Running in Circles
Malahat Skywalk at Sunset, DJI Mavic 2 Pro - Photo by Dylan Phillips Photography
The Malahat Skywalk is still a relatively new feature on Vancouver Island. It’s not something that I felt very compelled to visit but last year the construction company I was working for landed a job doing some maintenance there.
In 2012 I moved out to Alberta from Vancouver Island and started my career in scaffolding through the carpenters union. It was good to me for many years. I learned a ton of practical skills, got stronger, and got paid well. As I advanced through the apprenticeship and reached Journeyman level, I got to be pretty good at the job. Eventually I made a transition to move back home.
I signed on with a large and well known scaffold outfit that started in Crofton years ago. Unfortunately my entire experience with that company soured any love I had for that job. Industrial construction isn’t easy work, and scaffolding is one of the most laborious trades in the industry. That wasn’t the issue though. The supervisors were ungrateful, The president, who inherited his position from his dad, only cares about making more money and rewards the wrong people for the company’s success. We were constantly put into hazardous environments and expected to drop everything and travel across the province for a couple of shifts just to be laid off and sent back home. I tolerated this for years, never making near the kind of money I used to in Alberta. I accepted the circumstances as they meant being home on the island.
In the background I was slowly developing (pun very much intended) my photography and videography skills.
I was pretty excited to be part of this job as I had just gotten my Advanced Operator Drone Pilots license from Transport Canada. The Skywalk is in close proximity to several controlled airspaces and required some prior permissions before I could fly. The supervisor, Jo, likely thinking about how good this would look on his professional resume, was more than happy to let me take half an hour and get some shots of the project. I took care of all the pre flight checks, secured my airspace permission as well as permission from the manager of the Skywalk who was wonderful to work with (big shoutout to Shawna at Malahat Skywalk!), and took to the skies.
Looking straight down at the Malahat Skywalk, DJI Mavic 2 Pro - Photo by Dylan Phillips Photography
After the fun and games were over, it was time to work. We had to build the scaffolds outside of regular business hours. The attraction stayed open during the maintenance which meant we were working into the night. This was great for catching sunsets. The hardest part about this build wasn’t its complexity, or the heights. It was all the damn stairs! In a single shift I might have climbed this structure 10 or more times. The views were incredible, there’s no denying that.
T/C cantilever scaffold under Malaht Skywalk - Shot on DJI Mavic 2 Pro
After completing the second scaffold with Jo, He asked me if I felt like I could build the rest by myself. I would have the help of three very green 1st year apprentices. I argued that this was a job for two skilled journeyman working across from each other. Anyone who's built tube and clamp cantilever scaffolds will understand what I mean. Apparently that wasn’t in the budget so I found myself sitting the following weeks without any explanation. I felt vindicated shortly after when word got out that an apprentice had incorrectly tied gear onto a rope and it had fallen to the ground striking another worker. Thankfully my friend, who was on the ground and struck by the gear, was not seriously hurt. A completely avoidable situation had become a recordable safety incident and I was happy to not be a part of it. This wasn't the only item dropped from the scaffold. The crew shared details with me about Jo dropping planks from the incomplete scaffold. This was, unsurprisingly, swept under the rug. Unfortunately within this company, it’s too common to push production over safety, despite their motto of being “first in safety”.
Thankfully I’m now in the process of leaving the construction industry behind me permanently. It hasn’t always been easy, but I’ve seen lots of growth as I pour myself into my passion on a more regular basis. I highly recommend that you find what makes you happy and pour yourself into it as well. My hope is that 2025 brings me more success and forward momentum into photography and videography and that I never have to swing a hammer for Industrial Scaffold Services again.
That’s my story about my first visit to the Malahat Skywalk and how I got these photos. If I hadn’t been getting paid to be there, I’d probably not have gone and missed these beautiful views.
If you go, I HIGHLY recommend riding the slide on your way down. It’s very fast :)
Sunset at the Malahat Skywalk, DJI Mavic 2 Pro - Photo by Dylan Phillips Photography
