Pivot point: How three professional skiers balance their dreams

This story is part of a feature that first appeared in print in Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine’s December 2022 issue. Read the entire e-edition here:

Most professional skiers have to work. I don’t mean work hard, although they do that too; I mean work another job. The hustle is real, and most skiers blend their passion for skiing with a business that follows the same arc — professional skier/marketing manager, photographer, climate change professional, or brand coordinator. Even working seasonally in construction works well for many professionals.

However, some professional skiers have gigs that seem all-consuming — a real pivot from the skiing job but equally as cool.

Professional skiers Izzy Lynch, Yu Sasaki and Chris Rubens have a few things in common — they own businesses that are pivot points in their careers. All three balance lives as parents, pro skiers and owners of vibrant community businesses.

Izzy Lynch

Professional skier, mom, and long-time Revelstoke community member Izzy Lynch recently purchased
the Revelstoke Florist, a town staple since 1964, and rebranded it as Left Field Floral. Photo: Nora Hughes

First and foremost, Izzy Lynch is a skier. It’s what she’s been doing the longest. She started skiing when she was one-and-a-half years old, progressed to ski racing and coaching, then skiing brought her to Revelstoke. Pursuing the powder lifestyle and shredding hard at the newly opened Revelstoke Mountain Resort, she made connections, and things took off. Now she’s a pro skier, mom to two boys and a business owner.

Izzy purchased the Revelstoke Florist in the fall of 2022. The florist is a long-standing Revelstoke business, serving the community since 1964. She opened her doors on October 4, rebranded as Left Field Floral.

The decision to buy the shop came out of the left field. Izzy was working for Protect Our Winters, a non-profit that focuses its efforts on legislation regarding climate change.

“I loved that job. It was so fulfilling and amazing, but I just found, especially for COVID, it was purely computer work,” says Izzy. “I was really struggling with that. Just hours and hours of Zoom calls every day, being on the screen so much, and having kids. You realize your time is so limited, and your energy is so limited, and it was really draining me.”

When she saw her good friend Christine Pavlik had posted Revelstoke Florist for sale, she shot her a text jokingly asking if she should buy it.

Christine shared her knowledge throughout the summer, and Izzy hit the books learning as much as she could about running a floral shop.

“There’s so much to do in life; why not pivot? Why not try different things? I think you’re limiting yourself if you stay on one path your entire life.”

When balancing her passion and career, Izzy says it’s important to her to have a job that slots into other parts of her life. Through filmmaking, Izzy highlights how she balances a professional ski career and motherhood through films like Motherload and Kindred. She plans on Left Field Floral fitting in with the other things she loves to do and being a creative outlet.

“The reason I love skiing is it’s a lifelong sport,” says Izzy. “I think ski media really focuses on this snapshot of our lives. When you’re 20 to 30, and your risk tolerance is super high, you’re out shredding and stuff like that, and that’s super aspirational. But there are so many skiers out there that are living outside of that, and so it’s cool to showcase that.”

Chris Rubens

Chris Rubens and his partner Jesse Johnston-Hill started First Light Farm during the throes of the pandemic. They produce fresh produce for their Revelstoke neighbours and have recently embarked on the adventures of parenthood. Photo: FD Productions

Chris Rubens is one of the few who makes a full living off being a professional skier. He’s been a sponsored skier going on 20 seasons. So when he and his partner Jesse started First Light Farm in Revelstoke, money wasn’t the primary motivation.

For Chris, the farm is two things; a plan to take action against climate change and a plan to take the monetary pressure off his skiing career. The latter, he says, has helped him take a step back and think about what he wants to get out of skiing.

“Basically, what I realized is there are a bunch more things I still would like to do,” says Chris. “Like making movies and showcasing my life and the farm is a really important thing. On the climate side of things, the farm makes a negligible difference in the grand scheme of things, but if I can share that story and inspire people, that can potentially make a big difference.”

Instead of pushing the skiing away, I feel like I’ve jumped into a whole new chapter of skiing this year,” says Rubens.
Photo: Bruno Long

While farming seems wildly different than Chris’s other profession, he says being at the mercy of Mother Nature is identical to skiing. As a backcountry skier, Chris always observes the conditions and what’s happening around him. He knows you can never fight Mother Nature, but you can watch for windows of opportunity and learn to work with her.

Capping off their busy farming season, Chris and Jesse recently welcomed their first baby. Their goal for the farm is to find a work-life balance. Having always been drawn to the storytelling side of his industry, Chris is excited to incorporate his son into the narrative.

“Instead of pushing skiing away, I feel like I’ve jumped into a whole new chapter of skiing this year,” he says. “It’ll be the ultimate dance of trying to find that balance, but I’m pretty excited to take him skiing. It’s really important for me to show him life is for living.”

Yu Sasaki

Yu and his family own and operate the popular food truck, Twilight Bite, in Revelstoke. Photo: Daniel Stewart

Yu Sasaki moved to Canada after high school. His father had taken him skiing when he lived in Japan, but he wasn’t overly impressed with the sport until his first time skiing in Whistler. The skiing culture in B.C. inspired him to become a professional skier. After a few years of chasing powder, he posted clips of his skiing to YouTube and to his surprise, sponsors started calling him.

Yu lives in Revelstoke now with his wife and two children. He opened a food truck four years ago that has become incredibly popular. His second truck, Twilight Bite, has become a staple in Revelstoke’s downtown food scene.

The food trucks are a seasonal business that allows Yu to focus on skiing in the winter. He says balancing a pro ski career, a family, and a business is tricky.

“Skiing in a niche sport. The gear is very expensive. You have to buy a season pass and have to commute every day. It’s hard,” says Yu. “I think there are few people who are able to make money being just a pro skier.”

With a passion for skiing and a supportive family to help him run his business, Yu can pursue his dream. This year, Yu turns 37. He plans on pushing his limits as a skier for a few more years. One thing he’s determined to achieve in that time is securing a spot with a production company.

“My skiing goal is I want to join a crew like Matchstick or TGR,” he says. “I was very close last winter season. Matchstick was hitting me up to shoot together, but two or three days before shooting, I got injured.”

Yu had torn his Achilles tendon. It was a season-ending injury. This year, his goal is to try again.

“I came to Canada, and I’d always watch MSP movies, and I’ve grown with them. My goal is to join this group, skiing together.”

As for his food truck empire, he doesn’t want to keep doing it too much longer. The business’s exponential growth has taken away from Yu’s focus on skiing — the reason he started the business in the first place.

Instead, Yu dreams of opening a restaurant or, even better, a bed and breakfast. “Many Japanese young skiers are interested in Revelstoke,” Yu explains. “I want to invite them, these kids. If I had a B&B, I would cook and teach them skiing and English.”