Employee Benefits

My back is wrecked and i'm into day 6 of this cold, but somehow i have managed to remain calm and collected through these past two weeks. After narrowly escaping this semester's final examinations, i was to begin my formal training as a snowsports employee for Eldora Mountain Resort. "Training" consisted of a 3 hour powerpoint presentation and a weekend of skiing the front range during some of the most exceptional conditions of the season thus far. Sweet...i'm getting paid to do this. After a short visit at home for the holidays, i am now back in Colorado to continue working.

Morning on backside



Day:1
Yesterday was my first day being a solo-instructor, rather than shadowing a more senior employee's group lesson. It also happened to be a record breaking day for the humble mountain town of Eldora. On December 29th 2010, Indian Peaks Lodge was host to 462 'type 1' skiers awaiting their lessons. This, combined with all other ticket sales of the day, surpassed the attendance record in all of Eldora history. This meant all hands on deck for the ski school employees, considering we were understaffed and ill-prepared for this onslaught of bodies. However, everything seemed to flow pretty well throughout the day, and i even received some handsome gratuities from one parent. Everyone on staff was stoked...and the entire snowsports team celebrated with an apres-ski case of beer in the locker room.

Day:2
Today i woke up to a very light snowfall in Boulder, but as i drove up the canyon on my way to work, the temperature dropped quickly and the snow picked up. Once i had gotten to shelf road, it was complete whiteout. We were frequently checking the cdot hotline to see whether or not the canyon was going to close. Thankfully, it didn't but the terrible road conditions had dissuaded any 'type 1' ski schoolers from coming in. Which meant we were paid for an hour and a half of meet-and-greet, and sent on our way. I booted up and made best of the snow we were getting. At it's best, it was 4" deep with drifts close to 6". But La Belle glades had opened, and there was great off-piste to be had in the trees. As i write this, the snow is continuing in the west and the temperature is approaching subzero. I am closely monitoring the weather systems coming tonight, as to decide where i might get the best conditions tomorrow. 2 days off, and a storm progressing...this should be a great start to the new year.

More to come soon...

insomnia

It's currently 3:47 AM. 3 hours and 43 minutes until i sit down to take my managerial accounting final, and i can't sleep. This has recently become a terrible habit of mine that happens about twice a week. I'm physically and mentally exhausted, but no matter how hard i try i can't fall asleep. miserable. Occasionally i'll just find something to do until it gets light outside, and then proceed with my day absolutely drained. But that is not an option tonight, i NEED sleep. Hopefully my circadian rhythm won't be so fucked up tomorrow....

Mother Nature...what a slut

The frontrange has been experiencing some rather peculiar weather as of late, especially Boulder. In the past week, there have only been a few days when the temp. wasn't in the mid-high 50's. Outrageous. I mean, it is December isn't it? Aside from being unseasonably hot, it has also been a rather dry winter for us, with only one or two small snowfalls to talk about. This time last year, we were getting DUMPED on...

This is what winter is supposed to look like. Not dead, brown, and dry. Surprisingly, some people are absolutely loving this weather. I think they are fucking nuts. Being that i'm from the arctic tundra of the midwest, it is quite possible that i thrive on cold weather and shitty driving conditions, but this mid-December heat wave is kinda spooky.

Thankfully, while it may be warm in Boulder this bizarre weather has created some type of apocalyptic El Nino snowstorm in summit county. Breckenridge has gotten a little over 14" in the last 18 hours, which is much needed considering that none of the mountains off of I-70 have a good base yet. And of course i can't enjoy this early christmas gift of pow pow because i have been shoving my face into a book for the last 3 days straight in preparation for final exams...but i know my mother will be very pleased with me.