There came a point during the past few weeks when I started actually living here - working, making friends, playing in the snow, enjoying my life - instead of just existing, and since then I've found it increasingly difficult to write. Hopefully I can reverse that trend.
*
Here's what my typical day looks like.
I get a wake-up call from CC at 6:30am and drag myself out of bed and into the shower. I watch the news, throw on the same black long undies and have a bowl of raisin bran before leaving the house around 7:15. I drive 10 miles up US82 to Snowmass (listening to either NPR or an awesome Randy Travis album), park my car in the employee lot and take a bus the rest of the way to work at the Treehouse in the new base village.
Sunday through Tuesday I head to the employee locker room in the basement, put on my blue uniform, grab a radio and start hauling the ski racks onto the plaza in front of the Treehouse. Technically I'm part of a crew called the "Kids Kave" (I hate that it's spelled with a K) and I work with a few other people - my boss TL, LH (the only other girl), MT, DB, RB, AK, JM - and on any given day they're there to help with setup. Our job is to help the ski school function - we pack down the kids trails, organize the areas where parents drop off and pick up kids, run the lodges where instructors take students for breaks, set up and take down fences, shovel, etc etc etc. We're the backbone of the Treehouse and the job is NEVER boring, which thrills me. After the plaza is ready to go, I grab my skis and hop on the gondola, which takes me to the Elk Camp Meadows Beginner's Magic Lounge. This place is "my baby," as TL calls it. I spend the next two hours getting it running - making coffee, cleaning, putting up fences and ski racks outside, etc. At about 10am dozens and dozens of ski pros and students show up, so I greet them and help people figure out where they're supposed to be. I'm a certified ski tech and almost every day someone needs me to adjust their bindings or fix something. Then I ski down for lunch, which is SO good - free, delicious, and I eat with some combination of people I really like. After lunch, TL usually has random projects to tackle around the mountain, so I spend the next couple of hours on my skis. At about 2:30 I head back to ECM to clean everything up. At 3:30 my friend RS rides the gondola up after his class is over and we ski down together (perhaps the most fun part of the day). We head to the locker room, change out of our snow pants, and some contingency of us (usually 10-15 people) head next door to the new tavern, Sneaky's, for a $3 Fat Tire before heading home.
Thursday through Saturday I head to the employee locker room in the basement, put on my red uniform, grab my skis and head upstairs to wait for my class - a group of three- to six-year-olds that can be anywhere from one kid to seven, brand-new skiers or level 6s (better than some of my friends). Once everyone arrives, we get bundled up and head outside for the day. Sometimes this involves me catching kids or picking kids up off the snow all day (whilst in my 161-length skis); sometimes this involves me tearing down tree runs with a group of incredible skiers behind me. In both scenarios, I LOVE what I'm doing. Their parents pick them up at 3, at which point I head to the locker room, change out of my snow pants, and some contingency of us (usually 10-15 people) head next door to Sneaky's for a $3 Fat Tire before heading home.
Once I'm home I go for a run, find something for dinner, check my email, talk to CC and/or my family...and go to sleep. On fun but rare occasions, a group of us will go out - we already have favorite bars in Aspen (or we poach hot tubs) - but most of the time we're all so exhausted from skiing uphill all day that we call it an early night.
*
I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said "Aspen/Snowmass: My Life is Better Than Your Vacation." It should be our motto because it's SO true. I LOVE living here. My job is amazing; I'm incredibly lucky to be working full-time (everyone else had to find a second job) and I honestly don't know which job (the "blue" one or the "red" one) I love more. I absolutely love the people I'm around, all of whom have turned into close friends. I couldn't pick a better group of people to spend an odyssey year with. It will NOT quit snowing here, either - we've had EIGHT FEET in the last two weeks. The whole experience has been phenomenal. I just feel so darn lucky.
*
Here's what my typical day looks like.
I get a wake-up call from CC at 6:30am and drag myself out of bed and into the shower. I watch the news, throw on the same black long undies and have a bowl of raisin bran before leaving the house around 7:15. I drive 10 miles up US82 to Snowmass (listening to either NPR or an awesome Randy Travis album), park my car in the employee lot and take a bus the rest of the way to work at the Treehouse in the new base village.
Sunday through Tuesday I head to the employee locker room in the basement, put on my blue uniform, grab a radio and start hauling the ski racks onto the plaza in front of the Treehouse. Technically I'm part of a crew called the "Kids Kave" (I hate that it's spelled with a K) and I work with a few other people - my boss TL, LH (the only other girl), MT, DB, RB, AK, JM - and on any given day they're there to help with setup. Our job is to help the ski school function - we pack down the kids trails, organize the areas where parents drop off and pick up kids, run the lodges where instructors take students for breaks, set up and take down fences, shovel, etc etc etc. We're the backbone of the Treehouse and the job is NEVER boring, which thrills me. After the plaza is ready to go, I grab my skis and hop on the gondola, which takes me to the Elk Camp Meadows Beginner's Magic Lounge. This place is "my baby," as TL calls it. I spend the next two hours getting it running - making coffee, cleaning, putting up fences and ski racks outside, etc. At about 10am dozens and dozens of ski pros and students show up, so I greet them and help people figure out where they're supposed to be. I'm a certified ski tech and almost every day someone needs me to adjust their bindings or fix something. Then I ski down for lunch, which is SO good - free, delicious, and I eat with some combination of people I really like. After lunch, TL usually has random projects to tackle around the mountain, so I spend the next couple of hours on my skis. At about 2:30 I head back to ECM to clean everything up. At 3:30 my friend RS rides the gondola up after his class is over and we ski down together (perhaps the most fun part of the day). We head to the locker room, change out of our snow pants, and some contingency of us (usually 10-15 people) head next door to the new tavern, Sneaky's, for a $3 Fat Tire before heading home.
Thursday through Saturday I head to the employee locker room in the basement, put on my red uniform, grab my skis and head upstairs to wait for my class - a group of three- to six-year-olds that can be anywhere from one kid to seven, brand-new skiers or level 6s (better than some of my friends). Once everyone arrives, we get bundled up and head outside for the day. Sometimes this involves me catching kids or picking kids up off the snow all day (whilst in my 161-length skis); sometimes this involves me tearing down tree runs with a group of incredible skiers behind me. In both scenarios, I LOVE what I'm doing. Their parents pick them up at 3, at which point I head to the locker room, change out of my snow pants, and some contingency of us (usually 10-15 people) head next door to Sneaky's for a $3 Fat Tire before heading home.
Once I'm home I go for a run, find something for dinner, check my email, talk to CC and/or my family...and go to sleep. On fun but rare occasions, a group of us will go out - we already have favorite bars in Aspen (or we poach hot tubs) - but most of the time we're all so exhausted from skiing uphill all day that we call it an early night.
*
I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said "Aspen/Snowmass: My Life is Better Than Your Vacation." It should be our motto because it's SO true. I LOVE living here. My job is amazing; I'm incredibly lucky to be working full-time (everyone else had to find a second job) and I honestly don't know which job (the "blue" one or the "red" one) I love more. I absolutely love the people I'm around, all of whom have turned into close friends. I couldn't pick a better group of people to spend an odyssey year with. It will NOT quit snowing here, either - we've had EIGHT FEET in the last two weeks. The whole experience has been phenomenal. I just feel so darn lucky.
1 comment:
How....unexpected :-)
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