Sailing Story: Kevin Hopper

Kevin Hopper came to Montana to chase the snow. 8 years in the Flathead Valley and sailing had never even crossed his mind. At least not until the fateful day he saw Go Sail’s job listing in the paper. 

“It spoke to me,” Kevin said. “So I went and got an interview!”

Kevin was confident his love for working at Blacktail Mountain Ski Area in the winters would translate similarly into working at Go Sail Flathead Lake in the summer. To Kevin, the two sports (skiing and sailing) attract similar people, for similar reasons.

“When you are out on the ski hill that’s where you are. You aren’t necessarily thinking about bills or work or anything. You are able to just be present,” he explained. “Sailing feels the same—there’s no distractions.”

Much like how a great powder day can give a skier a sense of floating on air, Kevin says sailing also has a similar feel. 

“You’re able to be on a boat and pretty much able to experience flying on water,” he said. “You are able to be in the moment and just be in awe….the awe is awe-inspiring!”

Now that Kevin has the experience of sailing, he loves sharing his excitement with other new sailors who drop into the Go Sail Office. 

“I’ve got the same spunk up at the hill [as on the Lake] — I love to get into it,” Kevin explained. “I think it comes across pretty genuine, my excitement.”

When you step into the Go Sail office to rent equipment or check in for a sailing office this summer, you may be greeted by Kevin, making assurances that you are in the right place by saying, “I did the two day course and it was amazing— sailing is divine!” 

When a customer came in recently to ask about sailing lessons Kevin said, “I was able to pretty much light up and tell her she is making the right decision here!”

As a skier, Kevin says he has learned to be open to experiences over expectations. He hopes other skiers with the same mentality join him sailing out on Flathead Lake too. After all, he says, “Why say no when it feels so good to say yes?”