In photos: The dark, lonely and rewarding job of grooming ski runs
Andrew Turner loves to see skiers zipping down his Snowcat-groomed Blackcomb hills
A love of adrenalin keeps Andrew Turner carving out runs at Whistler-Blackcomb with his Snowcat snow groomer amid 100 kilometre-an-hour winds, falling trees and icy driving conditions. “It’s a rush, driving one of those things when winds are blowing,” the 47-year-old said. “You’re kind of giggling while you’re doing it.”John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
The Burnaby native’s transition from skiing on the slopes to plowing them for more than 2.4 million riders each season started more than two decades ago when Mr. Turner was fresh out of high school and decided to spend a season skiing at Whistler-Blackcomb with a friend. Mr. Turner decided he needed to stay, and he found a gig driving snow groomers seven days a week, eight hours each night at Blackcomb Mountain during ski season.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
On a busy shift, Mr. Turner will plow up to 650 hectares – about the length of 1,081 Canadian football fields. He says the job allows him to share his passion for powder. “You get to go play, but everyone else gets to, too,” he said.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
Mr. Turner says watching families enjoy their time on the slopes is one of the most rewarding parts of the job. When not working at the resort, between November and July Mr. Turner can often be found skiing the Seventh Heaven lift on Blackcomb Mountain. “The mountain keeps me alive,” he said.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail