Diary of a Ski Patrolman

Diary of a Ski Patrolman: Week 17

April 1, 2011 at 9:51 AM | 3 Comments | Post a Comment

There are many reasons why Okemo has been a good place to be this winter. We've had epic snow and beautiful days bathed in sunlight. But each time I was asked on the chair lift, "So what's it like working here?" I replied that it was the people, more than anything else, that made it fulfilling. And since this will be my final entry for the winter, I want to remember them here. Everyone that I have met this winter will continue to shape who I am for the better, even as the snow turns to snaking streams cascading down the rocks of Okemo, I will remember the laughs, fierce chills, uncertainties, and successes that we all shared.

Diary of a Ski Patrolman: Week 16

March 25, 2011 at 10:01 AM | 1 Comment | Post a Comment

It's nearly the end of March.

It seems as if just the other day I was walking down the slopes of Okemo with orange discos bound together by rope, getting the trails ready for snow. And then the snow came. It came in huge amounts, in lucky storms strung across the days and months that have now begun to fade into memory. Memories like that of the countless patrollers skiing down the mountain on my first sweep -- a crimson field united in purpose and form. Splashes of powder against my legs, my quickening heartbeat as I see crossed skis stuck upright in the middle of Lower Arrow, the tug of compassion I feel when I first hear a cry of pain from a patient.

Diary of a Ski Patrolman: Week 15

March 18, 2011 at 12:51 PM | Post a Comment

Monday
"So last week I discussed the meaning of life. This week I'll go even deeper and answer the burning question: "What does a ski patroller eat?!"

It makes sense that ski patrollers must eat super healthy to stay ready for action at any given moment, right? Um, sort of… Now, don't get me wrong – I eat fairly well, part of the time: lots of vegetables; a banana every morning, and apples every day during lunch. Also lots of protein. If this was my infallible pattern of consumption, I'd be just fine. But when food is free, or endless, or some combination of the two, my Achilles' heel is revealed. No, I don't mean that thing encased in my ski boot, I mean the reason why I am ready for a nap right now…

Diary of a Ski Patrolman: Week 14

March 11, 2011 at 10:26 AM | Post a Comment

Monday
I've been feeling philosophical lately. I don't really know what that means because it means something different to everyone. But that's okay. So bear with me as I try to figure out a few things this week.

Diary of a Ski Patrolman: Week 13

March 4, 2011 at 9:52 AM | Post a Comment

Monday
I skied on silk today. My skis nearly silent as they propelled me across the snow, the impenetrable fog of drizzle holding me in an isolating grasp, the thin glaze of ice on my goggles, and the soft, constant companion of frozen clatter on my jacket created a shell away from the world that was a welcome break from the past week of constant commotion. I skied within a cloud that was solely mine, for no color or sound penetrated except for my own. There was little to feel beneath my feet, and little to see beyond my ski tips. But it was fine like that. With very few skiers on the mountain today, the near zero visibility didn't matter. And even with the fog, you could see all that was necessary. Sometimes it's better, even, to see so little. It allows you to experience the moment in its entirety, to soak in all that there is to feel in the proximate environment. There is no distant horizon to distract one from the immediate surroundings. Instead of seeing the houses below, you see the tips of frozen branches beside you, and are sucked into the beauty of what is there, rather than what might be elsewhere. Sometimes it's good to be released from anticipation, and embraced solely by the sensation of carving on silky snow.