NS: Hey Pat, where do we find you right now — and how’s life in Fernie?
Pat: Yep, I’m living the dream here in Fernie, BC! I absolutely love this town in the summer. It’s been full of biking, hiking, skateboarding and jumping in the river. Can’t complain!
You did our 11-week Snowboard Instructor Course in Fernie in 2019/20, along with your girlfriend, Jordan — the year COVID hit and cut your course short. What are your standout memories from that season, and how did you navigate that unexpected ending?
The snowfall that winter was truly epic, I’m pretty sure we averaged something like 3-4 fresh powder days a week. It was ludicrous. And I think that has to be one of the highlights – being absolutely humbled by my inexperience in powder at the start of the trip, but hucking cliffs and feeling my confidence grow by the (early) end of that winter course.
Other standout memories have to be:
- Hiking Facelift for fresh turns
- The first Corner Pocket experience
- And passing our Level 1 instructor exams. A lifelong goal finally achieved!
- Hiking under the power lines to build a DIY jump line
Navigating covid was tough. We tried to stay as long as we could and watched as our numbers slowly dropped, the resort closed etc. But we kept the spirits high, kept playing board games and spent our last two days in Fernie by hiking up under the power lines, building a DIY jump line and hiking it in the sun until our legs gave up. No better way to end a trip under the circumstances if you ask me!
What were you doing before that course?
I was living in Manchester, England. And working for a fintech start-up called Lydia. Helping their expansion into the UK market.
You joined us again the following season on our one-off ‘Finish What You Started’ program, specifically for your cohort to come back and complete their Level 2. Was there ever any doubt you’d return?
There was no doubt in our minds that we’d return if you’d have us! Whether it was for a Level 2 with Nonstop or a lifelong move to Fernie we were all in from our first day in Fernie.
You’ve made Fernie your home — house, residency(?), the lot. Was there a moment it clicked, or did it just slowly become obvious that Fernie was your spot?
Yep, this is home now. House, residency, the works! I’d always knew I wanted to move to Canada for at least a few winters. But from day 1 in Fernie it was immediately apparent that this was the spot!
The Fernie snowboard community is pretty tight — what’s it like to be a part of? And how much have the people in Fernie shaped you and your experience out there?
Oh my god the snowboard scene here is really special. Everyone is connected, everyone hypes each other up, shouting from the chair lift, stopping to film clips, building DIY spots, you name it and I absolutely love it. I’ve been to other places and nowhere has felt like it quite has the same close knit crew. I think that’s partly due to the mountain being so close to town, it’s hard not to bump into each other before, during, or after a good day on the hill!
The snowboard scene here has shaped me to be a better person, the general hype and love for each other is infectious and I feel like that’s made me a much better person both on and off the snow!
You’re now Deputy Publisher at Whitelines, the long-running snowboarding mag. How did that come about — and what does the job actually look like day to day from Fernie?
I honestly still pinch myself and have imposter syndrome every day, even after 6 years working for Whitelines. In terms of how it came about, honestly I think it was just the right spot at the right time. An advert for a job went up on a friday, I applied on Saturday and they took the job down by Monday… somehow I was lucky enough to be free that weekend to see it and apply, and even luckier that they liked what they saw on the CV. Beyond that god knows, but I’ve been loving every day since.
Day to day sees me up to start at 6:30am to catch both the EU and NA time zones for various meetings and project management. In the winter, I’ll then take a break to ride the resort from 9-11 before heading home to finish the rest of my day.
In the summer, I’ll work until 2:30 then get out in the sun for the afternoon.
Very, very aware of how sweet that setup is so don’t expect me to be giving it up anytime soon… haha!
Any standout Whitelines projects you’ve been involved with or events you’ve got to be a part of?
Oooo so many, particularly since moving to Canada as my first few years at the mag were spent in lockdown during covid so I was basically desk-bound hearing stories of how fun the job normally is!
Since then, I’d have to say heading to trade shows with our expert test team (and close friends) to try out all the following season’s gear is always a highlight – shout out the Whitelines test team you know who you are!
And beyond that, we got to cover The Uninvited Invitational the last couple of winters – it’s THE contest of the year if you ask me as it showcases the best women & non-binary snowboarding on a street-style course with folks flying in from around the globe. It’s held at Woodward during the spring sun and we get to spend a day shooting photos, videos, interviewing and generally in awe of the snowboarding on display before heading for a few hours of far less impressive snowboarding ourselves around all the features Woodward has to offer. It’s almost become an annual pilgrimage for Sara Previte (local Fernie legend) and I to connect with friends and battle handplants and rails for a few days haha!
Sara and I also got to spend a few days exploring Kicking Horse and Golden for video project. That was really fun. A few days being shown everything the town and resort had to offer. If you get a chance to visit I’d highly recommend. You can check out our video here: Is This Canada’s Best Snowboarding?
Segway then to your photography, and film photography specifically. They’re big passions in your world. I love the stuff you put out on Instagram of your snowboarding, skating, and friends. When did that start, and what draws you to film over digital?
Hell yeah, thanks man! Honored to hear you like it.
I always liked photography and studied it for my GCSE’s a long time ago. And then, shortly before moving back to Canada I got the itch to pick up a camera but remembered how much I had hated two experiences of that GCSE: photoshop and framing a photo on a digital screen rather than a viewfinder.
Naturally that led me to buying a film camera with just a handful of controls to learn and I absolutely loved the experience even despite my first few rolls being blank.
Knowing I can’t check the shot means that A) I take more time to think about what I’m shooting to try and get it right. And B) I feel like I spend more time in the moment! I’m not checking the screen, tinkering with the setup etc… I shoot it and then get back on the board with the homies.
I will say though, when I’m lucky enough to get the chance to shoot the pros for my role at Whitelines, I’m taking a digital camera with me. I need to know I’ve got the shots immediately and need to get them uploaded to the website pretty quickly. There’s no luxury time to develop a fistful of camera rolls haha!
Explore more of Pat’s snowboarding and film shots in this Photo Collection, In Field.
You’ve built a jib line in your backyard (sick!) and have even created an annual event around it, Hard in the Yard. Tell us about that. Love the name, btw!
Haha! Well, it’s a long story…. When I was about 14 I read about a backyard DIY Drop in ramp, rail and ramp in Onboard Snowboard Magazine (RIP) and begged my dad to let me build our own back home in Cornwall. It’s fair to say, given that I could barely snowboard and it was going to be sketchy as sh*t I was not allowed.
Fast forward to moving into this house and realising I had garden space, I recruited my buddy Tom to help me build a drop-in ramp in the style of Home Simpsons Spice Rack, scoped some PVC pipes that were lying in a ditch and spread the word that I’d take any rail-esque features and here we are. It’s sketchy as all hell, but I’ve got enough shovels, hands and features that we can reshape it every week to build something different.
There’s not much of a park scene here in Fernie, and riding the rail park solo under the chairlift can be pretty intimidating. So I just wanted to create a space for myself and as many folks as possible to come and learn something new in an environment that was as welcoming and un-intimidating as possible to help grow the scene. And it’s super fun come spring, everyone’s got a few tricks from the yard, the sun is creeping into Fernie’s rail park and the squad will now roll-deep for an afternoon of trying to take their tricks to the steel at the resort.
Hard in the Yard is an expression I heard here early on, and it just felt like the right name for an event!
The event’s goal is take the spirit of the yard and condense it into one day. We’ll rebuild it into 3-4 different features and have jam sessions on all of them, with the stupidest prizes I can find in the local supermarkets here up for grabs.
There’s only a couple of rules – everyone is made to feel welcome and get’s hyped up by all attendees, whether it’s their first time every trying to hit a rail, or they’re battling a new learn. It’s good vibes only!
Oh and everyone gets a clip – I film the whole thing and try to make sure that everyone leaves with a clip of something they’re hyped on / learned / battled or slammed…
Then afterwards we team up with Kamu Sauna to ease the battle wounds with a nice hot sauna and a cold plunge. It’s my favourite day of the year – thanks to everyone who’s ever been a part of it!
You’re into your skating too. Did your love of skating come before snowboarding?
Oh yeah, big time. There’s no snow in Cornwall! Skateboarding will always be my first love, even if it’s the thing that’s hurt me the most haha!
What’s the skate scene like in Fernie, and how does that feed into your snowboarding and creative world?
The skate scene here is incredibly welcoming and everyone supports everyone just like on snow. There’s free classes and groups like Grip Tape Girls – setup by all round wonderkid Olivia to grow the female skate scene. And free skate lessons for anyone on a Wednesday night headed up by Tom Little, Jordan & Katie Vlasschaert, Kevin Frank and many others…
The parks’ sick and everyone brings a great vibe. There’s also a wealth of secret backyard mini ramps hidden away in Fernie, but you’ll have to move here to find them…
What does a typical week look in the winter — work, riding, shooting?
Basically yeah! Snowboard every day, work Mon-Fri spreading the good word of all things snowboarding, and trying to get the camera out to shoot my wonderfully talented friends as often as possible.
A lot of people talk about getting the “clip high” when they get a good trick filmed, but man I get the same high from shooting a photo of someone!
What would you say to someone finishing a Nonstop course wondering whether to go all in on a lifestyle in the mountains?
Do it! What have you got to lose, chances are you’ve already quit your job and basically moved to a new spot to do the Nonstop course. You may as well put those skills into practice, it’ll introduce you to a world of likeminded people around the world and you won’t regret it.
What’s next?
Honestly, getting to the position we’re in now was a full-life goal. Now that we’re finally settled here with residency and a spot to live. The goal is to spend some time enjoying it and just living that dream life we’ve been chasing.
Thanks Pat, long may it continue. See you in Fernie.
Thinking about your own Fernie chapter? Explore our ski instructor courses or snowboard instructor courses.