Snow Orientation Part 1

Remember that girl from New York who had never gone camping in the complete wilderness up until just a few months ago? Well, the adventurous side of her took over, as she decided to go camping in the snow. That's right ladies and gents, I signed up for Snow Orientation. I can't exactly explain what it is that sounded so appealing to me, maybe it was the thought of being forced to slowly melt snow in order to have drinking water, constantly battling the elements and trying to stay warm. Perhaps it was knowing that we'd be hiking our way into the mountains with heavy backpacks. Okay I know this doesn't sound very appealing to most people, but for me it's all about trying something new. I came out here looking for adventure, and learning how to survive under these conditions seems like a pretty good skill to have.

The Night Before

I'll admit, packing was hard. While I was emptying the contents of my makeup bag and replacing them with necessities like a compass, first aid kit and hand sanitizer, all I could think about was how my parents were starting out their luxurious Caribbean cruise. Not to mention, I'm horrible at packing. It seems I always bring more than I need, but on this trip consolidation was necessary. I was going to be carrying everything I needed on my back, so anything extra would just be dead weight. So, I went through my checklist and made sure I packed only items I'd need. I learned in class that no matter how cozy I thought my Hurley hoodie was, it wouldn't be reasonable to pack because cotton is terrible for wilderness camping. Once it gets wet it'll stay wet, and in order to stay warm out there you need to stay dry.

As I climbed into bed that night I was anxious and nervous for what the weekend would bring. I didn't sleep well at all, but every time I woke up I was more and more thankful for the warmth of my fleece blanket and the comforter my mom made me.

Day 1

We started out early with Drew knocking on my door around 7:30 am. He brought over the food that needed to stay refrigerated. We packed everything up and made our way down to the lower parking lot, where we met up with the rest of the crew. We loaded up the van and headed off.

packing the sleds

Once we got to the spot where we'd begin hiking we unloaded the van and filled sleds with things we'd need but couldn't fit in our backpacks like tarps, food and snowshoes. Then we set out on a hike, which wasnt very difficult because there had been so many snowmobilers out rinding that the trail was packed down really well. When we got close to our camping spot we had to veer off trail, which was a little bit more difficult because the snow was deep. During this hike staying hydrated and well fed was crucial. Your body never tells you that you are thirsty until it's too late, so we frequently stopped to take a break.

digging out the shelter
Setting up camp made me feel like a kid again. We dug giant holes in the ground and set tarps over them to shelter us from wind and snow. It felt like we were building snow forts. However, these "forts" were much more high tech. First we had to stomp out a platform where we would dig, then let it sit for 15-20 minutes so the snow could harden. We began digging out the basic shape of our shelter, and once we got it to a depth we liked Drew set up dead men as anchors for the corners of the tarp. We then dug out stairs, and had to dig a whole deeper than our ground level because cold air sinks, we didn't want to be sleeping at the lowest point.

the finnished product
Before we knew it, it was supper time. We cooked our food and had discussions about sleeping warm. It was getting late and cold since the sun went down, so we filled up our waterbottles with hot water and went to bed.

Day 2

I slept really well, only waking up a couple of times during the night. In fact, I was so warm and cozy it was difficult to get up in the morning, but hungar took over so I headed to the kitchen for breakfast. Once we all ate we walked around the campsite and talked about the different shelters we had built. We then proceeded to destroy them, taking down the tarps and filling the holes back in the best we could so no wild life would get injured from falling in them.

the kitchen

Then it was time for class where we learned about hypothermia, and had a lesson on how to use beacons. They were both very serious topics-- hypothermia can be hard to identify in its early stages, and its effects can be devastating. And obviously, riding backcountry and knowing how to properly use your equipment is vital. Avalanches are disastrous and only about half the victims caught in them survive. We took turns hiding beacons and finding them. I'm glad I had the opportunity to work with them, but I still wouldn't go out in the backcountry until I know exaclty what I'm doing.

the classroom

Overall, last weekend was a great experience. I feel like I learned a lot and can't wait to go out again this weekend for the four day trip!

Working for "The Man"

My whole life I was lead to believe that work is a horrible place. I watched as people in my life seem more stressed out about work then they were concerned about enjoying life. So, I did it. I went out and got a job I knew I'd dislike. My first six months of training were inside a two foot area where I had to greet people hello and pack their groceries as friendly and efficiently as possible. I was then moved to the produce department of the supermarket, where I put fruit on shelves and looked forward to the occasional food fight in the back room. Don't get me wrong, the people I worked with were friendly and the company was very generous to it's employees. But still, I felt like every time I walked through the doors I was just going through the motions-- Locker Room, Hair Check, Does my breath smell okay? How long til' lunch break?-- You get the point.

I knew there had to be more out there, a job I'd really enjoy. I mean how many times have you heard the saying "Do what you love and never work a day in your life". I heard it all the time growing up, and after a year off of school I decided to live out my dreams. I sat down and thought about what made me happiest in life; snowboarding. Then I searched for schools that had snowboarding as part of their curriculum. It was the thing that made me happiest, so I wanted to find a job where I could make it part of my every day life. After a lot of research I decided Colorado Mountain College would be my number one choice. After all, it is the only school in the country that offers a degree in Ski and Snowboard Business. When I first presented the idea to my family they were kind of shocked. There was the money aspect-- "how will you afford it?", and the whole distance thing--"You'll never be home for holidays". Plus there was the fact that it's such a specified program, but after seeing how passionate I was about doing this they came around and understood. So I packed my bags and headed out.

Since I've been here I've learned how to properly fit people for ski and snowboard boots, how to tune and wax a board, I've learned the basics in selling, shop management, and how to design and market a snowboard.

One of the classes I am taking this semester is Work Experience. Basically, you take the skills you've learned in the classroom and have to use them in real life. You can get any internship that is ski and snowboard related. To help knock off some of my hours I decided to go to the SIA (Snowsport Industries America) Show in Las Vegas. I interned for Grenade, and it was one of the best weeks of my life. After all, how bad can your job be when "The Man" you are working for is Danny Kass?

It was a long drive there, but temperature rose the closer we got to sin city. I love the snow but I have to admit, the warm weather was a nice break from the Colorado winter. We arrived a day early so I went out and explored the strip, visiting everything from the M&M Factory to the ESPN Sports Zone. I met up with some friends from school as they arrived and we spent the rest of the evening exploring the city. I went to bed rather early because I knew it was going to be an early morning and had no idea what I'd be doing for Grenade.

The first day of work was incredibly hectic. We got there in the morning and our booth was bare. There was a little office room and a ton of boxes, everything was a mess. As interns, it was our job to start sorting it out. We spent the day hanging up outerwear, setting up the clothing line and running around trying to find forgotten necessities like scissors and sharpies. It wasn't necessarily a fun day but it was rewarding seeing the booth all set up, knowing we were responsible for it.

The rest of the week I was responsible for helping the Reps out with product demonstrations. Part of this included making sure the buyers were as comfortable as possible by seating them, getting them something to drink, and giving them a buyer's guide. Once the demonstrations started I would hand the reps the gear they needed to present and take it back when they were done showing off it's features. I also helped out with appointment check-ins and anything else the reps needed throughout the week.

When I got some free time I walked around the show to check out the new line for 2009. It was awesome talking to people who truly spend every day doing what they love. When they aren't out riding they are designing products for riders, or out selling it. The most encouraging thing was meeting people who were graduates from the Ski and Snowboard Business Program. It didn't take much effort to find them working for companies. All you had to do was mention that you were going to school in Steamboat and they popped out of the woodwork. Even one of the reps from Grenade graduated from the program when it first started up almost 20 years ago. It was really refreshing to see where this degree can take me.