Delivering Adventure

What is adventure and how can we deliver it? These are just two of the topics that Mark Sedgwick and Jeff Marks help us to explore as we talk about adventure and the challenge zone. Mark and Jeff are two of the founders of the newly launched Professional Ski Instructors of Canada (PSIC). The PSIC has delivering “the adventure” at the core of its mission. Mark and Jeff walk through what “the adventure” is and how it relates to our challenge zone.Key TakeawaysInteresting new Organization: Promoting the delivery of the entire experience, free of judgment, promoting development, recognizing that delivering these experiences requires a diverse skill set that includes both hard and soft skills.Components of Adventure: Fun, safe, learning were three key components of adventure for the PSIC. To achieve an adventure, it has to be remembered as being enjoyable either in the moment or later, the experience has to fit inside people’s risk tolerance, and people generally want to feel like they have improved in some way.The Challenge Zone: Tis the performance zone you are in when you are excited and can perform well, without being overwhelmed or bored. When we go above your challenge zone, we can become stressed, and our survival instincts can kick in. When we go below our challenge zone, we can become complacent and lose interest. The level of adversity we are exposed to determines where we are operating.Adventure Happens in the Challenge Zone: This is where we are stimulated and can try new things without becoming frustrated. To deliver an adventure we need to create an environment here people can operate in their challenge zone.Guest LinksProfessional Ski Instructors of Canada (PSIC): www.psic.proModel of the Challenge Zone: https://deliveringadventure.com/the-adventure-zone/Guest BioMark Sedgwick is a proud product of the ski industry – skiing is his passion, and he is an obsessed student of the sport. His career spans over 35 years in the industry. He is currently President and co-founder of both the Professional ski instructors of Canada (PSIC) and 2XO Ski Consulting, offering his expertise as an industry advisor. He is a recognized and respected global thought leader and author in the ski space.Mark spent 16 years as a senior executive with Whistler Blackcomb and played a strategic role in all aspects of the resort’s journey and growth as it became the most visited resort on the planet. During his tenure at Whistler Blackcomb, he was involved in the delivery of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, a successful Initial Public Offering (IPO), leading to the establishment of Whistler Blackcomb as a publicly traded company. This series of achievements culminated in Whistler Blackcomb’s significant acquisition by Vail Resorts.Mark's ski education spans three pathways: Austrian, Australian, and Canadian. Mark participated at two Interski events, representing Australia in 1995 and Canada as Technical Lead and Coach in 2023.Like Mark, Jeff has worked extensively in the ski industry. Jeff was born and raised in the Canadian Rockies in Jasper and currently lives in Banff Alberta.Jeff has had various leadership roles in the ski industry including Director of the Club Ski program in Banff and the Niseko Village Snow School in Japan as well as 12 years as Program Coordinator and National Program Director for the Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance.Jeff has represented Canada at three Interski events including as Head Coach of the Canadian team in March, 2023 in Levi, Finland. Now being involved with the Professional Ski Instructors of Canada, Jeff finds himself again in a creative new challenge zone with an opportunity to do his best to support an industry and profession that he loves.  While being a founder of this new entity certainly keeps him busy, he keeps his connection to the core of the industry, teaching skiing for the Snow School at Lake Louise Ski Area.Follow or SubscribeDon’t forget to follow the show!Share & Social Linkshttps://linktr.ee/deliveringadventure

Delivering Adventure returns with Season 2. In this season, we continue to explore what it really takes to share adventure like a pro - with yourself, your family, your friends and as a profession. Listen as top adventure guides, instructors, managers and marketers share their best stories, insights and trade secrets on how you can take yourself and others further.This second season focusses on introducing the essential adventure skills like decision making, communicating risk, leadership, skill improvement, and so much more.Your hosts Chris Kaipio and Jordy Shepherd use their extensive knowledge to supplement the lessons that their expert guests bring. Each episode explores a new topic with the goal being to tell the story of what it takes to deliver adventure at a pro level.Go further, become better and achieve more. That's Delivering Adventure.Follow or SubscribeDon’t forget to follow the show!Share & Social Linkshttps://linktr.ee/deliveringadventure

Who regulates adventure? Who trains guides and professionals? Who advocates for access or promotes safety and skill development? The answer to all of these questions are organizations. Jordy and Chris are joined by Angela Hawse to explore the role of organizations in the delivery of adventure. Angela shares her perspective as the President of the American Mountain Guides Association. She discusses what everyone should know about how some of these organizations work, their challenges and the value that they bring to everyone.Key TakeawaysStart small and evolve: Organizations tend to start with a group of people that band together to push forward a small number of objectives and then grow.Anyone can help them to evolve: Everyone has the ability to use the power of their influence to drive change within these organizations by jointing boards, committees, and lobbying membership with solutions.Organizations are groups of people: They are not faceless corporations. They can be contacted, influenced, and they often appreciate positive feedback!These organizations are essential: They can play important roles in educating the public, creating and sharing best accepted practices, accrediting and regulating guides and instructors, and lobbying for protection, development and access.Guest Links & ResourcesAmerican Mountain Guides Association: https://amga.com/Angela’s Instagram @alpinist007IRIS: https://irisalpine.com/about/guides/The Power to Influence: how to get the best out of yourself and others - find it herePartner PodcastThe Avalanche Hour: https://www.theavalanchehour.comFollow or SubscribeDon’t forget to follow the show!Share & Social Linkshttps://linktr.ee/deliveringadventure

The line between an adventure and a misadventure is often defined by our decisions, how we manage the challenges that we face and how the experience is remembered afterwards. In this episode, Bruce Wilson returns to share a story that seriously tested his skills to deliver adventure. This is a story from early in his sea kayak guiding career. Afterward, Chris and Jordy share their insights into the lessons that we can all learn from Bruce’s experience and how he ultimately turned what could have been a disaster into an exciting adventure for his clients.Key takeaways:Human factors can compromise judgement: These factors include bias, blindness and a lack of foresight.Pressure to deliver: Every guide can succumb to the pressure to deliver an amazing adventure, even when they have concerns about about the wisdom of doing so.Letting people suffer to convince them: Sometimes, a leader has to expose people to a small measure of the adversity they are going to face, so they can understand why following a course of action is not in their best interest.Practice failure: Spending time to practice rescue, recovery and reactions skills effectively, can save time and stress in a moment of crisis.Debrief: Taking time to talk about challenging and traumatic experiences can be the difference between whether a situation is remembered as an adventure or a misadventure.Guest LinksYou can contact Bruce through Wolf Warrior Guide ServicesFollow or SubscribeEnjoyed this episode? Please follow or subscribe. Thanks!Share & Social Linkshttps://linktr.ee/deliveringadventure

How can we help people to succeed when they are faced with the challenges that come with adventure? In this episode, Sylvia Forest draws upon her experience to share some of the key strategies that have allowed her to help others to succeed.Sylvia has worked as a national park warden, mountain guide, guide trainer and examiner and is the current President of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides.Key TakeawaysSafe environment: Anyone in a leadership position can work to create an environment that is as physically safe as possible, free of judgment and harassment, and full of support.Involve people where you can:  Involving people in the decision making process can help to give them ownership over the experience.Create a team atmosphere: People want to feel like they belong. Involving people in the decision-making process, in leadership positions, and in tasks helps to create this.Accept that people won’t always like what you are doing: Despite your best actions and intentions, you can’t be all things to all people. Knowing when to listen, when to push back and when to tune it out, is a hallmark of a great leader.Guest Links & ResourcesAssociation of Canadian Mountain Guides: WebsiteGuardians of the Peaks by Kathy Calvert and Dave Portman: Available HereUnderstanding Group Formation: More Info HereFollow or SubscribeDon’t forget to follow the show!Share & Social Linkshttps://linktr.ee/deliveringadventure

Sylvia Forest joins us to explore her path into the adventure delivery industry from being a park warden to becoming an ACMG / IFMGA Mountain Guide. Sylvia shares some of her challenges, successes, and a few key pieces of wisdom that we can all learn from.In addition to guiding, Sylvia is a guide trainer and examiner and is also the current President of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides.Key TakeawaysHow to help yourself and others on the path to adventure includes:Knowing yourself: Figuring out what you want to do in life starts with knowing yourself and what you are capable of.Knowing your audience: it is hard to get the best out of people if you don’t know what they can do, their expectations, how they react under duress, and who they are as people.The first one is to learn to embrace failure: Failures help to make us more resilient. Avoid punishing people for mistakes: While some people thrive on constant critiquing, most people don’t perform at their best when they are forced to dwell on their missteps. Help others to find value in failure: Some strategies that we can use include: highlighting lessons learned, successful strategies that were used, processes and what could be done to get a better result in the future, are all ways of turning a negative experience into a valuable one. Another important component is to draw attention to what went right.Guest Links & ResourcesAssociation of Canadian Mountain Guides: WebsiteGuardians of the Peaks by Kathy Calvert and Dave Portman: Available HereFollow or SubscribeDon’t forget to follow the show!Share & Social Linkshttps://linktr.ee/deliveringadventure

What does it take to deliver adventure to ourselves? What are some of the key skills that great adventures possess? Angela Hawse joins Jordy and Chris to explore these questions and much more. Angela is an AMGA / IFMGA Mountain Guide who has travelled and guided extensively. Some of her many accomplishments include guiding trips in the Himalaya, Karakoram, the Caucasus, Andes, Alaska, Norway, and Antarctica. In this episode, Angela talks about her recent adventures and what it took to achieve them.Key TakeawaysNavigation: To experience adventure, we have to be able to find our way both literally and figuratively. Prepare: Being prepared can mean spending more time practicing, developing skills, planning, and researching.Adaptable: To become adaptable we need to be flexible, we need to be open to changing our expectations, we have to be creative and solution oriented. Adventure is for everyone: Adventure is something that anyone can experience. We can tell you that with the right instruction, coaching, encouragement, and mindset, anyone can push their limits and achieve adventure that they believe are beyond their abilities.Guest Links & ResourcesAngela’s Instagram @alpinist007IRIS: https://irisalpine.com/about/guides/Partner PodcastThe Avalanche Hour: https://www.theavalanchehour.comFollow or SubscribeDon’t forget to follow the show!Share & Social Linkshttps://linktr.ee/deliveringadventure

How do you create adventure? We continue to explore this question with snowmobile guide, avalanche educator, entrepreneur, and adventure innovator Curtis Pawliuk. In part 2, Curtis talks about creating North America’s first snowmobile assisted ski area, Crystal Ridge. He also touches on how he started his snowmobile instructional services company Frozen Pirate as well as his involvement in creating a snowmobile guide association. Curtis is based in Valemount, British Columbia.Key TakeawaysBe Collaborative: Being willing to work with all groups and being respectful of all stakeholders is a far more sustainable approach than going it alone.Be Creative: Every adventure experience has evolved into what it is now, over time. Creating adventure can require us to think outside the box and to try new things and ways of doing them.Be Structured: This involves creating a plan, and therefore you will need a process to develop that plan. Using the snowmobile guiding association as an example they have a plan, and are enacting that plan in an organized wayPresentation Skills: Creating anything requires that you be good at influencing people in a positive way. Guest Links & ResourcesValemount Mountain Biking: https://ridevalemount.com/mountain-biking/VARDA: https://ridevalemount.com/Frozen Pirate: https://linktr.ee/frozenpirateInstagram: @frozenpirateChris’s Book: Power to Influence: how to get the best out of yourself and others – available at Amazon HereFollow or SubscribeDon’t forget to follow and share the show!Share & Social Linkshttps://linktr.ee/deliveringadventure

In this episode, Curtis Pawliuk joins Chris and Jordy to talk about how he has helped to create adventure through the development of a mountain bike park in Valemount, BC. Curtis Pawliuk is the Executive Director of the Valemount and Area Recreation Development Association (VARDA). Curtis shares some of the challenges and successes that VARDA has had developing the Valemount trail system. He also touches on its impacts on the local economy and what other communities could learn.Key TakeawaysThink big: It’s okay to dream, in fact we need to. This helps us to keep ourselves and others motivated to keep going.Creating adventure facilities takes resources: It takes time, money, support, and energy. Curtis mentioned the STP Committees– the same ten people that are always working on driving an organization forward. You need to find the people who can spend time to build whatever you are creating.Build what people want: If you want to be successful at creating adventure, you have to build experiences that people want. This can be different than the experiences that you might want to deliver.Guest Links & ResourcesValemount Mountain Biking: https://ridevalemount.com/mountain-biking/VARDA: https://ridevalemount.com/Frozen Pirate: https://linktr.ee/frozenpirateInstagram: @frozenpirateFollow or SubscribeDon’t forget to follow and share the show!Share & Social Linkshttps://linktr.ee/deliveringadventure

What are some of the key strategies to managing risk while we are leading adventure and delivering it to ourselves? Grant Statham is back to continue this discussion with Jordy and Chris. Grant taps into his experience as a well respected thought leader on mountain risk and understanding. Grant is an ACMG / IFMGA mountain Guide, Parks Canada Visitor Safety Specialist, avalanche forecaster and a risk consultant.Key TakeawaysList of options: A good decision is one where we pick the best option. Identifying all of the options beforehand, is a crucial step to making good decisions.Understanding intuition: If you get a feeling that you should increase the risk, you need to be able to justify your decision to do so, with hard facts.Avoiding overconfidence: Beware the expert opinion; often wrong, but rarely in doubt. We often think that we know more than we do, but we rarely want to admit this.We can reduce our risk with knowledge: The more information we have, the easier it is to pick the best option.Build yourself a buffer: Building in a bigger margin of error can protect us from mistakes, or simply misjudging a situation.Slow down: Slowing down gives us more time to process the information coming at us.Guest Links & ResourcesInstagram: @stathamgrantTed talk on Risk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGZu5Lzgv1AThinking in Risk: https://thepowdercloud.com/learn/avalanche-education/thinking-in-risk/Avalanche Canada Ice Climbing Avalanche Atlas: https://www.avalanche.ca/resources/ice-climbing/atlasFollow or SubscribeDon’t forget to follow or share the show!Share & Social Linkshttps://linktr.ee/deliveringadventure