Welcome to episode 31 of Offshoot. My guest today is Jeff Pensiero, founder of Baldface Lodge, a legendary backcountry snowcat skiing operation in British Columbia’s Selkirk Range. These 36,000 acres of pristine terrain, which many consider the pinnacle of snowboarding lodges, offers a relatively small audience of riders some of the best backcountry riding in North America.
Jeff’s journey 26 year long journey with the lodge started as an itch to work for himself. The setting became Nelson, BC when he fell in love with Paula, his wife, and the seedlings of the vision popped. From and all-in bet with $40,000 borrowed off of a stated-income mortgage, to amazing connections with snowboarding legend Craig Kelly and even the Foo Fighters, Jeff bootstrapped Baldface from a canvas dome and single snowcat into a world-class operation with 3,000 people on the waiting list. Jeff’s high standards and strong vision Jeff have helped weathered countless challenges. His reinvest of every dollar back into the business, which led 17 year with little to no personal income, has created a place that is suddenly almost unobtainable with waits to ride lasting 8 years or longer.
What makes this conversation particularly compelling is Jeff’s transparency about the realities of entrepreneurial commitment. He’s never accepted failure and he’s found trusted mentors who have helped cut the path.
Listen in as we cover topics that include:
How following intuition and signs led Jeff from his music major to securing British Columbia’s first commercial tenure in in over a decade.
How Jeff went completely boots-on-the-ground—from attending public hearings and scouting terrain on snowmobiles to buying donuts for Canadian bureaucrats—to navigate the complex tenure application process.
The magnitude of his boot-strap commitment three personal mortgages on stated income, then a myriad of small investments to just get the machine started.
The nuanced difficulty of eventually buying out the lodge’s capital partners to achieve operational scale and control, including navigating majority ownership transitions.
Why Jeff’s hiring philosophy centers on ending relationships well—discussing departure plans during the hire, with the commitment that “the day you leave will be a great day.”
How his management approach shifted from thinking of himself as the boss to viewing his employees as the boss, prioritizing their financial security, operational needs, and even their retirement.
How “I was oblivious to what I got into and I was never giving up” is the mark of entrepreneurial superpower.
Why authentic love—both for Paula and for the experience Baldface creates—became the foundation for surviving decades of financial uncertainty and operational challenges.
This conversation offers a masterclass in entrepreneurial persistence, relationship-driven business building, and the power of never quitting when you’re driven by something deeper than money. I hope you enjoy it.
