A former Whistler Blackcomb employee is speaking out about what he calls a lack of support from his managers after a devastating injury left him unable to work.
On Jan. 8, Toby Chappell was snowboarding on a day off from his job at Crystal Hut when he overshot a jump, broke his wrist, fractured his spine and punctured his spinal cord with a bone fragment.
He was airlifted to the Whistler Health Care Centre and then transported by ambulance to Vancouver General Hospital for emergency surgery before going through intensive rehabilitation at G.F. Strong.
Despite assurances from his employer he would be supported during his recovery, the 24-year-old said he instead faced rejected insurance claims, mounting medical costs and struggles accessing the Epic Promise Foundation Employee Hardship program.
Housing promises fall through
While he was recovering, Chappell said his Crystal Hut manager initially told him she would help secure staff housing despite his inability to work full-time. But when he followed up, he was told he would need to apply for a summer job and housing through the regular channels.
“I don’t know why she even bothered promising that,” he said.
Chappell, who is from England and in Canada on a work visa, relied on a medical services plan tied to his Whistler Blackcomb contract. As his contract was set to expire in April, he said he repeatedly asked his manager to file a new record of employment so he could keep his coverage. He said she assured him she would—yet the paperwork was never filed.
By contrast, his part-time employer at the Brewhouse completed the documentation within 12 hours.
Loss of insurance coverage
The lapse meant Chappell had to pay out of pocket for catheters. His insurance through Vail Resorts should have covered 80 per cent of those costs.
“I was worried that because I wasn’t working anymore, I would lose that insurance and have to pay full price for the catheters, which are quite expensive,” he said.
His manager initially told him he would remain in the system as an active employee so his insurance would continue. But when his catheter claims were rejected, he discovered he had been completely removed from the employee system.
“Other people who worked in winter and don’t work for Vail in summer are still in the system as inactive employees,” he said. “I’ve been completely removed after being told I’d be kept on.”
The loss of coverage now costs him about $2,000 a month for catheters.
When he raised the issue with a senior food and beverage manager, Chappell said he was told nothing could be done.
“I said, ‘Well, I can just show you the emails.’ And he said, ‘Well, it doesn’t matter anyway. Too much time has passed.’”
Epic Promise frustrations
Chappell also questioned the effectiveness of the Epic Promise Employee Hardship program.
He said he was initially told he qualified for up to $5,000 in reimbursements if he provided receipts. But once he submitted documentation, his application was ignored for weeks—during a call with a senior food and beverage manager, he was told he no longer qualified because he was no longer an active employee.
“So, you break your back, you try and apply for it, but you need receipts,” he said. “By the time you get the receipts, you’re not working anymore, and then you can’t apply. It just seems like something set up to make them look good without ever having to pay anyone.”
According to Vail Resorts, the program is “designed for our team members facing an emergency and in need of support,” and includes grants for active, furloughed or seasonal staff eligible for rehire.
Chappell’s friends set up a GoFundMe to help ease the financial strain, intended to cover medical equipment and supplies, home modifications for accessibility, physio and rehab, and eventually travel costs to return to the U.K.
Employer response
Whistler Blackcomb declined to speak directly about Chappell’s case, citing privacy.
“For privacy reasons we do not publicly discuss an employee’s personal health or employment details. We recognize that this is a difficult situation and have sympathy for all of our employees when they experience hard times,” said Whistler Blackcomb's senior manager of communications Dane Gergovich, in an email.
“Our team members are core to who we are and what we do here at Whistler Blackcomb and we greatly value all our employees and their well-being. Our employee policies are governed by and in alignment with both federal and provincial laws.”
He pointed to the company’s comprehensive benefit program and the Epic Promise Employee Foundation.
'A slap in the face'
Chappell said the combination of unkept promises left him struggling with medical costs he thought would be covered.
“It’s a bit of a slap in the face,” he said. “If I’d known that from the start, I probably would have gone home and accessed free health-care in England. But the reason I’m still here, and the reason I’m paying out of pocket, is because they promised me all these things.”
