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ski_resort_observer
08-15-2007, 08:40 AM
Hey BMM..talked to your dad yesterday and he advised that you guys will be driving to Colorado to start your college career in a couple of days. Just wanted to wish you the best and I hope you will keep us updated. We will miss you!

skiladi
08-15-2007, 09:15 AM
And don't forget your cowboy hat!

BushMogulMaster
08-15-2007, 10:01 AM
Thanks, SRO. I appreciate it!

I'll keep you posted about how amazing the Colorado powder is. :)

And skiladi... no worries... I'll take the hat!

As of right now, my post-Ski Area Operations degree plans are to return to this area, ideally at Sugarbush. But it will depend on job availability and a whole slew of factors. I may stay for a couple of years out west (probably at Winter Park) training to do some serious mogul competing, while working a night grooming or snowmaking job. Who needs sleep anyway?

I'll keep you updated, and you must promise to do the same. I can't just look out the window at Mt. Ellen anymore! Of course, as you know, SRO, I have some friends on the inside :wink:

I'm hoping to fly back for a week or two during ski season so I can enjoy a little Mt. Ellen skiing.

Yard Sale
08-20-2007, 11:18 AM
Hey who's going to step up this season and verify snow depth with a ruler and digital camera? Oh by the way goodluck BMM.

08-20-2007, 11:59 AM
Best of luck!

BushMogulMaster
08-20-2007, 10:37 PM
Thanks, everyone. I'm sitting in a hotel in Dillon/Silverthorne, CO as I type. I'm about 35 miles from Leadville (and about 10 miles from Copper Mountain).

The mountains are... big. :) I've been here before, but never in the summer. There's still some ice/snow visible on some of the higher peaks.

Anyway... I'll keep you informed.

Oh, and someone darn better step up to the plate and take over in the ruler/camera department. That's the only way to get the truth!

:)

random_ski_guy
08-24-2007, 09:05 PM
BMM, you sir will be sorely missed. I've greatly appreciated your unbridled enthusiasm, impressive ski trade technical knowledge (ie lifts & snowmaking), timely slope side reports and the generally level headed - even keeled posts you have contributed to this board. Seriously, you have provided a big chuck of the content here. I’m not sure how we’ll manage to fill the gaps..if we can.

Anyways, good luck to you in Colorado. Stop in sometime to share with us your CO experience when you can.

Poor Lostone, now he's the lone daily reporter.

BushMogulMaster
08-24-2007, 10:59 PM
BMM, you sir will be sorely missed. I've greatly appreciated your unbridled enthusiasm, impressive ski trade technical knowledge (ie lifts & snowmaking), timely slope side reports and the generally level headed - even keeled posts you have contributed to this board. Seriously, you have provided a big chuck of the content here. I’m not sure how we’ll manage to fill the gaps..if we can.

Anyways, good luck to you in Colorado. Stop in sometime to share with us your CO experience when you can.

Poor Lostone, now he's the lone daily reporter.

Thank you. That definitely means a lot to me.

But fear not, for although I may not be able to provide second-to-second updates, I will still be around to share everything I can about the industry, and I will continue to have some insight into the happenings at the Bush. I have some, shall we say, connections :wink:

I hope I can continue to be a valuable member here, even if I'm 2200 miles away! :)

Of course, I'll now have to rely on all of you to keep me up to date with the SB conditions.


By the way, I woke up this morning and looked out the window to find 5 freshly snowcapped 14,000' peaks. :D

BushMogulMaster
08-30-2007, 05:02 PM
Update for those of you interested in the industry, the following are my classes in the Ski Area Operations program:

Intro to Ski Area Operations
Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC, an NSP certification) + Lab
Heavy Equipment Operations + Lab
Snowmaking Operations + Lab
Intro to Statistics

Yard Sale
08-30-2007, 08:04 PM
BMM, I hope we don't have to be concerned with you completing your assignments in your course on Heavy Equipment Operations. I assume this means grooming. :P This one sounds like it could be a grind. :lol:

ski_resort_observer
08-30-2007, 08:35 PM
I know a couple of people that make big bucks in the summer operating heavy equipment doing trail work, road work or facility excavation at the same resort that they are ski patrolman in the winter. A good skill to have tho Yard is probably right and it has to do with grooming.

BushMogulMaster
08-31-2007, 12:13 AM
BMM, I hope we don't have to be concerned with you completing your assignments in your course on Heavy Equipment Operations. I assume this means grooming. :P This one sounds like it could be a grind. :lol:

Actually, the equip ops is strictly dozer, loader, backhoe, etc. We cover general operations, and then ski-specific skills, such as the equipments' job in lift installation, snowmaking installation, trail clearing, and trail maintenance.

Next semester I have grooming ops and grooming lab. I would in fact love to spend a couple years as a groomer (night shift) so I can train for mogul competition during the day. I know it seems counterintuitive for a mogul skier to be a groomer, but hey... whatever makes a few bucks and fits the schedule!

I am actually a big snowcat fan. I have four stickers on my car window: 2 Sugarbush, 1 Poma, and 1 PistenBully. :D

However, the cats should stay off of the expert terrain! There's a place for quality grooming, and that is beginner runs and blue cruisers. Other than that (and maybe one black groomer), the cats should remain idle. :wink: (I know some of you would argue to the ends of the earth on this one, but humor and just nod your heads and smile :lol: )

But I must share with you a quote from my "Preparation and Maintenance of Pistes" textbook. It almost made me puke. It reads, "The main piste maintenance jobs are: repairing damage to the piste caused by weather and skiers." Okay, no big deal. But then "Figure 58" shows a beautiful powdery bump field with a caption stating, "Typical piste damage: building of bumps." :shock: :evil: :x Such blasphemous words. I considered returning the book, but decided that my snowmaking prof might not appreciate my reasoning. :wink:

ski_resort_observer
08-31-2007, 07:32 AM
:lol: Obviously your textbook was written for the Okemo's of the ski resort world but from a business perspective it's hard to argue with.

BushMogulMaster
08-31-2007, 08:26 AM
:lol: Obviously your textbook was written for the Okemo's of the ski resort world but from a business perspective it's hard to argue with.

Actually, the book is distributed by the Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research.

BushMogulMaster
09-18-2007, 08:34 AM
A pleasant surprise:

http://www.patricktorsell.com/images/massive.jpg

ski_resort_observer
09-18-2007, 09:08 AM
You also promised you wouldn't rub it in..... :wink: :lol:

BTW......my son who grad from HS this past year is headed to Breck in a couple of weeks to be a ski bum. His mother isn't too thrilled, totally blames me. Amazingly, last month he took a bus down to NYC as Breck had a job fair down there. Talk about a ski resort being proactive on finding employees. He is all set up, job at Breck, free skiing and we secured employee housing for him and his buddy. He wants to also check out some other ski hills in the area so you never know, maybe you guys will be sharing a chairlift but would never know it. :lol:

HowieT2
09-18-2007, 12:30 PM
You also promised you wouldn't rub it in..... :wink: :lol:

BTW......my son who grad from HS this past year is headed to Breck in a couple of weeks to be a ski bum. His mother isn't too thrilled, totally blames me. Amazingly, last month he took a bus down to NYC as Breck had a job fair down there. Talk about a ski resort being proactive on finding employees. He is all set up, job at Breck, free skiing and we secured employee housing for him and his buddy. He wants to also check out some other ski hills in the area so you never know, maybe you guys will be sharing a chairlift but would never know it. :lol:

Speaking of which-how do the resorts get all the kids from south america to work in VT?
Just curious. TIA