Day of Thanks

Thanksgiving has long been my favorite holiday. Each year I get to see a lot of family I hardly ever otherwise see, and of course I get to eat an otherwise-gluttonous amount of supremely American alimentation. And after my obligatory post-turkey nap, I get to reflect on my life, in the same way I think many others do at New Year's. So, this year, I wanted to talk just a little bit about SRG Skiing and everything I'm thankful for.

As many of you know, we have a bit of history with PeakRankings (for those who don't know, it's a long story). Nonetheless, we are closer than ever to finally getting that dream of a joint video accomplished. Stayed tuned to the channel Instagram throughout the season for any updates (www.instagram.com/srgskiing). Now, I respect the hell out of Sam and what he's done for the skiing side of YouTube. Let's make that extremely clear. However, after chatting with him a few times and following some of his posts on Linkedin and other various media, I can confidently say that we have entirely different purposes (and I'm happy with ours). SRG Skiing was started to help people. I'd like to think that we've continued that goal, and even as we've introduced series like Breakdowns, the purpose is to allow people to understand what truly goes into making their ski day happen. 

I had a realization today: that we need to be careful with constantly trying to up the production quality. I'd like to think that people appreciate the "friend telling a friend" feel of the Insider's Guides, and that even as we've grown, our skier-first mindset has still been coming across. One of the greatest complements I've ever gotten in the YouTube comments section was something along the lines of the following: "SRG strikes me as a skier with a YouTube channel. [Others] are YouTube channels that happen to ski." And we need to keep that intact. I was at a snowsports expo recently and got to hear all about these big skiing production companies with huge shot lists, taking years to produce a film. That only served to reinforce my appreciation for what we do and how we do it. I want to keep skiing (and filming) the groomers. I want to keep recording trail maps. And at the end of the day, I want to make sure that SRG stays true to us, the skiers with a side gig. 

I say all of that first, before this, for a reason. But here's the big piece: today we set a new record for single-month income, before we even get into the thick of the season (February and March are historically our highest-earning months). I want to make it very clear that none of us are in this for the money. However, the revenue allows us to continue having these adventures and sharing them with all of you. It was irony, or perhaps fate, that this would come on Thanksgiving Day. But it prompted me to realize just how well I have it when it comes to this whole YouTube thing. I don't intend to be satisfied anytime soon, but after all this time, we're finally turning something called a profit. It's finally starting to pay for our ski trips. And for that I couldn't be more thankful.

Let's now go through some more appreciation notes.

First of all, it goes without saying that the channel would have never come this far without the help of one Arjun Bharadhwaj. As one of my closest friends and my right-hand man, he's prompted me to learn an incredible amount and has pushed me to heights I never before imagined myself at. And of course, he takes some work off my plate by writing select videos and consulting on others, even as he juggles his senior year of university and the accompanying challenges. Arjun, thank you for everything you have done and, I hope, will continue to do both for me personally and for the channel. I couldn't ask for a better friend.

Secondly, I'd like to express my gratitude for Caitlin Neeley. Caitlin's pretty new at the channel but is without a doubt the best editor I've ever worked with. She effortlessly mimics the historical SRG style while introducing a new flair, and through the few videos that she's produced so far, she's been an absolute game-changer. She puts in countless hours for a position that unfortunately, realistically can't pay what she truly ought to be owed. All of her effort has allowed me to focus on smaller videos like Insider's Guides and running the business, along with putting more time into pursuing my college degrees. Caitlin, thank you for your incredible videos and the enthusiasm and passion that flows through each one.

Thirdly, I'd like to thank anyone and everyone who has helped with or supported the channel throughout the years. Mom, Dad, Kyle, Emma, Benjamin, Walter, Leo, and anyone I forgot to mention -- thank you for everything you've done to bring this dream to life.

And finally, I'd like to thank all of you. I'm sure you see YouTube creators say it all the time, but I want you to sit back and think about it for a minute: we couldn't do this without all of you. You allow me to go ski in all sorts of cool places (I mean seriously, New Zealand?!?), and I couldn't be happier doing so. Thank you for your loyal viewership, and I hope to see you in the comments of all of our future videos.

That's all for now. All my love,

ShangRei Garrett