Mountain Part Timers

[chase]

Have you ever thought about working part time as Ski Patrol, Snowsports instructor, Safety Patrol, Mt. Host, or an Ambassador?

If you have, but didn’t pull the trigger what stopped you?

Benefits: pass, family pass, discounts on gear, food, drink, locker room, camaraderie.

Downside: you have to work

I used to instruct midweek at a t-bar ski area. It was fun except for when the kid's parents would stalk the lessons. I don't think that I will ever want to teach at a "real" ski area.

 

[eastcoastpowderhound]

nope...I've spent a number of years working in shops in ski towns from ME to Tahoe and CO and I taught and did the whole PSIA thing in college. I'd prefer to talk skiing in the shop...and just ski when I'm on the hill. Teaching involves too much standing around on the hill and talking about skiing and friends who patrol spend too much time sitting around in the patrol shack...carrying bamboo, fixing snow fence, etc. I'd be much more inclined to work PT in a shop again so my time on my hill is my own...but I'm a full timer in the industry anyway...and a lifer.

 

[chase]

Yup..at least when it's crowded..From 7:30AM to 8:30AM..I get 8 fast runs with no people..then from 8:30AM to 10:30AM another dozen or so runs with PASRs and the Blue Crue..then a few more runs and then brunch at the Blue mountain drive-inn..The Poconos are another animal mid-winter when it comes to crowded slopes..I get my quality runs in early and then I bolt..but due to night skiing on all the runs until 10PM 7 days a week..I get equally good sessions during the week although not so much fresh cord..I sometimes wish they opened earlier like 6:00AM..under the lights..then I could get 25k of vert before 9:00AM...

How many people would you guess are skiing before 8am at blue?

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Yup..at least when it's crowded..From 7:30AM to 8:30AM..I get 8 fast runs with no people..then from 8:30AM to 10:30AM another dozen or so runs with PASRs and the Blue Crue..then a few more runs and then brunch at the Blue mountain drive-inn..The Poconos are another animal mid-winter when it comes to crowded slopes..I get my quality runs in early and then I bolt..but due to night skiing on all the runs until 10PM 7 days a week..I get equally good sessions during the week although not so much fresh cord..I sometimes wish they opened earlier like 6:00AM..under the lights..then I could get 25k of vert before 9:00AM...

No offense to Blue skiers, but that’s gotta suck. Sounds like hurry up and have fun before it’s too late. Call it quits at 11:00? I just can’t get with that, but ya gotta make the best with what you have to work with.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

How many people would you guess are skiing before 8am at blue?

I'd say by 8AM probably about 300???..mainly passholders and raceteam kids..but by 9:30AM..all the Tom Dick and Harrys start rolling in..and when I leave..some straggler gets a mad steezy parking spot..

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

No offense to Blue skiers, but that’s gotta suck. Sounds like hurry up and have fun before it’s too late. Call it quits at 11:00? I just can’t get with that, but ya gotta make the best with what you have to work with.

Well alot of people stay the whole day but it's tough to ski 3-4 crowded beat runs per hour in the late morning/PM after skiing 7-8 fresh empty runs per hour first thing..I'm very happy to ski 3 hours everyday I want during ski season when I'm not on a ski trip..and if I want to ski more..I can..I've had several 7:30AM-5:00PM sessions at Blue..amd it's really only crowded on weekend from Christmas to Presidents Weekend..before and after that aren't that bad..the best are holiday weekends with a chance of rain in the forecast...the place can be empty because fairweather skiers and fencesitters aren't around

My uncle who was a ski patroller has been bugging me to be a patroller or work at a ski area since high school. I always thought of skiing as my time for complete freedom. I want to be there for first tracks..but if I had to be there to give a 9AM lesson or to ask people if they need help with anything..I wouldn't be so enthusiastic. In my life thus far..I have only enjoyed working in environments where everybody is working..In my mind it would stink to be standing there and seeing people track up the fresh poe and cord...sort of the reason I wouldn't want to be a bartender watching people get drunk and have fun while I was working and wiping up a sticky bar....

 

[Geoff]

No offense to Blue skiers, but that’s gotta suck. Sounds like hurry up and have fun before it’s too late. Call it quits at 11:00? I just can’t get with that, but ya gotta make the best with what you have to work with.

That is how I often skied early season Killington until POWDR chased all the people away last year. Thanksgiving Saturday many years was awful. You'd ski from 8 until 11 and then go do something else the rest of the day or catch up with friends social skiing.

 

[RootDKJ]

No offense to Blue skiers, but that’s gotta suck. Sounds like hurry up and have fun before it’s too late. Call it quits at 11:00? I just can’t get with that, but ya gotta make the best with what you have to work with.

I usually get there around 8 and ski to 3-5. The lines aren't as bad as the traffic. The key is to be very very quick at turning and dodging the downhill skier .

 

[dmc]

I already work for a living.... So i can afford a pass...

X2

and I could never deal with the commitment. The first powder day I would quit because I want to be where I want, and do what I want.

I'd quit the first rainy day.... Or a really hungover day...

 

[dmc]

Deadhead, your post invoked a memory I haven’t thought of in a long time.

Back in the 60’s and early 70’s it was routine for Hunter to have 50-80 bus tours each day of the weekend. The mountain sold tickets at the bus area and there was a ski school “sub-station” right there also to grab up people looking for lessons.

Ahhh….good times, good memories.:lol:

So - You know I was involved in the "bus lot" when I couldn't afford a pass... Started in 89... Many of my friends worked for "Adventure Unlimited"... A few from "Tour De Spore" .... In fact my girl was a tour leader....

We were the guys that parked the busses and went on and told them what to do and where to go... We were known as HOSERS(Hunter One Skier Education R... CAn't remember what the R stood for...)..
i was known as the angry HOSER.... Cause i was pretty much always hungover and generally didn't care.... On a good day we'd leave at 930.... On a bad day we were there until 1100....

Orville would cruise the parking lot and check if we had beards or long hair...

 

[campgottagopee]

No offense to Blue skiers, but that’s gotta suck. Sounds like hurry up and have fun before it’s too late. Call it quits at 11:00? I just can’t get with that, but ya gotta make the best with what you have to work with.

It does suck, we go throught the same thing at Greek do to slow lifts and long lines starting anytime after 11:30. Guess you just get used to it----but when it's right on yopur backyard it's hard to complain about it. That's why it's nice to ski a bigger mt like WF, you can always find a place to ski with out alot of peeps killin' your buzz.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

So - You know I was involved in the "bus lot" when I couldn't afford a pass... Started in 89... Many of my friends worked for "Adventure Unlimited"... A few from "Tour De Spore" .... In fact my girl was a tour leader....

We were the guys that parked the busses and went on and told them what to do and where to go... We were known as HOSERS(Hunter One Skier Education R... CAn't remember what the R stood for...)..
i was known as the angry HOSER.... Cause i was pretty much always hungover and generally didn't care.... On a good day we'd leave at 930.... On a bad day we were there until 1100....

Orville would cruise the parking lot and check if we had beards or long hair...

hahahaha..darn long haired hippies..

 

[bvibert]

I'd like to get to a point in live where I could do mountain host or ski patrol. Right now I'm too poor and have too many time restraints. If I'm going to work at a mountain at this point it'll be doing a paid position. I've found working at the local mountain to lots of fun and rewarding, even if it's a job that's not on the snow. I enjoy being part of the whole scene.

 

[ed-drum]

The "R" in "HOSERS" stood for "Retards":smash: Orville still looks for hippies with long hair and commies with beards.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

The "R" in "HOSERS" stood for "Retards":smash: Orville still looks for hippies with long hair and commies with beards.

hahahahahaha

 

[dmc]

The "R" in "HOSERS" stood for "Retards":smash: Orville still looks for hippies with long hair and commies with beards.

Dude.... you just insulted like everyone I know.... wow...

 

[ed-drum]

Hey DMC, did you ever see how long my hair gets? Like halfway down my back! People look for me on the slope and know it's me because of the hair flowing in the wind. It's shorter now because it gets to be a pain. It'll grow back. The only time my hair was short was when the Air Force made me keep it short. Some of the people you hang with are bald. Take a laxative!

 

[dmc]

Hey DMC, did you ever see how long my hair gets? Like halfway down my back! People look for me on the slope and know it's me because of the hair flowing in the wind. It's shorter now because it gets to be a pain. It'll grow back. The only time my hair was short was when the Air Force made me keep it short. Some of the people you hang with are bald. Take a laxative!

What does that have to do with calling my friends retards?

whatever.... no worries...

 

[ed-drum]

I didn't call your friends retards. That's what "HOSERS" stood for. I started skiing Hunter when you were still in Ohio. WOW!

 

[Sparky]

I’ve been a part time instructor for 11 years now and I’m looking forward to doing it again this year. It does take time out of your ski day, but not all of it. I often get several hours a day to ski, depending on how busy it is, and I get to take training runs early in the morning before the mountain opens. I thing the best benefit, other then a season pass for myself and my wife(very important) is the training from a variety of very experienced instructors. My mountain will bring in PSIA examiner level people to train and evaluate instructors. The trainers at the mountain are also very good some of them have been PSIA certified for 30+ years, and they are always willing to “take a run” with you. Not many people are there for the money, this year it may cover the gas, but the other benefits make it worth while for me, and the folks I work with. By the way if anyone is interested in being an instructor, part time or other wise PM me and I’ll point you in the right direction.