I am coming up on three months living in the Rockies.
Anyone who follows my instagram has seen endless photos of mountain ranges, sunrises and powder days and I promise they will keep coming. I am working as a lifty here at the resort which at times can be tedious but the perks are amazing.
I work on the same lift everyday with a group of my coworkers and rotate through a 3-man or 4-man shift which dictates how long our breaks will be. Our department is the only one with consistent ride breaks set out for their employees each day. Each morning we choose our breaks and get the chance to ski/board for two hours out of our day.
The life of a lifty is not luxurious by any means. We get paid minimum wage and only work 6 paid hours a day after breaks. However, I am on my skis almost everyday and get to wake up every morning staring at a mountain. It isn’t about the money, it’s about the experience. Everyone I work with is there because they love skiing or snowboarding and want to take full advantage of their pass.
While living here I have tried snowboarding again and I’ve found it extremely fun. I am still a skier at heart and will always choose skis over a board on a good snow day, but having a new hobby and learning curve to work on is super rewarding. Sunshine is a big resort but their runs are short. You are always hopping chairs and after working here for a few months, the terrain can get a little tiring. Snowboarding put me right back to square one and so my excitement for getting on the hill has been renewed.
The past few weeks have been warm for Banff standards. It was -10 or higher for a full week and we were outside working in long-sleeves like it was spring time. Two days ago we lost that luxury and I was working in -30 degree weather trying to keep my fingers from falling off. It is always a struggle to get to work when your whole body is protesting the cold, but it’s hard to complain while in a place like this.
I have visited Lake Louise once and drove out to Kamloops to see my brother and ski at Sunpeaks. Employees get reciprocal passes with other resorts which makes planning ski trips that much easier. Next week I am headed to Revelstoke to see my cousins and my brother for a few days of skiing. Revelstoke’s reputation has exceeded itself and I am really looking forward to experiencing all the hype I’ve heard about it.
One thing that has kicked my ass a bit while living here is money management. I knew that coming into this job I wouldn’t be making a profit, but I at least hoped to break even. So far that has been a struggle. It is difficult to save money when you want to go to town with your friends or out to the bar with people in your building. After rent, food, and drinks, my bank account has definitely seen a decline. My mindset right now is to make it out of this season with enough to last me a few months. Worst case scenario, I get a job out in Tofino for a month or two to last me until university.
All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a better job out here. I have gotten to know everyone in my building and my coworkers are incredibly nice. I always have a place to crash with them in town and there are no problems between anyone.
I will post some new photos in the gallery soon, but check out instagram for photos of the last few months.
Julianna Cook 