Heartbreaking News
From Christine Baker
Hi Team,
Yesterday we lost one of our crew. For those of you who weren’t around to hear the news in person yesterday, we wanted to make sure you were aware and know that you have support. Chandler Pelletier fell in Great Falls, sustained a break in his C4, and did not survive. While Chandler was new to our team this year, he was a seasoned L3 Snowboard instructor, and a passionate rider who was pursuing an additional goal of joining NRM Ed Staff. Chandler reached out to make connections well before the season even started, he was motivated, had a high level of stoke, and brought a lot to the snowboard team.
Chandler grew up as part of the Pats Peak family, earning his L2 and L3 on the east coast. At Winter Park he was a training supervisor and clinic leader – roles he was looking to continue here. He had a passion for teaching peers as well as guests and even in his first year with us, he tried to take newer instructors under his wing. Chandler was known for riding bell to bell and you could feel his energy and passion when you were near him. Those that knew him back home said he beamed brightly when talking about Big Sky. He truly loved this place.
This is terrible news to have to share by email and we know that this brings up other losses. I will share a list of resources below. In addition, we have Amy from www.bigskycounseling.org scheduled for group sessions on and encourage you to participate.
Please take care of yourself and, if you can, someone else. Peer to peer support during these times can be very effective.
Resources:
Upcoming Support Group
We are organizing support group sessions over the next four weeks for our Mountain Sports team. We will have and share details soon.
Free Telehealth Session with Local Counselor, Katy Fritz
We have partnered with a specialist by the name of Katy Fritz, MSW, LCSW, who specializes in supportive counseling. Katy is here to take extra time to speak with any team member who could use support to help navigate the grieving process. Her private telehealth sessions are completely confidential. Your first session with Katy is covered by Big Sky Resort, and if extra sessions are needed, we would be happy to help secure assistance.
If you would like to speak with Katy, please contact her at katy@bigskysc.com; 406-206-0510 and let her know you are a Big Sky Resort employee referred by Brian Berry. She will make an effort to prioritize our team's needs with a response time within 24 hours to set up appointments.
Additional Local Therapists/Counselors
· Miriam Schmidt: 406-570-8632 – Miriam is a part of the Bozeman Health Medical System and is a trained chaplain. She can provide spiritual help and support in the grieving process. You can call Miriam on her cell and do not need to schedule an appointment. There is no fee associated with Miriam’s services.
· Nic Cuyle, LCPC: 406-595-6478, support@cedarcreekcw.com
· Brandi Reinhard-Ferrese, LCPC: 609-271-8871, brandi@movingthroughitcounseling.com
Colleen Shaler, LCSW: fourcornerscounseling@gmail.com
Free Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
All Team Members and their families are eligible to access the Work-Life Balance Employee Assistance Program offered free by Unum. The mission of this program is to help individuals, work teams and organizations manage the full spectrum of work and life issues with just one phone call. This confidential assistance program is available nationwide, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. For more information, go to www.lifebalance.net (user ID and password: lifebalance) or call Unum’s EAP directly at 1-800-854-1446.
For additional resources, please see included attachments.
Thank you all for supporting each other during this difficult time, and please reach out with any questions or recommendations.
Christine
Christine Baker she/her
VP Mountain Sports | Big Sky Resort
(O) 406.995.5736 | (C) 406.570.0983
50 Big Sky Resort Road | PO Box 160001 | Big Sky, MT 59716
Loss in the Outdoors Support Group