I like to think Eddie Bauer himself would understand. They were my first turns of 2016 and I didnвЂ™t even think of stopping to take a photograph. Soon after that, we were skinning towards the top of Home Run to spoon a handful of warm-up powder turns before dinner. Rather than waste time on small talk, we got to know one another as we worked through a few avalanche companion rescue scenarios. After we landed, the group jumped into action. Sometimes I donвЂ™t even have the time, let alone the energy, to capture an image on long backcountry days.ДЄlong with our group of four that flew into Whitecap Alpine, there were eight other guests, two ACMG ski guides and a tail guide, a camp manager and a backcountry cooking genius. But most of my favourite photographs вЂ“ and the memories that go along with them вЂ“ have happened on true adventures, deep within the mountains. My instagram feed shows off an adventure-focused lifestyle, but it doesnвЂ™t always tell the true story many of my best images have been made within sight of a vehicle. But I was also acutely aware that the trip fit perfectly with my ambassador role with Eddie Bauer and IвЂ™d brought along a notebook and camera to capture the experience. My visit to Whitecap Alpine came because a friend invited me on something of a boysвЂ™ weekend. I was naturally pumped to kick start 2016 with an exciting adventure however, I couldnвЂ™t help but notice how the line between personal trip and a photography project had blurred even further. Located in British ColumbiaвЂ™s Coast Range Mountains, the backcountry ski operation promises ridiculously good skiing and a near-luxurious backcountry stay at the McGillivray Pass Lodge. This article was originally published in the spring 2021 edition of GeorgianView, the collegeвЂ™s alumni magazine.The New Year was only a few days old when I loaded my ski gear into a helicopter to fly into Whitecap Alpine. I donвЂ™t think IвЂ™ll ever open another hotel that will be this special.вЂќДakota Dunes Resort and Casino, SaskatoonвЂ™s first ever full-service resort experience, is owned and developed by Whitecap First Nation and managed by Atlific Hotels. вЂњI think this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be involved with the community, to be able to open something like this. вЂњThe goal was to take some of the knowledge that I had acquired at other hotels and recruit a leadership team who could train the local community,вЂќ recalls Gary. They had been working with Chief Darcy Bear and his community for 10 years on the project and they needed someone to take it to completion. Vice President Philippe Gadbois asked Gary to check out the Dakota Dunes Resort project on Indigenous land near Saskatoon in October 2019. In 2015, he was hired by Atlific Hotels as the Director of Operations at the Lake Louise Inn, a notoriously challenging resort to manage.ДЄll of these accomplishments caught the eye of the leadership team at Atlific and Sr. He was involved in resorts even before he graduated from Georgian CollegeвЂ™s Hotel and Resort Operations Management program in 2006, when a co-op placement led to a job at Deerhurst Resort while he finished his studies.ДЇor the next seven years, he continued to build up his resumГ©, including opening a restaurant in the Cayman Islands. How could he not have doubts? Getting products from across Canada and the United States through lockdowns and factory shutdowns wasnвЂ™t easy.Д«ut, Gary spent his entire career getting ready for this challenge. 8 with confidence, but inside I had that little bit of doubt,вЂќ Gary says with a chuckle. вЂњI told my whole team, weвЂ™re going to be open on Oct. Opening is not the easiest task when a hotel is far from complete, but this was also six months into COVID-19 and the only thing certain was uncertainty. But, in September 2020, in the midst of constructing the seven-level, 155-room hotel, General Manager Gary Farstad was told he had to pick an opening date for the following month. The Dakota Dunes Resort near Saskatoon was going to be an impressive resort, there was no doubt.

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