Ep. 2: Jeff Pensiero of Baldface Lodge
03/20/21 • 45 min
In the winter, there are just two ways to get to Nelson, British Columbia's Baldface Lodge... via helicopter or a very long, bumpy snowmobile ride. Yet, every year, hundreds of snowboarders and skiers make the trek for their vacation of a lifetime.
Baldface is one of many cat or heli-ski operations in North America, but what sets it apart is its place in snowboarding history, the terrain, the fun-loving lodge and the unique vibe set by its founder and owner, Jeff Pensiero. Going to Baldface is more than just a vacation, it's joining a community of like-minded, fun snow lovers.
On this week's Sweep the Floor, I have an inspiring, candid and hilarious talk with Pensiero, a guy who literally built a lodge in the middle of nowhere. It's a story about finding true love, overcoming obstacles, making something from scratch and some truly creative accounting. I hope you love it.
Postscript: Jeff has expanded Baldface's reach with the acquisition of a neighboring catski operation called Valhalla (now Valhalla Baldface). That terrain just hosted Red Bull's Natural Selection snowboard competition, which you can watch on Red Bull TV starting March 21, 2021.
Sweep the Floor is a new podcast where we celebrate the stories behind the best makers in the world, including woodworkers, brewers, bootmakers, mechanics, designers and all points in-between. Have a maker you'd like us to interview?
Listener suggestions or sponsorship inquiries welcomed at [email protected].
Music: Paul Rigby A Fretboard Journal Podcast production.
In the winter, there are just two ways to get to Nelson, British Columbia's Baldface Lodge... via helicopter or a very long, bumpy snowmobile ride. Yet, every year, hundreds of snowboarders and skiers make the trek for their vacation of a lifetime.
Baldface is one of many cat or heli-ski operations in North America, but what sets it apart is its place in snowboarding history, the terrain, the fun-loving lodge and the unique vibe set by its founder and owner, Jeff Pensiero. Going to Baldface is more than just a vacation, it's joining a community of like-minded, fun snow lovers.
On this week's Sweep the Floor, I have an inspiring, candid and hilarious talk with Pensiero, a guy who literally built a lodge in the middle of nowhere. It's a story about finding true love, overcoming obstacles, making something from scratch and some truly creative accounting. I hope you love it.
Postscript: Jeff has expanded Baldface's reach with the acquisition of a neighboring catski operation called Valhalla (now Valhalla Baldface). That terrain just hosted Red Bull's Natural Selection snowboard competition, which you can watch on Red Bull TV starting March 21, 2021.
Sweep the Floor is a new podcast where we celebrate the stories behind the best makers in the world, including woodworkers, brewers, bootmakers, mechanics, designers and all points in-between. Have a maker you'd like us to interview?
Listener suggestions or sponsorship inquiries welcomed at [email protected].
Music: Paul Rigby A Fretboard Journal Podcast production.
Previous Episode
Ep. 1: Linda Manzer
Linda Manzer is one of the greatest guitarmakers alive today. She pushes the boundaries of instrument-making and engineering with each of her creations and has a cult-like following among both collectors and world-class players like Pat Metheny, Julian Lage and Bruce Cockburn.
During this episode, we talk to Linda about her development as a luthier, the fateful period she spent learning from archtop guitar hero Jimmy D'Aquisto, and hear about how her own creations continue to evolve.
Sweep the Floor is a new podcast where we celebrate the stories behind the best makers in the world, including woodworkers, brewers, bootmakers, mechanics, designers and all points in-between.
Have a maker you'd like us to interview? Listener suggestions or sponsorship inquiries welcomed at [email protected]. Music: Paul Rigby A Fretboard Journal Podcast production.Next Episode
Ep. 3: Richard Sachs
A "prolonged adventure." That's how Richard Sachs describes the pivotal moment when, as a teenager killing time before college, he flew to London seeking a temporary job with Witcomb Cycles, armed with nothing more than an encouraging piece of snail mail. The job panned out, he witnessed state-of-the-art bicycles being crafted by hand, he gleaned what he could and he even found a job back at home in the States, building bikes. "I stood around people long enough who were doing what I eventually did and I just tried to channel it, because they were no longer there." -Richard Sachs Five decades later, Sachs' adventure continues: Based out of Deep River, Connecticut, Sachs is one of the most respected bicycle framebuilders alive. The self-proclaimed "loner" builds each bike by himself, entirely by hand, for enthusiasts around the world. Ignoring fads and modern bike trends (no carbon fiber, no e-bikes), his output is as timeless as it gets.
This is a story about more than high-end bicycles: It's about a leap of faith, focusing and staying fiercely independent. When I first had the idea for this podcast, Sachs was on the top of my list for future subjects. He delivered.
Sweep the Floor is a new podcast where we celebrate the stories behind the best makers in the world, including woodworkers, brewers, bootmakers, mechanics, designers and all points in-between. Have a maker you'd like us to interview?
Listener suggestions or sponsorship inquiries welcomed at [email protected].
Host: Jason Verlinde
Music: Paul Rigby
A Fretboard Journal Podcast production.
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/sweep-the-floor-474433/ep-2-jeff-pensiero-of-baldface-lodge-63775089"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to ep. 2: jeff pensiero of baldface lodge on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy