Word came to me a day later. Apparently, one of my daughters made out with a random guy in Foresters and my good friend, Chris Smith, stood by and watched the whole thing develop.
When I caught up with him, I said, "Dude! What gives? You see my daughter making out with somebody in the bar and you don't stop it? I thought you had my back."
His eyes twinkled and he said, "Hey man, who am I to stand in the way of true love?"
I stifled a laugh, trying to act tough. I failed. It was such a quintessential Smith comment I couldn't stay mad — or even faux mad.
So I didn't.
I first met Smith at Brundage. For the last few years, we've been on patrol together, me a lowly volunteer, him a hill captain. Like most of our locals, Smith wandered the planet a bit before deciding to call McCall home.
A product of Texas — and the reason I keep promising to develop a line of stickers saying, "Let's Mess With Texas!" — Smith grew up hunting, fishing, playing football, diving, and, of all things, skiing. No word on if he skied in jeans — but I'm guessing yes.
His first stop, post-high school, was the University of Alabama, where he followed the rules, getting a degree in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and, if rumor holds true, somehow stealing an alligator in a moment of, shall we say, impaired courage. I didn't get the whole story — or really anything but the whisper of it, so if you run into him around town, maybe use this as a conversation starter.
Post-college, he took a job in his field of study and started "real life." He found himself with three computer monitors on his stand-up desk, clicking a mouse millions of times a day in exchange for a paycheck.
One day, he got a call from his brother. He was leaving his banking job at the ripe age of 26 to become a kayak guide.
"I was like, you can do this?" says Smith. So, with barely eight months under his belt as a GIS worker, he quit and headed for Big Corn Island off the coast of Nicaragua to be a diving guide – a passion of his from the age of 10.
"My Dad was worried, for both of us," says Smith. "He didn't know if our employment options could support a nice lifestyle. But, it all worked out."
Smith found himself working in dive locations during the diving season — Big Corn Island, Mexico, Hawaii — and working at ski resorts in the winter (Crested Butte).
All the top African predators :) Photo courtesy Chris Smith.
"I started in lift ops," he says, "but I quickly learned I wanted to be a patroller. I saw these guys coming through the lift line covered in powder and decided that's what I want to do for work."
It didn't happen right away. He worked himself up in lift ops and travelled to ski other resorts around the country. One day, he saw a social media post showing someone skiing Hidden Valley at Brundage.
"I saw it," says Smith, "and was interested. I never heard of Brundage. So, on my next trip to ski Epic Pass resorts in the Pacific Northwest, I made a point of hitting McCall on the way home."
His first stop in town was FoggLifter Café.
"I walked into FoggLifters and immediately this good-old boy starts chatting me up. The vibe was amazing from the moment I first stopped in town."
Liking the local scene, Smith spent a couple of days storm-riding Brundage and fell in love.
"I knew this was my next home by the time I left town," he says.
So, in the winter of 2022, after his trip to Africa where he rafted the Nile, he found himself in McCall applying for a job as a patroller. And the rest, as they say, is history.
He joined the patrol, worked his way up to hill captain, and became a stalwart of the patrol. He also discovered his next adventure — flying. He earned his private pilot license and is now looking to turn patrolling and diving into hobbies as he moves on to a career as a pilot — something fun that pays enough to afford him the opportunity to buy a house and invest in his future.
The next step. Photo courtesy Chris Smith.
It's almost like he's returning to his 22-year-old ways, but with the wisdom of some really cool experiences and a plan for more adventure down the road.
And, speaking of wisdom, his comment to me about not standing in the way of true love turned out to be spot-on. The guy my daughter randomly made out with is now her fiancé. I can't believe he was right.
To listen to the full conversation with Smith, access the podcast version wherever you normally get your podcasts. Or, use the player on our website.
You can also watch the podcast on our YouTube channel.
Happy Easter!
