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. :)