First day on the mountain

So yesterday was my first day - I arrived a few minutes early, and I wasn't sure where to go or what to do - there is virtually no one there at 7AM. We had a safety briefing in the morning for the 10 or so of us stationed at Snow Park lifts and I went out and started at the bottom of carpenter.

One of the first things I did was piss off some ski instructors when I mistook them for mountain hosts. Ski instructors don't like that. They really don't like that. One of the first guests I loaded onto the chair was Tore Steen - a guy I met 5 years ago in the San Juan islands when we were sailing - I said as much about as fast as I could while he got whisked away - and it appeared as though he remembered me, but he was moving up the hill at 1080 feet per minute by then.

I froze for a couple of hours and was relieved for lunch break at 10. This is a ski break or lunch break - but I was too cold to ski. At 11 I was switched to ticket checking and line organization - which is pretty fun. I went from freezing in the morning air to sweating in the midday sun for the rest of the day.
I like to think I'm a pretty cool customer, but I have to admit I got a little starstruck at one point when Phil Mahre came through the line. Then 20 minutes later Steve Maher came through. Pretty cool.

I was talking on the phone with Kelly in Rochester and she commented on all the women who were going to hit on me, to which I replied there's no way, because lift ops are at the bottom of the pecking order here. Well, I have to say that's not entirely true. One female skier of a certain age did comment on how cute I was while I was checking her season's pass, which she had tucked in her parka. When she came through the line again, as I was checking her pass - I suddenly recognize her and said 'you just wanted me to reach into your jacket again!' ..oh how we laughed.

I did catch one teenage skier who did not have his lift ticket - he was astonished - 'oh, I must have forgotten to go to the ticket window!'

I spoke with at least a dozen people who were visiting from DC (I have Washington DC on my name tag - it will start more conversations than Rochester will).

After, I left and came home to a chili party at the Miles' house - it's Friday night for some people. I felt like I had been hit by a truck, but had a great time with Jay and Susan and Jay's sister Heather and her husband Buster. I played guitar for an hour or so and we took silly pictures, which I will post asap.

Off to work - tonight I am going to see John Minahan's girlfriend perform with both of her bands - two gigs in one night. Reminds me of a time we did a happy hour show at the old Milestones then booked over to do a Shagadelics gig at Fast Eddie's.

 - R