Lessons Learned, Part 1

As I've hinted at several times, my first few weeks as a snowboard instructor haven't been perfect. Mistakes are (of course) to be expected, I'm just not used to a job where mistakes can be so painful and stressful. For example, on my first day in the kids' school I was given a group of two kids who had never snowboarded before. We slowly made our way down to the First Time chair. As we started down the run for the first time it became obvious that there was a very large split in the two students' ability to pick up snowboarding. The girl was athletic, had great balance, and a strong desire to keep moving. By the time we were three-fourths of the way down the slope she was starting to put turns together. The boy, on the other hand, wasn't picking things up as quickly. To put it kindly, his body wasn't really designed for snowboarding. He was a little over five feet tall and easily weighed over 200 hundred pounds. Additionally, he was built like some sort of inverted pyramid; the bulk of his weight was quite high off the ground. Needless to say his high center of mass dictated a poor sense of balance, meaning he spent a lot of time on the ground. And when you've got that much weight meeting the mountain it hurts, no matter how you try to soften the blow.

So I spent a lot of time with him, struggling to pull him to his feet, trying my best to keep him in control, and cringing as his body continued its futile assault on the snowy slope. Finally I yelled down to the girl, who had been waiting for way to long and desperately wanted to keep going, telling her to make her way down to the bottom as I continued my slow journey down. It took me a minute, but I slowly realized that, despite her skills, this was her first time down the slope and she shouldn't be left alone at any point or for any reason. I looked back down to where I last saw here, but (as she was told) she had continued down and was now lost in a sea of beginners.

Slightly panicked, I was able to get the boy down in some semblance of a reasonable speed, but as we approached the lift she was no where to be found. Slightly more panicked now, I told the boy to hang tight for a second while I took a quickly look through the First Time run to find her. He seemed happy to nurse his sore body for a few more minutes and I took off back up the lift, scanning the slopes the entire time. Five minutes later I arrived back at the bottom, without the girl and now in full-on panic mode. I was faced with the unenviable task of calling Radio Central to tell them I had a "misplaced guest" (we don't want to scare people by saying "lost child"). I then had little to do but continue on with my other kid as the ski school, ski patrol, and the girl's parents were all alerted.

A long thirty minutes later the girl was found. She had taken the right path but had jumped on the chair next to First Time (which had just opened that day) and was enjoying herself on that run. She was thankfully okay and her parents were also extremely understanding (they claimed she has a knack for getting lost). Regardless, it's my job to know exactly where she was at every second and it was a huge failing on my part. Expecting a painful talk with my supervisor, I headed toward him after my lesson finally finished. He was (obviously) not happy, but in the end just wanted to make sure I had my act together before the busy season started. I told him I would.

Three days passed -- two days off and one surprisingly successful kids class -- and the pain slowly left me. I felt absolutely horrible for the mistake I made, but in the end everyone was okay and I definitely learned something from it. On the fourth day I was again tasked with taking care of two kids for the day. They both picked up snowboarding fairly slowly and as we reached the bottom of the First Time run for the first time, they were still working on traversing across the mountain. The last hundred feet of the the First Time run are a little steeper and narrower than the rest of the hill and as one of my girl traversed across it, her board slowly pointed down the fall line and started picking up speed. "Keep your weight on your toes!" I yelled after her but as she picked up a little speed she started panicking. She shifted her weight towards her heels (sending the board straight down the hill), screamed, and fell backwards awkwardly where she lay still. I speed down to catch up with her. I sat in the snow with her, helping her breath and relax, but she was obviously in pain. "My wrist hurts real bad," she whispered, fighting back tears, "I think it's broken."

I gently took her board off and helped her get comfortable. She was still in a lot of pain, but was surprisingly calm. Together we walked down to the first aid HQ (which, for some reason, is right next to the First Time run), and started to get her comfortable again. Unfortunately, since she was a minor, the paramedics could to little until her parents arrived. Even more unfortunately, no one could get a hold of her parents. They were out on a snowboarding lesson too and for some reason it took us nearly two hours to track them down. I had to continue on with the rest of my class so I was unable to sit with her as she waited. After each run down I poked my head in, hoping I wouldn't find her still sitting alone in the waiting room, but there she was for two hours. Finally her father arrived, x-rays could be taken, and her suspicions could be confirmed: she had a fracture in her forearm.

I knew there was nothing I could to help and there was really nothing I could have done to help prevent it from happening, but I still felt awful. She was in from Florida and was going to be staying in Park City for seven days. Those seven days would now be spent laying at home, trying not to move her arm. I sat at home that night, thinking about my first four days as a snowboard instructor. My track record: one lost kid and one broken arm.

Teaching snowboard is not -- as I originally envisioned -- playing around with kids on the mountain all day. Every time they stand up I see a fall back down waiting to happen, every fall a possible broken bone or dislocated joint. Every time I turn my back on a student, even for a two seconds, there is a possibility that they will disappear. I've always considered programming to be a stressful job, but I've decided that stressful is an extremely relative term. A careless moment at the office never left a coworker lost (well maybe mentally, but never physically) and the closest thing to a workplace injury I've experienced was a sore wrist from too much foosball. But taking care of kids for a day is stressful. Taking care of kids for a day while trying to herd them around an incredible crowded mountain and teaching them a dangerous and painful sport is extremely stressful. Every day now I get home and let out a sigh of relief: no lost kids and no broken body parts means the day was a success. Everything (or anything) else that happens is a bonus.

Merry Christmas!







As advertised, things have been busy this. Remember when I said "it certainly doesn't feel like a grind yet"? That was so last week. I've been teaching for about two weeks now and although I'm not a seasoned veteran by any stretch of the imagination, I feel like I've been in the trenches for a while. And I've got a big circle around January 1st, 2007; that'll be the first day I get to sleep in past 6:45 and I plan to stay in bed well past that time. But, yes, I've got some good (and bad) stories to share.

But I won't be sharing them quite yet. Today is one of busiest days on the mountain, but I'm not working this morning. I have a couple free minutes to relax before heading back up there for the afternoon. I just wanted to take a minute to wish everyone a very merry Christmas. I was lucky enough to have my family join me in Park City for the holidays. It's been a great holiday gift and fun to (finally) share a white Christmas with them. I hope everyone else is enjoying the holidays with friends or family, too.

Starting the Grind

Today marked the beginning of the first rush season at Park City. From now through 2007, the mountain could be generously described as controlled chaos (and controlled is very generous). There are people all over the place, it's amazing how fast a town can go from quiet and relaxed to bustling and overflowing. Of course, lots of people means lots of work, so we're in full swing right now. I'll be working every day till January 1st, 2007. It's a long stretch, and I've been told that I may be half-dead by the time all is said and done.

But it's hard to imagine that right now. I spent this morning as a "runner," meaning I greet kids (and parents) as they arrive outside and talk to them to figure out which class the kid should be in. After separating the kids and parents (which can be very easy or very hard) I then take the kid over to his group. There's always a few things that come up when you're doing this, today was no different. I ran back to the rental room with a woman who decided that maybe her beginner would be better off with a helmet. I also go to run a kid downstairs who needed to use the toilet, urgently (fortunately we require all students to be potty trained before they can take a snowboarding lesson...).

So not exactly an exciting morning, but I helped a couple of families relax on their vacation, which always feels good. And since I wasn't teaching kids I was free for private lessons and ended up booked for a couple of lessons in the afternoon. The last lesson didn't end until 4:30, so I was out in the snow (and the 18 degree weather) from about 8:45am to 4:30. It's a long time to be out there, and I was (and still am) tired. But I had fun. Then I realized that someone will be paying me for my time out there. And all I was doing was helping people out and snowboarding. So it certainly doesn't feel like a grind yet, but talk to me in twelve days. :)

Winter Wonderland!







I know, I know, 3 feet of snow fall in 2 days and the best (and only) picture I have is of my car? Well, it's the first thing I saw walking out of my building this morning, and pictures of trees, buildings, mountains, etc. covered in snow really aren't that impressive. I tried though. I took a bunch of pictures of me laying (and getting covered by) the snow, but there ended up being too much Colin, not enough snow.

So, yes, the snow has finally come. This was probably the deepest snow I've ever snowboarded in, it got to the point where I had to find some "less" powdery places because it's just too hard to snowboard in snow up to your hips. But I won't complain. Plus, a great day in the snow can help ease the highs and lows of the previous days. I'm officially a snowboard instructor now and my first three days have been filled with (a few) highs and (a few more) deep lows. There are details that I don't want to go into now, which is fine cause I've got snow to play in.

Tomorrow is my day off and it was supposed to be the day that I get all my Christmas stuff figured out, do my laundry and all that jazz. Unfortunately, when the snow gods talk, I listen. So I'll be up on the mountain again. True, some Christmas gifts may suffer, but that's the price my friends are going to have to pay so I can enjoy my life a little more. Sorry!

I'm off the gym right now, I'm actually going to snowshoe over there! I feel so Nordic.

Utah -- Embrace the Difference!








Who new that traveling within the US could be as fun and strange as traveling around the world? Well I guess everyone knows that Utah is a little different, so it's not really a surprise. But it's been fun discovering the little things that make Utah -- well Utah.

I already mentioned that I was asked for ID while purchasing a lighter. "Welcome to Utah!" the clerk exclaimed, perhaps a little too excitedly. She also mentioned that they give away matches for free. Asked her why, but she decided against attempting to explain the difference.

Before arriving in Utah, everyone had told me their horror stories of the strange liquor laws here. So I was surprised (and happy) to see beer at Albertson's. I was wary, though, as I had heard lots of strange tales. On closer inspection I was dismayed to see that all of the beer was capped at 4% alcohol by volume (aka extremely weak). I don't consider myself a heavy consumer, but if I'm going to pay for alcohol it'd be nice to actually get some alcohol with my purchase.

However, the locals seem to have a good sense of humor regarding Utah's better known stereo types. The beer isle is filled with local brews, most of which make some joke about something Utahian. My favorite so far is "Polygamy Porter" (see picture above), who proudly display their tag line: "Why have just one?"

Speaking of large influences in Utah, I was able to spend a day last week down in Salt Lake City. I didn't have much to do, so I started the day at Temple Square (Mormon HQ). The square was very nice and I would have loved to take some pictures to share... Unfortunately, it's impossible to make it more than 30 steps inside Temple Square without being accosted by a pack of Mormon missionaries. I actually took a guided tour of the square with two sisters, which was fun. I learned a lot about Mormon and Utah's history. And talking with the sisters wasn't too bad, they are two of the most content and relaxed people I've met (I wasn't completely at ease, though -- I made a few comments that I'm pretty sure offended them, which left me afraid to laugh or make jokes at anything).

At the end of the tour I was left in the middle of Temple Square with the charge to "enjoy the atmosphere." I thanked them again and turned to look check out the Tabernacle. I immediately ran into two more (very nice) sisters who wanted to know all about me, the tour I just took, and my religious history. They were very friendly and polite, making it difficult to end the conversation. Ten minutes later I finally bid them farewell and continue on my trek. And, of course, I meet some more friendly Mormons. And have another mind-bending ten minute conversation. I look around and realize it's impossible to go anywhere without this repeating, so I resign and head for the exit. Oh, but of course there's a group posted by the exit, waiting to say goodbye.

Fortunately the rest of the state doesn't seem as eager to discuss my religious history, but my guard has been raised. In New Zealand and Australia I learned that it's much easier to avoid politics than to attempt to agree with with the rest of the world and simultaneously defend the US. In Utah I'm learning it might be easier to avoid religion, too. :)

Christmas Blues

Christmas has always been a stressful time for me. Well not Christmas itself, but the month leading up to it. Christmas shopping is like a perfect storm of bad things: big lines, crazy people, and stressing out over finding the "perfect" gifts. I've discovered a couple of new wrinkles this year that make the experience even more exciting. First is shopping in a new town. As a new resident to Park City and Salt Lake City, I have no idea where to find what I'm looking for. And it's not like I even know what I'm looking for. Usually I just wander around hopelessly until I stumble across something that works (hrm, that sounds like a familiar pattern actually, wait for my next post). Unfortunately, it's hard to wander around when you don't know where the good wandering places are.

Fortunately, there's a great fall-back place called the Internet. As someone who has (recently and repeatedly) bought toothpaste, deodorant, and soap online, I'm more than happy to do my Christmas shopping there too. Sadly, the "home" I'm staying in doesn't really have a shipping address. As you might guess, this makes it exceedingly difficult to actually purchase things online. So, I'm being forced to think up drastic new alternatives. On the bright side, I don't really have that many friends, so I don't have that much stuff to buy. :) Still, I can't wait for December 25th, cause then I won't have to worry about it anymore.

Making Connections -- Well Almost

Due to a series of miscommunications, I haven't actually started teaching yet. I'm scheduled to start Thursday, though, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I have been up on the mountain a couple of times, though. This morning I was cruising on "First Time," the bunny slope. I was watching some other beginner classes and working on a few tricks (the bunny slope is a great place to practice freestyle moves).

In line to get back on the lift I notice a family that's sort of freaking out about something. I ask if I can help out and it turns out they're not sure how to get their (very young) son on lift. I offer to help out, and we survive the lift without any incident. On the way up I mention that I'm a snowboard instructor and learn that the family has a couple of other sons that may need some snowboarding lessons in the upcoming week. She asks for my name so she can request me if they end up getting lessons.

So I'm feeling pretty good about myself. Helped a family get up the lift and made some possible connections. I cruise off the chair and go back to work on my freestyle moves (in this case, some nose and tail rolls). Of course, I immediately catch an edge and eat snow right in front of the family. Oh yes, I certainly left them with a great impression!

Road Trippin'



Well it's been a long, long trip, but I've finally reached my new home for the next five months. I pulled into Park City, Utah a little after 7:00pm last night, 10 days after leaving Kirkland. Sure there was an extended break in California, but that's still a lot of driving. Some things I learned on this trip:

• I hate Oregon. It's basically a state that no one knows or cares about, but it takes forever to drive through. The biggest problem is that Oregon has decided that 55mph is a reasonable speed limit throughout a large part of the state.


• One fun fact from Oregon, though: you're not allowed to pump your own gas. In a throw back to the 50's, Oregon has some strange law that requires gas attendants to do all that dirty work work you. Fortunately, they don't tip them (or if they did I missed my queue), so I can't really complain too much.


• Nevada, on the other hand, is great. Yes, it's a beast of state to drive across, but the speed limit is a dreamy 75mph and the roads are straight. There's something to be said for setting cruise control at 90, kicking back and cruising.


• Driving from Seattle to San Francisco is too much for one day. As I found out, it's 13.5 hours of in car driving time (not including the rest stops), and you end up sore in all sorts of weird places for days afterwards. So on the drive from SF to Park City I opted for the two day route, which was much, much better. But since it was a two day trip, I needed some place to stay, which leads me too...


• Casino's are a great place to stay for a night. I stopped in Reno to grab dinner and watch some Monday Night Football and decided to eat at the El Dorado Casino. The bartender mentioned that rooms were going for $38 a night! That was way, way better than crashing in some motel in Elko, Nevada.

So that pretty much sums up the last two weeks of my life. I've been in Park City for about 24 hours now and Utah is definitely a little different (who knew you'd get carded for buying a lighter?!). That's good, though, I like different. Tomorrow will be my first day on the mountain and I start teaching on Monday. Between getting acclimated with Utah and struggling not to ruin my students' first day on the snow, I should have some fun times coming up soon.

Until then.