Half-week in review

Saturday: Marea and I went to the Ski Cooper job fair. Then we got bored, so we braved the MPR kitchen and made home-made (as opposed to a box mix) brownies while eating Subway. They didn't look quite like I was expecting because of the altitude, but they still tasted just fine. After that, we had this brilliant idea to go swimming, except the pool was closed. So then Marea went home and I hung out with Randi while she was on RA duty.

Sunday: I accomplished the writing of half of my final paper for Intro to SAO. Then I did laundry (you wouldn't believe how exciting clean clothes can be... you also wouldn't believe how what you thought was 1 load of laundry magically transforms into 2 1/2 loads).

Monday: I had Intro to SAO where we went over the assignment that he gave us last time we had class. Then a woman came in to tell us about an outreach program that they are starting for Leadville 2nd graders. They would spend 5 days learning to ski at Vail. The hope is that by learning to get along with others in their lesson group, they will be able to resolve conflicts and get along with people un-like themselves by the time they reach middle school. I think this is a really sweet idea and I, along with several others, signed up to volunteer with the program. In Leadership Development we took a quiz and did an assessment of the class. Then I went to the pool because the college was sponsoring a free swimming night.

Tuesday: During Outdoor Emergency Care, we learned how to remove ski and snowboard boots while causing the least amount of pain to the patient... at least that was the idea. However, there was a little too much screaming in the room to say that it was a painless process for everyone, lol. I'm glad that Paul said that removal of boots is generally done in the ER with anesthesia. In OEC lab we were practicing extrication (removing people from tight areas, basically) in the stairwell and I think a few passer-bys thought it was real based on the look on their faces. Then in math we had our chapter 2 and 3 test. A few people went to the bowling afterwards cause it's $2/game on Tuesday nights.

Today: We had a test in Heavy Equipment today, which proved to some of us (myself included) that we didn't understand diesel engines quite as well as we thought we did. Tonight is the final for Leadership Development. I opted to do it in a group, so I'm hoping that with 3 or 4 heads we can get enough answers right that I don't fail the class (I actually don't think I'm doing quite that horrible). I'm excited about the class ending because it means that my Monday and Wednesday evenings will now be free, but I'm sad because it means that some of my friends will be leaving for their SAO work experience.

Tomorrow (Thursday): I have OEC lecture and then Erin is going to help me do my hair for the Halloween dance and put on my fake nails. Then I have math class, then I'm working on a group project, and then I have PC Apps where we are presenting our group PowerPoints. We also have a test and an assessment in PC Apps tomorrow. Then I'm going to hurry back to my room and put on my Halloween costume and go to the Halloween Dance.

Friday: HALLOWEEN!! I'm hopefully going to Denver for some haunted house fun. Otherwise, I'll enjoy another weekend in peaceful little Leadville.

Saturday: CMC Billards tournament! It's too late to register now, unless Patrick really likes you and you get someone else to sign up (if you're a student, you need a faculty member... if you're a faculty member, you need a student).

My next post should include pictures of the dance, Halloween, and possibly the Billards tournament. In the meantime, I should study for my Leadership final. Bye!

Campfires in October

Yep... I'm still alive. I haven't forgotten about my blog either, so don't you worry.

Nothing too exciting happened this week.

*We didn't have Introduction to Ski Area Operations this week because our professor had to attend a meeting.
*Leadership Development ends on Wednesday, so I've been working on studying for the final exam. This past Wednesday, we had a guest speaker from Beaver Creek who is the head of Slopes and Trails.
*In Outdoor Emergency Care, we've been learning about facial injuries in the lecture portion. I'm glad that we're finally done with the illnesses part of Outdoor Emergency Care... I think I might have more skill in dealing with broken bones than I do dealing with diabetes. In the lab portion of Outdoor Emergency Care, we learned about traction devices this week.
*In Technical Math, we have now finished chapter 3, which was about figuring out area, perimeter, and volume of various shapes.
*In Heavy Equipment Operations we are learning about power trains now.
*In PC Applications, we've finished learning about Microsoft Word and Microsoft Powerpoint and now we're learning about Microsoft Excel.


It started snowing Tuesday morning and continued until early Thursday morning. The snow resulted in a lot of people getting extremely excited, some panicking about driving, others getting a refresher lesson in "I'm the ice and you're going to go where I want you to go", and still others (myself included) who are thinking that it's probably about time to get a shovel and snow boots.


On Thursday the college sponsored a free swimming night. Free swimming night is supposedly going to become a weekly thing, on rotating nights.



Ok... so apparently this didn't post when I asked it to last night, so now that I've rescued it from my drafts, I figure I'd give you a quick update on the last 24 hours.

Friday night some friends and I had a campfire with s'mores after our plan to go camping fell through.

Next Thursday night, one of the RAs is putting on a Halloween Dance. It should be a lot of fun because I love going to dances and it'll be interesting to see everyone's costumes.

Camping Extravaganza

I know I said I wasn’t going to write until Tuesday, but I couldn’t resist telling you about last night’s camping trip.
Friday afternoon, I texted one of my good friends from the college.:
“Hey, wanna do something this weekend”
“Sure. What do you want to do?”
This then progressed from a sleepover, to going to a dance, to camping. Camping sounded like one of the best ideas ever. We got two other people to agree to go with us. After awhile, we decided that it might be a good idea to find someone who’d let us borrow their tent. After 4 hours of trying to locate a tent, we had a “Mega Man” tent (4 people) and a “2 or 3 person tent”. At 7pm, we thought we were ready to go, but then a bunch of people decided that they were going to go swimming first. While they went swimming, one of my friends and I were sent to locate a campsite. We figured this would be easy because no one in their right mind goes camping in the middle of October. The first two campsites we tried had people at them, and the next 5 had gates across them. Finally, we found a campsite, except by then, we were so lost ourselves, that there was no way we’d be able to give other people directions, so we ended up going back to the pool and having them follow us. At 10pm, we got back to the campsite and had the great fortune of watching a car have no clue where they were going.
“Woah! There’s another car. I wonder who that is?”
“Are they going to drive into the lake?”
“Of course they aren’t going to drive into the lake”
“Well, where are they going then?”
“I don’t know”
“GUYS! THEY TOTALLY JUST DROVE INTO THE LAKE!!”
“No they did…. Ok, they did”
We then sat there and watched them sitting there with their front bumper in the water.
“You suppose they realize that they’re in the water?”
“I definitely think they realize that something isn’t right.”
The car then backed up and drove away and we all got out of our cars and burst out laughing. We just couldn’t help it. Water generally does not look like the road and usually, when a sign says “Boat Ramp” you don’t continue driving.

The 8 of us then hauled our stuff from our cars to the campsite. Me and another girl set up the two tents by the light of one large flashlight, while 2 guys gathered wood, 2 other people built a fire pit, one girl took a nap, and the last guy just kind of stood there and watched us. We set up the “Mega Man” tent (which I think looked like a mini circus tent) with the guidance of a couple kids who were ORL students and actually knew how to set the tent up. After setting up the 2-person tent, we realized we’d put it on a bed of rocks, so we decided we would just use it to store all of our stuff. The 8 of us then proceeded to stand around the fire and make s’mores. As I looked around that campfire, I realized “This is what friends are. They put up with your crazy idea to go camping when it’s already pitch black out and freezing cold. They convince you that you can manage to get a tent pitched in the dark. They make endless trips to get more sticks to burn. They laugh with you while dancing around the campfire to rap music. And the craziest thing is that they willingly agreed to come camping with you.” Around midnight, 3 people decided to go back to campus for the night. Of the 5 of us that remained, 4 of us (myself included) were wimps that slept in the “Mega Man” tent with our sleeping bags that were probably rated for about 40 degrees. The 5th kid was an ORL student who had a sleeping bag rated for -50 so he was nice and toasty while sleeping under the stars. At 7AM, we finally decided that we would give up on sleeping in the supposedly 28 degree weather, put out the fire, pack up, and go back to campus.
Even though I was exhausted by the time we finally set up our tents, I had the most fun that I’d had in a long time. Some of us even decided that we’re going again next weekend… but we’re going to plan ahead, find someone with a big tent we can use with the sides actually attached to the floor (no offense to the “Mega Man”), bring LOTS and LOTS of blankets, and we are going to pitch our tent and find firewood in the daylight (a novel idea, I know).

The mountains looked even sweeter at about midnight, but I don't think my camera would have taken a very good picture of them then.

Snow, boarding, and fun

As my roommate prepares to go home for the weekend, I thought I’d take a little time to update you on the occurrences of the past few days.
It snowed for the first time on Monday night. I woke up to about an inch of snow on the roof and a dusting on the parking lot when I got up for OEC at 7AM on Tuesday. It was melted by noon, but at least we know that winter is on its way now. In Outdoor Emergency Care lab we learned about spinal injuries, immobilization, and how to use a backboard. Everyone got a chance to wear a C-collar and be strapped to a backboard. We also practiced rolling people onto backboards and did a scenario on removing someone from a patch of trees.
Arapahoe Basin and Loveland ski area both opened on Wednesday. Everyone that has a Vail-resort pass is excited because they can go snowboarding and everyone that has a Copper Mountain pass is going crazy because Copper isn’t scheduled to open until the 7th and no one wants to pay $50 to go skiing early-season.
Wednesday afternoon I had my last Heavy Equipment Operations lab. It is probably a good thing that our lab is over, because we were really starting to run out of tasks that we were capable of doing. I learned how to survey… well, it was more like, I learned how to hold a prism out in the middle of the field, hoping that I didn’t get run over by a giant bulldozer, while someone else punched buttons on a fancy calculator-ish thing that then told them the elevation. Wednesday night, there was a girls-only hula dancing night. There were 4 of us in attendance, and it was entertaining to say the least because none of us were very good at swiveling our hips.
Last night, we had health & safety inspections of our rooms. The RAs went to each room and made sure that the room was generally in clean condition and that the smoke detector worked. They they put on a surprise pizza party. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much pizza devoured that quickly.
My roommate is leaving for the weekend and I don’t have class until 7pm Monday night, so until then, I intend to enjoy the peace and quiet. As much as I love my roommate, I’m loving the idea of a weekend without her. There is just a certain freedom you feel knowing that for 2 days, you can go hide out in your room, and it’s guaranteed that no one else will be in there. Hopefully I can manage to get all of my homework done and my desk re-organized. So, until Tuesday, have fun, and hope for MORE snow! J
Oh… and before I go… I must mention the 2008 CMC Timberline Faculty/Student 8-Ball Billiards Double-Elimination Tournament. It’s being held on November 1st and is open to all CMC-Timberline staff and students. Registration materials are located on www.mogulskiing.net/billiards

Why I picked Ski Area Operations

If you are wondering why I chose to study Ski Area Operations… During my junior year, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life or where I wanted to go to college. I love snowboarding, so I looked at the website for the USCSA (United States Collegiate Ski & Snowboard Association) to find out what colleges had ski/snowboard teams. Then I visited the websites for all of those colleges and eliminated the ones that only had ski teams. I went through the remaining colleges and got rid of the ones that I couldn’t see myself going to. When I got to CMC, I was like “What… a degree that relates to snowboarding! How much better can I get?”. So, with the idea that I wanted to study something relating to snowboarding, I had it narrowed down pretty well. Then, my senior year I applied to a 4-year school in California, and visited CMC and a school in Michigan. I decided that neither California nor Michigan were going to cut it, so I was left with CMC. Originally, I was considering going to the Steamboat campus for Ski & Snowboard Business, but then I found out that I’d have to learn about boot fitting, which didn’t interest me. When I visited Leadville, they told me I’d have to learn about diesel engine mechanics, which didn’t sound much better.

Last winter, I interned at the ski area near where I lived in South Dakota. This firmed up my decision that I wanted to study Ski Area Operations.

It turns out that diesel engine mechanics are tolerable and that apparently the snowboard team is in Steamboat, but I am still happy with my decision to study Ski Area Operations at Colorado Mountain College in Leadville, Colorado.

A couple weeks ago, I was asked what I want to do with my degree, and I replied “I’m not exactly sure. I really like instructing, but this degree doesn’t have much to do with instructing, but it does give me a background on the industry.”

Pictures

View from the stairs between the 2nd and 3rd floors of the dorm

The school's backhoe that we use for Heavy Equipment Ops. lab

We dug up a power line in class

The bulldozer that we use for Heavy Equipment Ops lab

The compactor that we were using one week

So... this is college

I have been in Leadville for 7 weeks now. I can look out my window and see majestic fall colors. I have woken up to breathtaking views of snow-capped mountains. As I am writing this, on October 13th at 10:30 AM, it is 19 degrees outside, but I don’t think anyone minds too much because cold weather means that snow is coming soon.

I have learned a lot of things in college, and it’s not all book stuff either. I have learned that water is my friend in an effort to reduce how dehydrated I am. I have come to realize that not only can women drive bulldozers; they might discover that it is a lot of fun to shove around dirt, trees, and pieces of concrete. I have discovered that actually reading my OEC book is a very good idea and that studying is not as over-rated as I once thought it was. I have redefined what “clean” clothes are. I have happily discovered that the “Freshman 15” here involves LOSING 15 pounds because you spend so much time outdoors. I never knew receiving mail could be so exciting. Your mom is not here to clean up after you, so one way or another you’re going to have to discover how a broom works, because the dust balls become intolerable after awhile. There is no such thing as modesty after you’ve gone outside in your pajamas at 4AM because the fire alarm went off.


I’m a Ski Area Operations major. We have roughly 20 first-year guys in the program. As far as girls go, it’s me and one other girl. My classes include: Introduction to Ski Area Operations, Leadership Development, Outdoor Emergency Care lecture & lab, Technical Math, Heavy Equipment Operations lecture & lab, and PC Applications. The teachers here are really cool and are willing to help you in any way possible.

So far in Intro to SAO, we have learned about the 10th Mountain Division (pretty much the reason for the existence of Ski Cooper), Mountain Pine Beetles, Ski Area Regulatory Organizations, Ski Safety Laws, and we’ve discussed various elements that impact snow sports participation. According to the syllabus, we are still supposed to learn about adaptive skiing, avalanche awareness, and environmental stewardship. Several guest speakers have come to give presentations, which I really think adds a lot to the class.

Leadership Development is my favorite class. I’m pretty sure it is a 2nd year class, but no one told me that when I signed up for it. It ends in a couple weeks because the 2nd year students leave to do internships soon. Some of the topics that we’ve covered are leadership & follower & communication styles, power, and influence.

I received my CPR certification in Outdoor Emergency Care. We have also covered anatomy, patient assessment, and various on-hill emergencies. After successful completion of OEC, we receive the certification that is required to be a ski patroller.

Technical math is math class, not a whole lot to say about it. Cyrus does a really good job of explaining the material though, because for once in my life I actually understand what I am learning.

Heavy Equipment Operations is an interesting class. Driving heavy machinery doesn’t do a whole lot for me, but a lot of the guys really like it. So far, I’ve had the chance to drive a bulldozer, backhoe, excavator, and a compactor. The bulldozer is my favorite piece of machinery. The first two weeks of class, we were practicing on campus, but since then we’ve been helping to create a recreation complex. Last week we used the backhoe to unbury a power cable. A couple weeks ago, we were taking out trees with the excavator and destroying a giant pile of dirt with the bulldozer.

In PC Applications we are learning how to use Microsoft Office 2007, which includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access.


There is always something going on here if you just ask around. It seems like someone is going camping almost every night. About a week ago, 10 of us got together to play “Capture the Frisbee” on the soccer field. Quite a few people have gone rock climbing in the Buena Vista area in the past couple weeks. A few weeks ago there was a sign up for a rugby league, but I don’t know if it was ever started. I’ve heard one guy talking about trying to start a rodeo team. There is an indoor swimming pool not far from campus. About 15 of us went there last night and it was a ton of fun.

Arapahoe Basin and Loveland Ski Area are in a race to see which resort will open first. The idea of a ski area opening soon is exciting for everyone here, but I imagine that it is most exciting for the people who have been hiking the small snow patches on the mountains surrounding campus. There isn’t any snow on campus yet, but apparently the same thing happened last year, and they ended up getting some really amazing snow in January and February.

Three weeks ago, the college sponsored a bowling night which was a lot of fun. About 40 people attended. I heard one faculty member say “Wow… people actually dressed up for this?!” I wouldn’t have called it dressing up, it was more like “Hey, I’m leaving campus so I think I’ll take a shower and put on clean clothes”. Plus, with such a lack of girls (I think there are 15 of us living on campus right now); we have to take every chance we can get to be girly.

The college also sponsored a trip to the hot springs a couple weeks ago. I did not attend this trip, but I hear that it was a lot of fun. They left on Saturday and went near Aspen I believe. They camped overnight and came back on Sunday.

Two weeks ago, the CMC marketing department did a photo shoot, which was a lot of fun. While in Leadville, they took pictures on campus, at a coffee shop, and at a lake near Fremont Pass. I haven’t seen any of the pictures yet, but I’m sure they turned out great.

On the 30th of this month, one of the RAs is putting on a Halloween Party/Dance which I am really looking forward too. On Halloween night, we are going to a haunted house in town that is supposed to be really good.


If you’re debating whether you should apply to CMC or not, I definitely think you should- especially if you’re a girl, because it would really be awesome to have more than like 15 of us here.

Until next week, be safe, have fun, and hope for snow! :)