After 27 years, today is Scott Pressly’s last day at Monarch.  This week Scott gave a great farewell and rundown of some of his accomplishments on his final blog post and unsurprisingly, he spent the post describing what “we” accomplished.  He is correct (as always) that it takes a village to run a ski area and complete these projects, however, what he doesn’t mention is the incredible amount of leadership, dedication, creativity, knowledge, and sacrifice that he put into all these accomplishments.  Scott is the first to deflect credit to others, so I wanted to take some time to tell you a little more about the man behind the keyboard.

Leadership is a word that is thrown around in any organization, but Scott is a person who embodies the term.  His role involves delegation, but he was always the first person to jump in to support the team before they even knew they needed help.  Whether it was shoveling with the crew at 5am, helping direct traffic on a busy day, or setting up snow fence ahead of a storm, you knew Scott would be there if you needed help.  If you have ever skied a lap with Scott, you know he cannot pass up a crooked rope line, fallen sign, or piece of debris on the slope without stopping to fix it.  Scott led by setting the example of what a leader is and then stepped back and allowed those who worked under him to show what they could do.  To be a true leader you must be a mentor and Scott was always able to walk the fine line of helping but allowing the team to grow and flourish under him.

Monarch has been fortunate to have many dedicated individuals throughout its 87 ski seasons, but Scott is right there at the top of that list with the other legends.  Whatever it took to keep Monarch open and operating safely you knew that Scott would be there.  Not only was he one of the first people here in the morning and last to leave at the end of the day, but you also knew he would be there with the team during a higher-pressure situation even if it meant spending the night at the mountain.  No matter if it was a huge storm cycle or record dry spell, he was the one communicating with whomever could solve the problem of the day so that the general public never knew that the day was not just business as usual.

For those who have worked at a ski area, you will know that there is no such thing as a “normal” day, so creativity is an essential skill set for any Mountain Manager.  Extreme weather, projects, contractors, permitting, regulatory agencies, risk management, highway and power issues are a part of everyday life at 11,000′.  Scott showed us that one of the first steps of being creative is being observant of the world around you.  He has the ability to spot a problem from a mile away and come up with 5 possible solutions before anyone else even realizes that something is out of place.  Scott was here during both the record high (483″ in 07-08) and low (112″ in 25-26) snowfall seasons, and both extremes required creative solutions to unique problems.  Scott’s grooming request emails every night this past season were some of his finest work as he was out every day finding every hidden drift of snow that could be used to patch another trail.  Without his creative problem solving, Monarch would not have had as good of a season as it did.

Scott is also a true scholar of his craft and there is no one who is more knowledgeable about Monarch’s operations and history.  If you are reading this then I must assume that you have been an avid follower of Scott’s blog just like myself.  Scott has shared much of his knowledge through his 1098 blog posts, but when you chat with him you realize that there is so much more that he never got around to sharing.  Those who do not study history are bound to repeat it and Scott has kept us out of innumerable mistakes just by being himself and being able to access his seemingly infinite knowledge.  Above all else, Scott is the person who has taught us all what Monarch truly is.

Finally, no Mountain Man is truly complete and can survive the ups and downs of this job without strong support and sacrifice at home.  Thanks to Leanne and Sophie for always being the strength that he needed to keep going and for supporting all the support that he gave us.  We appreciate all the time you gave up so we could have him, now it is your time to get him all to yourselves.  Enjoy your retirement together and we will see you on the slopes!