Sneaky Pete Connolly is an SGT Argentina Ski Guide as well as the Visual Communications Director for SASS Global Travel and spends his winters guiding at Silverton Mountain in Colorado. He began at SGT in 2010 and has had his hand in every aspect of the company at one point or another. This is the story of how he snuck his way into the best job in the world?

Pete’s story:

I first learned of SGT back in ’08 or ’09 and lazily sent in an application thinking of guiding in Argentina as the dream job. No response. Not surprising.

The following winter I undertook an unpaid internship at Silverton Mountain in Colorado to gain both guiding and snow safety experience. I spent that year working under a long list of past and present SASS guides. I decided early that season that my winter could not and would not end in April. Using  Skylar Holgate’s (SGT Argentina/Silverton Mountain guide) name as a reference, I began to hassle Travis Moore (owner of SGT) incessantly for a job come summer. It was obvious that my approach from the year before was not going to cut it, so instead of just sending one email and hoping for the best I began somewhat of a phone and email campaign to get noticed.

Eventually Travis and I were having regular conversations on ways to get involved and I slowly realized that his soft spot was for people willing to get after it on the sales side of things. After weak attempts on my part of finding new leads and sending them in his direction I decided that showing up at the SASS office, located in my home state of New Hampshire, was going to be the only way I could actually convince these guys that I was worthy of not only a position in the office, but also a trip to Bariloche that summer. Driving back East while in the middle of a monsoon in Tennessee I can remember calling Travis to tell him that I would be stopping by the office in a couple days after my cross-country mission was over.

Two days later I showed up at this mansion on the coast of NH, not sure if I was in the right place. The driveway full of Subarus convinced me I was.

Travis gave me the tour through the Marketing Department (the dining room), the Sales Department (the living room) and ending in the conference room (the screened-in porch looking out at the ocean). He explained that in order to save money and keep the desired lifestyle, the house was a winter rental that doubled as the SGT headquarters and lodging for all employees. The next day I moved in to the attic bedroom and set up my desk in the living room.

Two months later it was decided that I would be heading to Argentina with the crew as a counselor/office staff member/tail-guide. By day three I knew I was more helpful on the mountain and just snuck my way into a guide/coach’s roll and that’s what I have been doing every summer since.

It is our unparalleled crew as well as the endless terrain that keeps me devoted to my part in SGT Argentina. Skiing every day with our staff and our clients has pushed my skiing and guiding to levels I never thought possible. The mountains surrounding Bariloche have become a second home to me as my terrain knowledge is that of a local even though I am a hemisphere away from home. There is no job that even compares. I get to hear someone, almost every day, tell me that they had the best day of their life. And that doesn’t get old.