PERU, Vt. (WCAX) – When skiers hit the slopes, they’re used to seeing resort staff like ski patrol or lift operators, but the work that happens overnight to prepare the mountain often goes unseen.
While the rest of the mountain packs up for the day, Toby Malandrinos fuels up and steps into his “office” for the night.
“If you’re gonna have a really nice office space, why not enjoy it? This is my office; this is where I’m at more times. If I’m not at the farm, I’m here,” Malandrinos said.
The year-round farmer spends his winters going up and down slopes in the darkness. He’s been driving grooming machines at mountains across the state for eight years, including his current ride, a PistenBully Polar 600 at Bromley.
For Malandrinos, the work has molded into a craft he performs on the mountain every shift. “It’s really being a creator out there and making your own landscape and your own… You know, you can put a lot of your own personal touches into it,” Malandrinos said.
Working in socks for comfort, he makes sure his mobile office stays spotless. “Whenever I go inside a really nice machine that has a real comfy cab, and it’s really nice to be inside of, you just take your shoes off, you keep the cab clean, and it makes it so it’s comfortable all night long,” Malandrinos said.
It’s a habit he keeps up all year long, even while working with large farming equipment. He said working the fields is similar to working the snow. “Every night we’re farming it off the sides of the trail, we’re harvesting all the used product, we’re bringing it back into the trail,” Malandrinos said.
“He’s starting his day as a farmer and then taking those skills as a farmer and bringing them to the mountain,” said Josh Witkin, Bromley’s president and CEO. “Our groomers are excited, ready to go snowmaking.”
For Malandrinos, it’s about both business and pleasure. “Work all night, you put out a really, really good product, you go get your snowboard the next morning, come out with the first people and just see everyone smile,” he said.
