M iXi M            

March 1, 2001  A Good Job Is Worth Waiting For...


A good job IS worth waiting for but I am out of time. Or am I still waiting? I do a lot of sitting and waiting at my new job. Maybe something will come along yet.

I am a lift operator at Snow Ridge . I sit in a small shed and wait for people to ride up the chair lift. When they get there I watch them get off, and in the event that they fall or some other mishap occurs, I have the power to stop the lift, so things can get straightened out. I don't stop the lift often. I am told to avoid stopping the lift for a number of reasons. One is I don't have the power to restart it. It takes me calling the bottom of the lift, and in the mean time people are sitting in the wind and snow waiting.

My first day I was sent to the top on the North Slope lift. Here is the ramp and my shed.



The shed looks small and it is. Maybe big enough for two chairs, but then you couldn't get in and out. So there is just one chair, and a little heater.

To get to the top, I rode a snowmobile for the first time. It was prettyexciting right up the steep hill. Later they moved me to another slope, andI had my first sled accident. On the way up we tipped and I just got dumpedoff. The driver made a funny scoffing noise. I don't know if I did somethingwrongor not. We never spoke of it.

I was glad to fall off the sled. I am a little afraid of them, but not as much as I am afraid of chair lifts. Riding the lift is the normal way toget up to the shed. I am afraid of chair lifts as much as playground sides.Given the choice I would rather hop off of a moving freight train than achair lift. And I have had equally bad experiences with all three.



My first day was a beautiful, sunny and relatively warm day. No one was wearing masks so I watched their expressions as they got ready to dismount. I think every one is afraid of chair lifts. Of particular interest is parents with toddlers. They have very distinct styles for hauling their kids off the chair and down the ramp. Most resemble a cat carrying a kitten. Others are impossible to desribe and fun to watch.

The first time I stopped the lift, it was because a girl neglected to get off. She was so worried about falling that she just stayed on. The ramp dropped out from under her, and she was stuck hanging five feet in the air. So her friend helped her get her snow board off, while I called for help. It turns out the only option is to get her down. No one is allowed to ride the lift around again. So I was told to help her down. I made her jump. There wasat least a  foot of soft snow where she landed and she was fine.

All this was my first day. Did I mention I had a 101 degree fever?

I have had other interesting firsts in a week. My second day, I had to ride the lift up for the first time. I was so nervous I just hopped off the chair and dove, cascading down the icy ramp. It was less than graceful, but hurt a lot less than a similar dismount on a railroad bed. I have since gotten pretty good at getting down. It is hard with out skis because you don't slide. You have to stand quickly  and start  running. Try it as home with a stationary chair. Imagine that the chair will chase you as soon as youget up, and try and knock you in the head. Oh, that is so scary to thinkabout, no wonder everyone is afraid.




I learned how to run a lift from the bottom. They are each a little different to set up and start but the idea is the same. Turn it on, and check the safety switches, then start sending people up. You stand outside when people are around and direct them up the ramp, then help them into the chair. Most people know the drill but I was learning the lift for the easiest slope so there were first time riders. Twice, little kids that I loaded fell out, and four feet to the ground. I felt really bad but Brian says, "it happens." No wonder people are afraid.

So that is my job. I am getting used to the life. My first week was winter break so it was very busy. This week so far I have seen three skiers, intwo days. I am sitting in the shed at Bunny Bowl. I am in charge of the ropepull, and basically just have to yell at kids if they misuse it. There areno kids. They are all in school. This shed has been called the Ritz-Carlton.It has electric heat so the pilot doesn't go out and you just turn it onin the morning. It is new and threats from the maintenance guy have so farkept it clean and graffiti free. (Though I like the graffiti in some of thesheds, especially reports, of extraordinary events. "3-21-00 Had girl gethung up by knapsack" "2-20-99 six inches of powder, (perfect conditions)eight skiers all day") And I have a power outlet for my computer. So I willsit here for six hours and listen to mp3s.

In another week I will have a cell phone and I will be able to get my email all day. This is the life.

MiXiM