COMMITTING TO CRAZY
THE PENNEY’S POWDER DREAM
Let’s be honest here – we have all had a dream. It is a fundamental concept of human nature to have desire, to be curious, and to pursue what we feel is our destiny. For the Penney’s, it all began in 2015 in the magical mountain town of Revelstoke, BC. Kerry and Cassandra Penney had a vision to pioneer a backcountry cat skiing lodge as their family business. It developed into their undeniable, parallel passion, feeling somehow connected to this concept before they truly understood it.
How they got to where they are today is a remarkable story of two people creating something so big from scratch, and a tale that many people will agree, was a total commitment to crazy
TASTE OF SUCCESS
How it Started
The first taste of success was the acquisition of Highland Powder Skiing in 2018. It was a daytime operation based in Meadow Creek, BC that had been sitting dormant for a decade. The Penney’s used every hard-earned dollar they had to buy this operation and had big plans to make it their own.
This was a cliche of “I wish I knew then, what I know now.” They didn’t see daytime as their game, as their dream was to have a remote lodge-based cat skiing operation. Their mentors and consultants assisted them with applying to the Government to build a lodge. Little did they know, this was the beginning of the end.
The application for a new lodge prompted a full review of all aspects of this tenure, including what was already approved and what they were asking for; meaning they now had to mitigate a non-mitigable Government Action Regulation Order that implicated the cease and disallowance of any operations within critical habitat for Southern Mountain Caribou populations. Long story short, this was a non-starter for the Government, and the tenure was pulled in 2019.
FACING ADVERSITY
Failing Forward
Despite the setback, they couldn’t give up. They couldn’t overlook the concept of failing forward being the most important step in realizing one’s true success. They recognized to get to the dream they must stay true to the process even though failure was encountered and understand the path to get there is different.
Their only option was to create a raw tenure. This would be more intense and riskier than before. They would have to put everything on the line, again, without any certainty it would work – and many thought impossible.
Kerry found a zone in the Southern Monashee’s – and by April 2020 they began terrain exploration by land and air. They were impressed with the remaining snowpack for that time of year, terrain features and even accessibility for a lodge site centrally located within the area of interest. In August 2020, they submitted their application to the Government, not realizing this would be the first draft of many revisions.
THE NEXT CHAPTER
The Rise of Renegade
The application process took multiple years, studies, amendments, referrals, adjustments, visits, money, learning, perseverance and patience. The inevitable chance of failing again was always in the background, questioning themselves and their choices, the life they are giving their family, the places they’ve gone and where they are going. But still, they refused to abandon the dream. They felt it in their soul that this is what they are meant to do.
In May 2022 Powder Renegade was approved! Relieved that all the hard work had paid off and they had tenure again, they were ready to start the next chapter. It was still a long road ahead, but they were one step closer.
They spent the following winter commuting to and from the tenure with guides to begin the development of the ski program and logistics for the operation. They were mesmerized by the vastness, the beauty and of course, the skiing. This was their special spot.
BASE CAMP
summer of 2023
Come the summer of 2023, they had raised enough capital to begin site and terrain improvements. They set up a yurt as their base camp to hub themselves and crews in and out of to avoid daily commutes up and down the mountain. The attachment was so great, the thrill and satisfaction of finally being there was beyond words.
Living Off Grid
After months of commuting between the yurt and Kelowna, while also building this huge business and raising their daughters, in December 2023 the Penney’s decided it was time to take the next step and move up to the yurt full-time. It was their time to live their dream.
The experience of homesteading, living off-grid with their children was a gift they will never take for granted. Waking up to a crackling fireplace, watching the snow pound down, being able to ski and breathe the fresh mountain air is something magical.
They welcomed an abundance of wonderful people to work and stay with them, all sharing a common passion for the outdoors combined with enthusiasm and support for the Penney’s dreams to come true. These people poured their passion into the project and the Renegade family continued to grow.
All of 2024 was dedicated to improvements for their lodge site and terrain development, along with building the business to get to operation for the following winter. They had many obstacles to face and personal growth to achieve in order to do what was needed. At the end of the day, they came through.
It would not have been possible without the incredible team they were fortunate to have, all working towards this common goal and passion. The amount of work accomplished in this short time was absolutely incredible.
ACHIEVING THE GOAL
Dreams Do Come True
The Penney’s will be opening their remote lodge-based cat skiing operation in winter 25/26. They remained committed and are actually grateful for the failures and tests along the way. Those moments taught them how to apply their knowledge to the future and walk over the next hurdle with stride. They built knowledge of themselves, their capabilities, and most importantly, their strength.
The moral of the story is you must take a bold approach to realize your goals and avoid the conflict of limitations. You must see beyond and reach beyond. Manifest strategies and methods to work through the obstacles you face and will sacrifice comfort and normal to get to where you want to be. We have to make others believe in us.
The Penney’s can’t wait to continue the expansion of their family, so what are you waiting for? Book with us and experience the dream!
