Double Life Series: Michael Dayment

At KUSCH, we know that passions outside of work make our team sharper, more curious, and more creative. We believe great engineering starts with great people, and great people have lives that venture beyond design. We want to celebrate these double lives, the ones that remind us that when engineers stay balanced, they build better.

This month, meet Michael Dayment, structural engineer by day and Senior Ski Patroller at Falls Creek Ski Resort outside of KUSCH.

Balancing the Mountain and the Office

Michael’s connection to the alpine world started early. He grew up in the snow, and by the time he was at university, he was eager to work in the ski resorts and spend as much time on-mountain as possible. What surprises most people is that his ski patrol career came first. He has been ski patrolling for around 16 seasons, including six months working in Colorado, USA.

Where Risk Management Meets Structural Design

For Michael, the overlap between ski patrol and engineering is highly practical. Ski patrol revolves around risk management and having a proven process and workflow to stay calm under pressure and deliver results. It involves identifying hazards within a ski resort and implementing appropriate measures to eliminate or control those risks.

“Both of these skills translate well to design and management of engineering projects at KUSCH,” Michael says.

Real-World Engineering in Alpine Environments

His deep understanding of the alpine environment has been a critical asset for a number of structural projects completed in the region. Working in the snow has given Michael an intuitive feel for the extreme conditions that must be considered when engineering alpine structures. He factors in extreme temperatures, soil behaviour, wind, snow and ice loads, and impact loads from snow shedding.

Furthermore, his on-ground experience provides incredible insight into the practical complexities of alpine construction. He intimately understands the limitations around material supply, site access, and available expertise. This perspective helps inform the development of practical, buildable, and optimised design solutions for projects in these challenging environments.

Worlds Colliding

That connection becomes even more meaningful because growing up in the mountains means Falls Creek has a special place in his heart. For him, working on projects there as an engineer is a great opportunity.

Some of Michael’s clearest moments have happened right where the two worlds meet. Early in his career at KUSCH, he was working a night ski shift and was sent to investigate people skiing in the trees. When he caught up with them, he was surprised to find Martin Kusz and his boys chasing each other on their skis.

There have been other moments of overlap too. Michael recalls being dispatched to attend to an injured guest who had made their way to the Cloud 9 Restaurant. Months earlier, he had been completing steel framing inspections there as the design engineer.

A Culture of Support

Maintaining both worlds is important to Michael. He notes that an office job can be a little sedentary at times. Ski patrolling allows him to reconnect with the alpine area he lives in and re-energise each season, while also providing a key service to a ski resort he has grown up enjoying.

Making that balance sustainable comes down to support. At KUSCH, we support the interests and pursuits that help our people thrive, in and out of work. For Michael, that support looks like flexibility in working hours and the trust to manage his own workload.