Spring Private Lessons

I can't count this as a run today, however I did manage to get some snowboard school work in. During the spring, you can sign up for "privates" or "supergroups" work. It's all run by seniority and since I'm the new guy in town, I probably won't be getting much of this kind of work. But I am on the schedule for this week and this afternoon I took three new snowboarders out to Blackcomb. It's kind of nice to only work a two hour session vs. a 6hr day. I definitely prefer working with the kids, but when spring privates pays 3x the ca$h of my regular kids gig .... standing around in the rain for a couple hours isn't so bad. Better than sitting at a desk.

* * * O N E H U N D R E D * * *

Showed up for work today with three other snowboard instructors only to find one kid signed up to take lessons. He was a Level 3 (he learned how to turn yesterday) and had one of my co-workers as his instructor on Thursday. We tend to keep the kids with the same instructor as many days as possible. Fortunately for me, his instructor couldn't care less about working today and since I already drove an hour to get to work, I was happy to take him for the day. Well, I took him for about 2.5hrs cause his father signed him out at noon!! So..... after lunch I headed up Garbonzo to check out the conditions in the Alpine. Sun was shining and temps were warm which meant ... soft wet snow. I made my way back to the village, feeling tired and not really wanting to snowboard in spring conditions, turned in my class card and headed home early. It wasn't an exciting Day 100. But it is Day 100! I plan on instructing and/or riding through May so I will keep blogging until my season officially comes to an end. You never know, I might hit up the Glacier in July or August. tee hee

nine T9

So far, my last week of work has just been awesome (I'm prepared for Friday to be horrible!). The brother and sister duo were back and since they were two different level riders, Dawn and I were able to keep one each and shred it all day (Day 99). We ran into each other a few times and rode together for a few runs, but for the most part, it was just me and my one student. Yesterday she had tears coming down her eyes because she wanted no part of blue runs. Today, she was turning down the steep blues! ..... it's gotta be her instructor.... ; )

Fun time at lunch time! Is that Fat Albert's friend????

Day 98 - Going out with a bang

Today was awesome. My co-worker Dawn and I rode together with our classes. She had 1 kid and I had 3 kids (big classes. NOT!) It's fun to have small classes because the kids get much more riding and learning in. Dawn has a lot of cool tricks to make practice fun and exciting for the kids. I learned a lot from her today. She had some very good techniques and different drills to make sure the kids have good mechanics throughout their riding and it keeps them interested. Day 98, our kids were Level 3's and 4's so we did all of our riding up on the Alpine. Though the snow wasn't as great as yesterday, it was still really good..... especially for this time of year. I had a blast.

Day 97 - Just a great day

I had a glorious day today. My one Level 3 was joined by three other Level 3 kids and we shred some serious gnar!! After a quick warm-up run under the Olympic Chair, we headed to the Roundhouse. It was awesome up there. For starters: no one was there. The place seemed empty. Next: the snow (even on the groomed runs) was incredible. Not only that, but it snowed throughout the entire day leaving tons of untouched powder on the runs. It was awesome. I couldn't believe the quality of the snow, especially for this time of year. Day 97 was such a great day. And the good news: they are all coming back tomorrow!

Day 96 - the beginning of The End

Remember back two weeks ago when we had close to 1,000 skiers and riders in lessons? The week before Easter we had: 50... 75.... 100+ snowboarders. Well, now it's two weeks after Easter and guess how many snowboarders we had signed up for Snowboard School?? Five. Yes, you read that correctly: just 5! (sniff, sniff).

Even though the season is coming to an end, two things were great about today (Day 96). #1) It snowed its butt off today (even at mid-station) for the entire day. We probably got close to 6inches of new snow during the afternoon. #2) Five snowboarders mean tiny classes. And for me, that meant one Level 1. But wait! There's more! This Level 1 is in Adventure Camp, which means I have work until Wednesday, at least. AND!!! He went from being a Level 1 to a Level 3 by the end of the day!! Yes, a Level 3. So tomorrow and Wednesday, I will be doing most of my riding in the Alpine. How sweet is that??

No kids at the CLC!

Yes, that is a heck of a lot of snow for April 16th!

Day 95 - insane snow for April 14

I dragged Kevin out of bed this AM knowing/hoping/praying the snow would be good. With 13inches of snow in the last 24hrs. - you have to take advantage of that this time of year. The sun was shining in the morning..... fresh snow and blue skies meant the day was going to rock. We immediately headed for Harmony and made our way to Symphony via the Sun Bowl (once again). The snow was awesome and we were able to take fresh lines almost every run. By noon, heavy clouds set in and visibility was awful. Not only that, but the temps dropped and the winds picked up. We froze our butts off at the top of Harmony around 2pm, trying to make our way back to Creekside. It was like a totally different day. Either way, it was a great Day 95! This is probably Kevin's last day of riding this season, but I have at least another 5 to go. Hopefully more!!!

Day 94 - Friday the 13th

It was hella snowing its azz off today (Day 94) at Whistler. I was hoping for some Level 3 kids so I could go to the Alpine but, once again, I ended up with Level 2 kids. (I guess management really thinks I do a great job with level two's.) Anyway, we spent the day under the Olympic Chair and half of them were turning by lunch. Andy built a really cool jump by the Magic Carpet (complete with a gap!) so the kids had a great time practicing their terrain park tricks. I was pretty wet by the end of the day, ..... but when it's wet from snow and NOT rain, u kind of don't mind.

Day 93 - April brrrrrr.......

Temps at mid-station this AM (Day 93) were freezing! Not only that, but it snowed most of the day..... yippeee!!! I elected to grab another group of kids who had never snowboarded before (Level 1 hearts). I had no desire to sit on the cold and slow Olympic Chair with slightly higher level riders today. With Level 1 kids, you are constantly moving around, holding them up, pulling them up, adjusting their bindings, helping them get down the hill, etc. etc. Stuff that keeps you moving and keeps you warm.

Day 92 - Another sunny one

On Day 92, the temps were warm and the sun was shining bright. I had no Adventure Camp kids today so I was early in (8am instead of 9am) and early out (3:30pm instead of 4:30pm). My group today was 7 Level one kids who had never snowboarded before and by the end of the day, most of them were turning down the Olympic Carpet. They all graduated to Level 2 hearts (not bad). A typical non-eventful Wednesday afternoon. I like those once in a while.

Day 91 - the end of never-ending Rice Krispy Treats

Well, it's finally come. The day (Day 91) when the Children's Learning Center (this is where Ski School eats lunch) has run out of Rice Krispy Treats. I'm relieved yet bummin' at the same time. I have to admit, there have been days when I have chowed down at least 10 of those tasty all-u-can-eat treats at lunch. Luckily, now they are gone and my waistline will be grateful.

I was super tired today. Once again, I had Level 2 kids who needed to learn how to turn. Spent the day on Olympic Chair. Weather was okay.... sunny / cloudy / sunny / cloudy .... not too cold, not too hot. Nothing exciting, everything was just right.

Gangster Otto!

Day 90 - Happy Easter

Day 90 was Easter Sunday. The temps have cooled down a bit and the clouds have set in. It was super foggy on the Olympic Chair where I had 4 Level 2 riders who could already turn. After lunch we broke out of the fog when we hit the Roundhouse. Even though I was tired, the day went by pretty fast. 22 more days in April, 9 more scheduled work days, and 10 days to 100!

Day 89 - crap. it's spring.....

Spring has sprung in Canada. The last two days have been in the 40s F at the Alpine. What does that mean? Wet, slushy, slooooow snow. In other words, crap. Kevin and Alli joined me for Day 89. We made our way to Harmony and headed down Sun Bowl. Practically walked the cat track back to the Harmony (slushy snow). We rode from Roundhouse down to the bottom, dodging big brown mud puddles on the way. Finally we settled in to Garibaldi Lift Co for some apres.

Ocho Ocho

Good Friday (Day 88) was a good Friday. Small class today of 3 boys, all started as Level 3 hearts and advanced to Level 4 stars by the end the day. I accidently took them down a black diamond run coming off Garbonzo Chair (Raven) ....... but they all turned down it. Granted, Raven is an easy black run, but it was still a black run. One kid was launching himself off jumps and I even ventured to the terrain park for small jumps and boxes. Of course, I sucked at the jumps and boxes. But the kids loved it.

Do these goggles make my face look tan?

Day 87 - Another Level 2 class

My boss told me today that I have done 20 Level 2 classes since I started. The bosses try to spread you evenly amongst the different levels. Guess they weren't spreading me thin enough. I'm not complaining as Level 2's are awesome. You can take them on the Olympic Chair to learn how to turn and once they start turning, they're eager to head to the top. On Day 87, I had 6 Level 2's. Actually, I started the day with 10 Level 2 kids and split them up between me and another instructor named Pip. It was kind of fun sharing a group today, but by the time lunch was finished, my kids were ready to head up to the Roundhouse and shred from there.

Day 86 - over the Easter Hump

Another day with 8 kids. They are making progress as most of them ended the day as a Level 2 star, which means they are turning. I decided to get the kids up to the Roundhouse and let them enjoy some freeriding for their last day of camp. Everyone enjoyed it with the exception of one kid. He was our team "couch potato" and I pushed him hard. He wanted to quit on top of Upper Whiskey Jack and I made him snowboard all the way down to the CLC. tee hee. I'm such a hard ass on Day 86.

Day 85 - Goggle Tan

Having 9 kids is pretty hectic. I got rid of one first thing in the morning. He wasn't making as much progress as the other kids so I had to keep him back in a lower level and move him to another instructor. Around lunch time, I lost a kid and had a girl break her wrist at the same time. It was kind of a hectic morning but I worked through it. I think I'm down to 7 kids for tomorrow. Day 85 was beautiful weather wise. The sun was shining like crazy and I was able to continue working on my goggle tan.

Day 84 - I N S A N i T Y

A busy day for ski school is 200 kids. This is the beginning of the two week Easter rush. Apparently, Whistler Kids has NEVER been as busy as they are this week. Today we had close to 1,000 kids signed up for Ski School. HOLY CRAP! I said, ONE THOUSAND kids. We completely took over the Village from the hours of 8am-9am and once again from 3pm-4pm. I worked in Adventure Camp today (which means I have the same kids for the next 3 days). My 9 kids have never snowboarded before. By the end of today, they were all sideslipping. I hope to get them turning tomorrow. Should be an interesting week.

Day 83 - Easter Madness!!

Since the Ski School is almost over (13 more days), I've decided to work as many shifts as possible before closing day. Today I was able to pick up a Sunday shift (Day 83). The weather was cold, freezing actually and it was snowing (a light snow) most of the day. I had 7 Level 2 kids who are just starting to turn. We took some runs on the long magic carpet and then took some runs under the Olympic Chair. The Easter rush has started. Tomorrow we have over 200 kids signed up just for Adventure Camp alone!!! It's going to be a long crazy week.