Posted by Jane Carswell on Wed, Sep 01, 2010 @ 03:37 PM
By Lianne Marquis
I had the pleasure to spend some time with Katrina Rosen in the Bugaboo Lodge this past July. Katrina is the Shop Manager for the Heli-Hiking season in "The Bugs", and she was one of the few new staff that we hired this summer season.
I was curious “What’s it like to be one of the newbie’s?” It’s been a long time since I was in her shoes!
LM: How did Katrina, a flat-lander from Manitoba find her way into the Bugaboo lodge this summer?
KR: The mountains have been calling my husband and I for a long time. I love Manitoba and the Canadian Shield near by. The paddling is extraordinary and I doubt you can find such amazing backcountry lakes anywhere else. But it was time for a new playground, a new area to explore and discover.
LM: Did you know that between the Bobbie Burns and Bugaboo lodges, we only hired 5 new staff this summer? What is your background in retail that qualified you to be the Bugaboo Shop Manager?
KR: I was very lucky that there was an opening at the Bugaboo lodge and I think about that every morning when I look up at the spires on my walk to work.
I have been working in outdoor retail for 14 years now and absolutely love it. If I can just be a small part of the excitement that goes into someone’s preparation of a great trip or adventure, I am very happy. I am very passionate about the outdoors and my enthusiasm and love of gear has definitely helped me to be a test rat so that I can pass on my knowledge of what works and what does not onto the guest.
There is nothing I love more than hearing the guests stories after they have come back from an amazing day.
LM: What has impressed you the most since arriving in the Bugaboos and working for CMH?
KR: I was absolutely impressed with the organization of this company. I did my research before I applied for the job since I don’t think that I can ever work for a company that does not care about our environment, but I was blown away how amazing of a job CMH does in this regard. Everything is thought of from recycling, composting, energy, waste treatment and fuel consumption.
LM: Have you had the opportunity to get out heli hiking so far?
KR: OH Yes! It is a huge perk to working here! The Bugaboo area is huge and I haven’t even skimmed the surface. I want to go beyond the next ridge, over the pass or further down the valley. The helicopter allows you to see so much in one day but I always want more. There is no such thing as a bad day at the Bugaboos.
LM: I’m sure you must feel like you have the BEST JOB with CMH. Don’t we all! What’s the best part of being the shop manager?
KR: I do, I love my job! The best part is being able to talk so much with the guests and getting to know them. If I don’t get out in the helicopter, then I still have amazing day mountain biking or hiking around the lodge. There is so much to do here!
LM: What are you selling in the shop this summer?
KR: I sell lots of maps of the area, plenty of T-shirts and technical clothes that help to keep the moisture moving. We have not been selling too many rain jackets because the weather has just been too amazing!
I sell lots of batteries and memory cards for guests cameras because they are in over use.
LM: Katrina the adventure racer… I’m sure you have so many incredible stories during your racing days! Are there any that you’d like to share?
KR: Adventure Racing has given me an opportunity to travel the world and see parts of it that is rarely seen by the common tourist. My team and I photographed a waterfall so deep into Patagonia Chili that it is believed that no other human has ever seen it. I think CMH gives something similar to the guests here as well. It is a special moment to go into the helicopter and explore a new area. Just yesterday we came stumbling across a huge rock that sparkled like diamonds. The guides had not seen it before!!
The world is here, let us play in it.
What a perfect position for Katrina, it has her name written all over it! Welcome to the team and I hope to see you working for us this winter season!!!
Do you have a CMH employee you would like us to profile? Let us know here and we'll feature him or her in an upcoming blog post.
Posted by John Entwistle on Fri, Aug 06, 2010 @ 10:00 AM
By Lianne Marquis
Have you heard about heli- belly? It’s a common word that you’ll hear around the buffet table, the dessert table, during tea goodies, dinner and in the field. How does one go Heli-Hiking and come home with their pant button undone? Thanks to CMH's Chefs and Pastry Chefs, there is never a shortage of amazing, delicious, mouth watering food to be had. Jocelyn Skill is our Pasty Chef in the Bobbie Burns this summer and I had a chance to ask her a few questions:
Lianne Marquis: How did an East Coaster find her way to CMH?
Jocelyn Skill: I came out to Banff in 1991 after my first year of cooking school. I made the decision then that I would come back once I was done school and make the mountains my home. It was after living here for ten years that a friend suggested I work for CMH. Ten years later I’m still here.
LM I’m curious to know why you became a pastry chef and where did your schooling and apprenticeship?
JS I had always loved to cook and bake as a child and knew early on that I wanted to be a chef. My parents tried to discourage me from entering the trade, but at that point in my life I couldn’t imagine doing anything but pursuing a culinary career. I went to a small college in Ontario where it quickly became apparent that I was a natural in the pastry arts. I then went on to apprentice for an amazing pastry chef at the Delta Lodge at Kananaskis, Alberta.
LM What yummy desserts will we find on the Bobbie Burns dinner menu this summer?
JS I try to keep things a little lighter in the summer so I serve lots of homemade sorbets, but crème brule, panna cotta, soufflé and a decadent chocolate cake will make it’s way to the table. The key is keeping portions small.
LM You also cook, as you and the chef share the duty of making the tea goodies that we offer for après hiking. What do you usually serve for tea goodies?
JS We always serve a “recovery” smoothie. I love making chicken wings, pizza, quesadillas, quiche. If there are guest requests for a particular food we try to accommodate as best we can.
LM It’s pretty common for our guests to ask the pasty chefs for recipes at the end of their tour, is there one that you would be willing to share with us?
JS Sure, here’s an easy one to share.
Coconut Panna Cotta.
900 ml whipping cream
300 ml coconut cream or good quality coconut milk
8 leaves of gelatin (available at specialty food shops)
200 grams granulated sugar
2 vanilla beans,scraped
Water for soaking gelatin leaves
Soak gelatin leaves in cold water for 5 minutes. Bring the cream, sugar and the vanilla beans to a boil. Drain gelatin leaves, squeezing out any extra water, then whisk into hot cream mixture. Whisk in coconut cream. Bring mixture to room temperature then pour into coupe glasses. Serve with good quality sorbet and fresh fruit. Makes 12
LM During the Bobbie Burns staff set up this July the guides took all the staff out to the tree-top ropes course. Can you tell me about that experience?
JS It’s thrilling and challenging. I love that sort of rush. I seek out those adventures when I’m travelling as well. The guides have done a great job of providing a really fun challenging experience for the guest and staff alike.
LM Have you had an opportunity to experience a day out on the Mt. Nimbus via ferrata at the Bobbie Burns?
JS Not yet but it’s a must on my things to do here this summer. The guides have promised to try and get us all out.
LM My fingers are crossed for you Jocelyn, I want to hear all about it!!! When you’re not in the kitchen baking and cooking, what are you doing in your spare time?
JS Anything outdoors, but I love to mountain bike and run. Having a good laugh with my friends over a glass of wine is a must as well.
Congratulations on receiving your 10 year long service award with CMH this spring Jocelyn! We hope that you have another 10 years with us!!!
Posted by John Entwistle on Wed, Jun 02, 2010 @ 12:59 PM
By: Lianne Marquis
During our year end party, we awarded our 2010 Second Nature awards: Recognizing CMH employees who demonstrate innovation and initiative in the areas of environmental and community stewardship
Bob Lutz's 
commitment and contribution to the Banff community is so inspiring! So much so that he received the 2010 community stewardship award.
Bob was nominated by his peers; this is what a couple of them had to say about him.
"His patience, his skill and his ability to teach and share in a totally unselfish manner, is commendable."
"Collectively, Bob has made a tremendous impact on the kids (and the parents) of the Bow Valley and he represents the very best of what we want CMH employees to be in their communities."
Here is what Bob has to say.
LM: Can you tell me when and why you get involved with the Banff Minor Soccer Association?
BL: I started in the fall of 2003. I've helped out with children's science camps before and I've played competitive soccer all my life and refereed a fair bit. So when I saw a group of them playing at the high school one day it just seemed like the logical thing to do.
LM: It's not surprising that one of our IS guys is a math, chemistry and physics wiz!!!
I was so inspired to hear that you tutor elementary and high school kids! What is that experience for you?
BL: Tutoring is a similar kind of challenge to math contests but instead of using your knowledge in creative new ways, you need to explain your knowledge in new ways until you find an explanation that works for each student. Sometimes it takes a lot of creativity to find something that works. The other fun part is instead of solving questions, I need to make up new ones to help someone learn or practice a concept they're having difficulty with.
LM: What do you get out of volunteering your time with the kids?
BL: It's just fun. I enjoy helping people with anything.
LM: Bob, what is you're involvement with the Banff Community Greenhouse? How did you get involved in this project, do you have a green thumb?
BL: I've always enjoyed gardening and keeping plants around the house. The main focus for the greenhouse committee has been fundraising once we agreed on the location and type of structure to build. The really fun part about this project is that it has social aspect too because it will be something that will bring together 20 families and community groups in our town that probably didn't have any reason to connect without the greenhouse.
LM: Biking, another passion of yours! You have done many bike trips around this area (AB & BC) but have also been overseas to tour around Iceland, New Zealand, Norway. Which one of these trips stands out for you?
BL: The trips to Iceland have been the biggest adventures. The gravel roads traversing the interior of Iceland were quite a challenge from fording rivers, pushing the bike through the sandy parts, and strong headwinds but with a little luck there would be a hot spring at the campsite at the end of the day. My favourite part was biking across the Icelandic interior to visit the Askja caldera and wondering how many kilometres it had been since I saw a plant or something green.
LM: How do you find any spare time for yourself?? When you do find some, how do you enjoy spending it?
BL: Aside from the usual skiing, biking, squash and soccer, my hobby this past winter was building a 3-dimensional printer. It uses a melted stream of plastic (like what you use in a weed whacker) to slowly build objects one layer (about 0.3mm thick) at a time. Each layer sticks to the layer below and eventually your object cools off and is ready to use. There are sites where you can download other people's designs or you can make your own designs in tools like Google SketchUp. The biggest challenge so far was designing and printing a replacement part for a cross country ski binding. The printer I've got can print objects up to 10cm x 10cm x 10cm but there is a design for a bigger printer out there and most of the parts can be built with the printer I've got.
LM: What will you do with the $1,000 from the community stewardship award? Buy some new bike parts, plan another trip???
BL: I'm going to donate it to the Banff Community Greenhouse because we're only a few donations shy of being able to start construction and this should help get us there. With a little luck we'll be able to grow a few experimental vegetables this summer and have it ready for everyone next spring.
For more information on Stewardship at CMH See here