I am Rocky Pond

I grew up playing hockey and working on the house my mother and father built on Rocky Pond Road, in Massachusetts. After a year in college in Burlington, VT where I went snowboarding a lot at Stowe, I found a source of passion for myself that would ultimately determine the course of my life.

Realizing my wanderlust would not allow me to take over the family plumbing business in good conscience, I started teaching snowboarding at Wachusett Mountain, just down the road from that very house where I was raised. Attaining my AASI 2 there at “Wawa”, I moved to Maine for a beautiful couple years at Saddleback, the first of which rendered my AASI 3, the second a first place spot in the open class in the Maine Mountain Series of USASA. During the summers I would teach at the Leadership School at Kieve, an experiential learning campus where we would challenge everyone from 6th graders to college students, hosting week long programs for everything in between, and retreats for business professionals, even programs for the Appalachian Mountain Club and Veterans.

I moved on the California. There I made lasting connections at Kirkwood with amazing people with whom I am still in touch today. There’s an almost 100% chance that on the day you’re reading this I played chess against both Tyler and Chris. Hey guys! After spending some time in Chile teaching ESL to business professionals in Santiago and snowboarding at Valle Nevado, it was time to go back to Vermont. This time I landed at Killington Mountain School and coached their freestyle program, and also got my hands into some video editing for the first time, putting together videos for some athletes that were seeking sponsorship opportunities.

Summering in Crested Butte, Colorado then returning east to coach at Carrabassett Valley Academy, another year was in the books. Turning my direction to white water over the summers I guided rafts down the Kennebec and Dead rivers in Maine, and once again picked up some experience in video production and photography capturing people coming down both rivers.

The next few years led me on a journey where I worked myself up the ladder in the ski and snowboard industry with titles like director and manager, ultimately getting a bit burnt out by riding a desk more than my skis or snowboard. Spending a great deal of the pandemic in Nederland, Colorado I eventually made my way back east once more and that’s when, just like when I saw Bob Ross and thought to myself, “I can do that…” I saw a video of a beautiful table being built by Cam at Blacktail Studios. Falling into that rabbit hole and exploring the world of woodworking YouTubers, I decided to make myself a part of it.

Friends at The Hermitage Club at Haystack Mountain convinced me to get back into Vermont once more, but this time for good. Finding a place to create at Hatchspace in Brattleboro and feeling at home in the Deerfield Valley community I feel like I’m really doing what I’m supposed to be doing to make the world a happier and more beautiful place. Thank you so much for your interest in all that Rocky Pond has to offer, and I look forward to what may come of our adventures together.