Story & photos by Priya Hutner ·
An avid outdoorsman, Eric Petlock also is passionate about conservation ·
I met Eric Petlock in a short story writing class soon after I moved to Truckee. We all have a story and like many of us who call the Tahoe region home, it usually means living life to its fullest. Eric is someone who embodies the Tahoe lifestyle.
Originally from the Chico area, he fell in love with skiing during a high school trip. He got a job at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort after high school, where he worked as a lift operator and then a server in the Village Dining Room.
“Working in the dining room at Sugar Bowl was one of my favorite jobs. I worked split shifts and skied all day,” Eric said.
Eventually he became a ski patroller and worked at both Sugar Bowl and Boreal. During this time he also became a whitewater rafting guide and mountaineering guide during the summer.
“I was guiding rivers in the summers and working on the mountain in the winter. It was really a great lifestyle.”
“After a number of years of this, and working internationally in Argentina and Chile, I started to get a little burnt out. I realized at some point I probably needed to go back to school and finish my education,” he explained.
Petlock eventually left the guiding world and attended Menlo College where he studied economics and finance. After college, he was hired by an investment banking firm in San Francisco.
“That was a fun time, I worked New York hours. I’d arrive to work in a suit with my surfboard in the morning and every afternoon as soon as the market closed, I’d head to Ocean Beach to surf,” Petlock said.
Eric Petlock, pictured on a hike in the Sierra Buttes, says that he enjoys living and working in the mountains ·
Call of the mountains
The mountains eventually called him back to Truckee. The outdoor life is where Eric says that he thrives.
“I am an adventurer. I love the outdoors and I’m passionate about skiing, kayaking, climbing and surfing. I also consider myself a social entrepreneur. I network with people and solve problems,” he said.
An expert whitewater kayaker he was involved in spearheading what has now become one of the largest Class 5 whitewater kayak races on the Feather River at Feather Fest. An ardent sportsman he also has worked as a fly-fishing and hunting guide.
He’s also an avid back-country skier and adds that “Sugar Bowl has some of the best back-country skiing in Tahoe.”
Eric was recently elected to the board of directors of the Sierra Avalanche Center, a nonprofit whose mission is to inform and educate the public about back-country avalanche conditions in the greater Lake Tahoe area.
“There is always danger when skiing or boarding in the back country. It is important that the necessary information is made available to ensure back-country safety,” Eric explained.
Passion for conservation
His life took a turn when he answered a job ad for Save Our Wild Salmon, an organization protecting the Columbia River Salmon and Steelhead fisheries. He worked closely with Harry Reid’s staff in Nevada. This led him to do consulting work for other nonprofits.
Passionate about conservation, Eric currently works for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, a nonprofit that works with sportsman to create policy to protect public lands. He works with the Bureau of Land Management to build an active constituency of sportsmen to ensure that renewable and conventional energy development projects are done responsibly.
The next chapter
In keeping with his own advice, Eric is starting a new chapter in his life. He recently completed the first half of his training to become a heli skiing guide and has been training with Points North Heli Adventures in Cordova, Alaska. He also continues to write policy to preserve and conserve federal lands.
Eric has a message for younger people living and working in Tahoe and Truckee: “Pay attention to relationships. Cultivate good relationships and contribute back to the Tahoe community. Add value to the community you’ve chosen to live in and don’t be afraid to follow your dreams.”
Joseph Campbell once said: “We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” I think this sums up how Eric Petlock is living his life.
Eric Petlock may be reached at epetlock@gmail.com.
