Looking into the past and into the future

Well, 3 weeks of classes at Colorado Mountain College are now over and done with. As far as I know, there have been no major incidents around campus and no one has gotten injured while skiing or snowboarding. Perhaps the lack of injuries can be credited to all of the powder we've had lately.

During 3 weeks of Student Government meetings, we have filled several officer and representative positions. We have also voted for free swim nights (every Monday and one other night during the week- check the schedule on the doors of the Residence Hall), free gym nights (every Monday and Wednesday), and free ice skating (every Tuesday night). We are also working on the purchase of a Wii for the Residence Hall. A proposal was written and approved for a field trip to Denver to go to a museum. Funds were also allotted to help pay for the ice climbing wall. Updating the residence hall kitchen is also being looked into.

In the first 3 weeks of classes, I have learned about Components of Ropeway Systems and Operational Considerations in Ropeway Operations lecture, learned about the 5 W's of event planning in Events Management, read 3 chapters about Public Speaking and given a 2 minute speech about myself, learned about grooming vehicles, preventative maintenance, and grooming implementes in Trail Grooming lecture, learned about the history and organization of the National Ski Patrol, toboggans and patrol procedures, and how mountain weather and avalanches affect ski areas during Ski Patrol lecture, and last, but not least, I have learned about different types of food service facilities, the origins and organization of food service, and the staff needed to run a food service operation in Introduction to Food and Beverage Management.

Other happenings included:
*I completed 2 of the 3 days needed to get my Level 1 for snowboard instructing.
*Obama took office.
*Avy classes have taken place the last 2 weekends.
*Ice Climbing block is taking place this weekend.
*The use of avalanche beacons has been practiced at Safeway.
*I demonstrated my excellent bowling skills on Tuesday night (28 1st game, 32 2nd game, 24 3rd game). For those of you who don't know, bowling is $2/game on Tuesday nights and shoe rental for the night is also $2.
*The first gym night was this past Wednesday and the first swim night was this past Thursday.
*The fire alarm has been set off while people were still asleep (hey, at least we got it out of the way early in the semester... now hopefully it won't occur again).
*Erin and Abbi's birthdays have been celebrated. There have probably been other birthday celebrations (considering that they were singing "Happy Birthday" in the cafeteria a few nights ago) but I was not involved in them.
*The X-Games in Aspen occurred.
*The Bombi (one of the school's groomers) broke down.
*The Ropeway Operations lab class has traveled to Ski Cooper and Monarch to see their lift systems.
*Erin learned how to ski last week and I'm beginning to master staying upright in powder.

Ropeway lecture and Events Management classes on February 2nd have been cancelled due to the NSAA Western Regional Mid-Winter Conference at Keystone Resort. On February 2nd in Public Speaking, we are to have read chapters 2 and 3. In Trail Grooming lecture on February 4th, we are learning about "Slope Maintenance Management and Grooming Priorities and Patterns". In Ski Patrol Operations, we are learning about "NARSID [Non Avalanche Related Snow Immersion Deaths] and Avalanche Rescue Procedures". In Intro to Food and Beverage Management (my online class) we will be learning about the "Fundamentals of Management".

February 9th we will learn about "The Haul Rope, Sheave Assemblies, and Towers" in Ropeway lecture. In Events Management we will learn about "Programming". On February 11th, in Trail Grooming lecture, we are having a test. In Ski Patrol Operations we are learning about "Legal Issues and Risk Management". In Intro to Food and Beverage Management, we will be studying "Food and Beverage Marketing".

Class projects involve creating a ski patrol manual for our final for Ski Patrol lecture and planning the 4th Annual CMC Rail Jam for Events Management.

This week's events include:
*Free swim night and free gym night on Monday
*Free skate night on Tuesday
*Free gym night on Wednesday
*Free swim night on Friday
*Steamboat Winter Carnival Wednesday thru Sunday

Next week's events include:
*Free swim night and gym night on Monday
*Free skate night on Tuesday
*Free gym night on Wednesday
*Free swim night on Thursday
*En Fuego (free street party) at Copper on Valentine's Day night. I have yet to make it to En Fuego, but I hear it's a pretty cool celebration. To quote the Copper Mountain website "Copper heats up at night with En Fuego from 6:00-8:00pm. Enjoy activities including a torchlight parade, street entertainers, bonfires, fire performers, and the finale of a brilliant fireworks display viewed from Burning Stones Plaza.".

Until next week, stay safe, have fun, and keep hoping for snow.