The first month of my summer consisted of attending graduation parties and filling out job applications. At the end of May, my brother and I made a very spontaneous decision to attend Mount Hood Summer Ski Camp. We had attended this camp before and were planning to attend again this year but hadn't yet gotten things sorted out to go this year. So, on May 30th, we called up the camp, bought plane tickets, packed our bags, and were all set to arrive at camp the next day... talk about advanced planning.
Sunday morning we got up bright and early, drove to the airport, got on a plane to Denver and then another one to Portland. By 10:30AM PST, we had arrived in Portland and I had claimed my bags. My brother's bags however had not arrived, but it actually was not the airline's fault because he took an earlier flight than he was booked for. After meeting a few of my fellow campers and eating at the Wendy's in the airport which apparently does not serve cheeseburgers, we waited around a little longer for more campers to arrive before piling into a van for the ride to Government Camp, Oregon.
Cool little fact: A previous Colorado Mountain College Ski Area Operations student is now working as the Office Assistant at Mount Hood Summer Ski Camps.
Once arriving at camp, we got to hang out for awhile the afternoon activity. After the afternoon activity we had dinner. Then we met with our coaches for the next week. 5 other girls and I had Jon Winslow as our coach. We were all there to improve our snowboard racing skills and while one of our group members had previously competed at USASA Nationals and College Nationals, 2 others were just learning how to manuever a race board, and another had never been on a race board before and was perfectly content keeping it that way.
Monday morning we climbed out of our cozy warm beds eager for a day of snowboarding. The weather was cooperative, which made the day that much more enjoyable. However, my race board was not quite as enjoyable as the weather, but I still had fun. In the afternoon we drove north to a park for "Coach's Choice" activity which entailed a game of soccer and a game of Ultimate Frisbee.
Tuesday morning we were slightly less enthusiastic to jump out of bed because we were sore and the weather outside did not look too spectacular. I opted to just ride my freestyle board that day considering the conditions, and then since it worked out so well, I just rode it for the rest of the week. When we got up to Timberline Ski Area we ended up hiking to the top of the race course because the lifts were shut down, riding to the bottom, and then holding onto a rope so that a snowcat could pull us back up the hill. While being pulled up the hill by a snowcat might sound simple, it actually takes some degree of skill, especially if you are a snowboarder (the tow rope was designed with skiers in mind- they could straddle the rope- boarders can't). Below is a picture of one of the rare moments when everyone on the tow rope was upright.
Wednesday the weather was slightly nicer. The sun even came out in the afternoon. In the afternoon there was a camp picnic in Hood River. Thursday was the nicest day on the hill. The sun was out, it wasn't foggy and it wasn't windy. Unfortunately it was a tad bit chilly. Thursday was one of those "Ah Ha!" days when everything just clicks. A photographer came down from Hood River and took group pictures and individual action shots. Friday we were able to take the upper chairlift (Palmer) and take a couple of runs on trails that we hadn't yet ridden.
Saturday I flew back to South Dakota and ever since it has been more and more like summer. I had pretty much abandoned all hope of getting a job and then iHop called me for an interview. It turns out that they were interviewing for their new location in Sioux Falls though, so its back to square one. I've learned a lesson from all of this though- I should start applying for jobs this winter now, rather than this winter.
Speaking of next winter. School starts up again at the end of August (the 24th I believe). I have two months of classes and then I leave for my work experience. I'm hoping to do my work experience in the Lake Tahoe area and with as many resorts as there are there, I should be able to find something.
For those of you wishing for a little guidance in your Leadville housing search, I thought I would suggest a few places.
The Bank Apartments are unfurnished and rent for $525-$775/month including utilities (gas heat, water, sewer, trash, and basic cable). Units are studios and 1 bedrooms. They are located just off of the main street that runs through Leadville. They can be contacted by phone at 303-293-2777 or email info@thebankapartments.com.
Eagles Nest Apartments features unfurnished 1, 2, and 3 bedroom units. One bedrooms rent for $475, two bedrooms rent for $575, and three bedrooms rent for $655. They can be contacted by phone at 719-486-3949 or email eaglesnest@corumrealestate.com.
Emmet Block Apartments are located along the main street of Leadville (Harrison Avenue). Units range from studios to 3-bedrooms. Rent is $355 to $700 a month and includes gas, electric, water, and sewer. Contact them by email at edsummerhill@southernmortgage.com or by phone 303-740-2146.
Houses and Apartments for Rent in Leadville has 1, 2, and 3 bedroom houses available for rent. They have 1.5 and 2 bedroom apartments available. Email longled@longled.cnc.net or call 719-486-3625 for more information.
Stephanie Pacheco of Centennial Enterprises & Real Estate, Inc. also has some properties available in Leadville. These units are listed on Craigslist. To contact Stephanie about these properties call 719-486-1409 or email stephanie@centennialre.com.
There are also other units available on Craigslist under both the "Apts/Housing" and "Rooms/Shared" tabs. Several of these units are furnished or partially furnished. To narrow the search results to those in Leadville (as opposed to about 1/3 of the state) type 'Leadville' in the "search for" box at the top of the screen.
If this is your first year at CMC and you are under the age of 21, the residence hall will be your place to call home. View the residence hall.
Hopefully this has helped you a little with your housing search. Until next time, try not to get sunburnt. :)
