Snow!!

Snow was the theme for the week.

This past weekend was the Outdoor Emergency Care Refresher class. It consisted of Ski Cooper employees, Chicago Ridge employees, and a couple of Colorado Mountain College students who are not currently employed with a ski patrol but wanted to keep their certification current. We reviewed spinal immobilization and backboarding procedures, helmet removal, and did a couple of scenarios. We also went over pelvic injuries and then practiced using a pelvic splint and then a simple sheet to control the injury. The pelvic splint is really neat because it's like a belt and it clicks when it's at the proper tension, and then you just have to maintain that tension while you fasten it. Using a sheet took a little more thinking in order to maintain the tension through the use of knots.

Sunday morning I woke up to my car being covered in snow. After some frustration at my windshield wipers for not clearing my windshield to the degree I wanted them too and my procrastination of not buying a windshield scraper/brush, I finally got the snow brushed off.
Then on Monday I went to Alco and bought a windshield scraper/brush. Turns out that the official name of it is a Mallory Snow Brush. Usually we have student government meetings on Monday but due to three representatives being absent, we did not have the necessary 2/3rds to vote.

Tuesday in Snowmaking lecture we reviewed for our final exam. That evening our two snow guns were fired up and have been running continuously since then because temperatures have been in the low teens all week. Tuesday evening in Principles of Accounting I, we learned about payroll. This involved figuring out regular pay and overtime pay, unemployment, income tax, Social Security tax, Medicare tax, and other withholdings such as union dues and medical insurance. We then completed entries in the General Journal related to payroll taxes. We are learning about payroll taxes again this coming week.

Thursday we took our final exam in Snowmaking. The people who normally sit in the front row decided to be over-achievers and get there ridiculously early to review as a group, so those of us that normally take the seats in the back, were in the front row. We are jokingly blaming those that took the back row seats if we did less than spectacular. Although, in all honesty, it's probably my own fault for not knowing what the name is of the piece of equipment that keeps oil out of the snowmaking system.

Today, Friday, attendance at Risk Management was less that outstanding. Nine of us had shown up 15 minutes into class and half of those were ready to leave when the professor hadn't shown up after 15 minutes. However, as they were walking out of the classroom and down the hall, the professor walked out of the elevator. Then we had a quiz since so few people showed up. Probably the easiest quiz I will ever take- if I don't know what town I go to classes in, I should really start figuring some things out.

This weekend is Halloween. I've heard students talking about going to Steamboat or Boulder for weekend festivities.

Also this weekend is the Ski Cooper job fair.


Some pictures of snowmaking taken earlier this week:

Another week at CMC

Hello all.

Tuesday in Snowmaking lecture we discussed system maintenance issues. That evening in Accounting we learned about cash short and over and petty cash funds. Although I think we all caught onto the lesson really well, the thought was raised "I must be doing something wrong. It did not take long at all to do my assignment.". Fortunately, it appears that the assignment was just short and easy.

Wednesday evening I made snow again. Since I was the only one who had made snow before, I was the shift leader. Boy, was that interesting. I've made snow twice before. The first time was a month ago and the second time was two weeks ago. So, I was definately testing out my memory of how things worked. It all worked out though. A bunch of new snow appeared on the hill and there weren't any disasters, so evidentally I remembered what needed to be done. With Jason's help, we were also able to get the snowgun at the top of the hill working.

Thursday morning in Snowmaking lecture, someone from CHS Snowmaking came and taught us a little more about the snowmaking gun we have at the top of the hill, along with talking to us about system maintenance, and explaining the little snowmaking gun that we will be using behind the residence hall this year.

Today in Risk Management we went over Worker's Compensation.

It's really exciting to think that all but my Accounting class end next week. The idea of classes ending the last week of October probably sounds weird to those of you who are not acquainted with the Ski Area Operations program at Colorado Mountain College, but it's really not. See, part of the requirements for a SAO degree are that you do a paid internship at a ski resort of your choosing. So, we spend the first 10 weeks of school in class in order to get our classes done, and then we are able to go work starting in November. If you already have a job lined up, great. If you are like some of us, you are still looking for a job and/or planning on working at Ski Cooper, in which case you might have a little more freetime than you desire. But hey, lots of free time means lots of time to find a job.

One struggle of classes ending when they do, is Snowmaking lab. We have to have all of our hours in by October 30th and for some people, that is a challenge. Myself and a few others were on the ball and started getting our hours in as soon as Jason was willing to fire up the system. However, some people procrastinated and now there are approximately 10 people all trying to make snow for 30 hours in the next week. I wish them luck.

In other news, this coming week is Mental Health Wellness Week. On Monday someone from Blue Earth is giving massages. On Tuesday there is a workshop on Feng-Shuing your dorm room. Wednesday there is a session on relaxation techniques, guided imagery, and testing your anxiety. Thursday there is a lunch and later on there is a session on partying without drugs and alcohol. Friday morning there is a 10-mile bike ride. Halloween costumes are optional and all who complete the bike ride get a tshirt. All activities, except for the lunch, are free! Check out the flyers posted in the library or the New Discovery building for more information.

2009 CMC Am Ski & Snowboard Movie Premiere Night

Last night, the MPR was PACKED with people. No, there was no mandatory meeting of everyone in the dorms. It was packed because of a ski & snowboard movie premiere night that a student organized.

A couple weeks ago, the student presented his idea to Student Government and we approved the idea and money to be spent on snacks.

At approximately 8:05 when I showed up, people were standing because all of the chairs and couches were occupied. Believe me, it takes a lot to fill up all of the couches and chairs in the MPR.

The first movie shown was "Hit Or Miss" which was produced by CS Films. It was composed of mostly skiing but did have some snowboarding in it. Filming locations included Lake Placid, NY; Burlington, VT; Plattsbury, NY; Crested Butte, CO; and Keystone, CO.

Next was "Recession Proof" followed by "Summerdays" which were both produced by I Heart Snow Productions. They both featured snowboarding all over the East Coast, followed up by a movie shoot at Mt. Hood, OR that took place this past summer.

Lastly, was "Salty Days" by Janky Films. This movie featured skiing and snowboarding at Alta, UT; Park City, UT; Snowbird, UT; Copper Mountain, CO; Leadville, CO; and Mt. Hood, OR.

This movie night was a nice alternative to the bigger name movie premieres that have taken place in Boulder, Breckenridge, and Keystone, as it did not involve much travel. There was also no cost to attend. I know that at least some, if not all of the big name movie premieres have charged an admission fee. Another nice feature of the movie premiere last night was that some of the riders were people who we went to class with and who we actually knew.

NSAA Risk Management Seminar

Last weekend the “Wii Olympics” took place at the dorms. There were about 15 different events including bowling, golf, baseball, archery, and tennis.

Our current assignment in Snowmaking lecture is to write a 1-page paper about what we have learned in the class so far due to some not so outstanding grades on our last test. Snowmaking lab has been going well. Some people have almost completed their 30 hours while others have yet to start. At times we feel like we’re not accomplishing much while attempting to make snow because we seem to be blowing more ice than snow, but at least the snow is sticking around now.

Thursday, October 8th was National Depression Awareness day and there was a table set up in the lobby area of the building where the library and bookstore are at school, with information from West Central Mental Health about depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). They also had a screening form for depression, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and PTSD that was available for students to take and fill out.

Friday, October 9th was the National Ski Areas Association Risk Management Seminar at Copper Mountain, which 16 students in Colorado Mountain College’s Risk Management class attended.

There was a presentation on “A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words” and we were able to hear different people’s opinions of the pictures. Some examples of pictures were how different sign arrangements were or were not distracting, how wording on signs could be confusing, and how the eye is drawn to the words in big, bold, colorful letters and others may be ignored.
The question was also posed “Do you think most people actually read signs?”. It would be interesting to hear your answers- at a place such as a ski area, do you read the signs, or do you assume that you have a general idea of what the sign says? One person pointed out that while people may not stop and read the signs at the entrance to a terrain park, if you randomly picked some people out of the park and asked them what the signs at the entrance said, they could give you a general idea.

Next there was a discussion on different types of injuries and how they relate to the number of claims that are filed against a ski area.

After that, we walked over to the Woodward complex and had boxed lunches and looked around the facility. If you want to know more about Woodward, read Ali’s blog.

Once we had finished our lunches, we walked back to the conference center and a presentation was given on the “Top 10 Things that Impact Your Risk Management Program”. Then, after a break, a situation was demonstrated in which following those 10 guidelines could have made a difference in the outcome of a trial.

It was a long day- I got on the bus at school at 7:15AM and didn’t get back until 5:30, but it was well worth it.

Tomorrow a van is going to Denver for the day to visit the art museum and aquarium.

Thursday, October 15th, there is a ski/snowboard movie premiere night happening in the MPR.

Activities like the free swim, gym, and field nights, the trip to Denver, and the movie premiere night are all possible because of Student Government. I encourage any interested students to get involved. Meetings are on Monday nights in the back room of the cafeteria. They start at 4:30 and are generally over by 5. Both on-campus and off-campus students can join.

Update

Hello all.

Last night we made snow again. It was definately more successful than the time before. We have the temperatures now to make snow almost any night we want I think.

Friday is the NSAA Risk Management Seminar at Copper Mountain.

We have reached the half-way point of the semester which means mid-terms in Risk Management and Accounting, along with a regular test in Snowmaking lecture.

2nd year Ski Area Operations students are also starting to seriously work on getting jobs for their internships.

Free swim, gym, and field nights are up and running in full force.
Monday-Gym night
Tuesday-Field night
Wednesday-Gym night
Thursday-Pool night
Friday-Pool night
Saturday-Field night
Sunday-Field night

That's about all I have to report.

I'll write more on Friday after the Risk Management Seminar.