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! :)