mountains. In this sense, I’ve been able to stay in touch with several ‘big names’ in the ski industry. From Eliel Hindert, who’s a professional skier who graduated from UBC and manages a ski company, to Darren Rayner who is one of skiings best and most talented filmers.

So yes, if you ask me what my personal brand is, I’ll always start with being a skier.