Hello MLC Instructors!
Tomorrow is the big day! Saturday Snoblasters – 203 students, Saturday Trailblazers – 102 students, Saturday High School Program – 76 students, Saturday Adult Programs – 39 students, 1st weekend of Saturday Freeride Team – 84 athletes, OISRA Kelsey Hewitt Race – 700 athletes expected on Stadium AND 144 Daily Lessons – so it’s going to be busy, and we need you tomorrow and Sunday!
Sunday is looking like similar number of lessons and guests, so please come with your “A” game ready to enrich lives and go with the flow. Be sure to get a good night’s sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, bring snacks for your pockets, and (if you drive) please LEAVE EARLY so that you arrive in the main parking lot no later than 7:30AM. With the 700 high school aged athletes here for tomorrow’s race and all the program busses, the main lot will fill before 8AM and traffic will be heavier than normal. Leave early!
In this update …
Lessons Depart On-time (not early)
NOAA Weather Forecast
Crossover Training & Pay
Adaptive Lessons earn $2 more per hour
When Riding Lifts – Lower the Bar!
Program Lessons – Plan on Working the next 3 session dates, too!
Heather Canyon Update
Chill Program Starts Next Week – Come Coach Wednesday & Thursday Nights!
Lessons Depart On-time (not early)
As much as you want to leave early with your lesson, please check with the supervisor in your area before departing the lesson meeting area, especially if you want to depart before the published lesson start time. You should start “teaching” in the corral by meeting your students, making sure the equipment fits correctly, checking for lift RFID media … what else should you do in the corral? Talk abut the VIP specials – get them stoked for the day!
Many guests may be arriving a little late or have switched disciplines, so we need to wait until the lesson start time before leaving. Please check in with the Supervisor, ask if it’s OK to leave and let them know where you are headed, so in case we need to bring another guest to you we know where you are. Example: Hey Tommy, it’s me Tyler. Am I ok to leave with my First Time Snowboard Lesson? Yes? Ok great. I am headed over to the Fort side of Ballroom to get started.
The Lesson supervisor knows where I am going, what lesson I am teaching and I checked in with him/her before I left. Do this every time.
NOAA Weather Forecast
https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-121.6688576341901&lat=45.34194381514135#.Y7jF9nbMJPa
Crossover Training & Pay
Years ago, we used to pay a little extra if you taught group lessons in your non-primary discipline. We are bringing this back! If your primary discipline is alpine and you teach a snowboard lesson, you earn $1/hour more on your teaching wage – and we are offering some “crossover” clinics so you can learn to teach in your non-primary discipline. We are seeing an uptick in snowboard lessons (and a slight drop in snowboard coaches), so we are initially offering crossover training for Alpine instructors to learn how to Snowboard and teach first time snowboard lessons. Claire is adjusting your Dayforce so that you’ll automatically get the extra bump in pay when you are teaching in your non-primary discipline.
Check the clinic calendar for details, but here are the 2 clinics that we are offering next week:
Thursday 1/12 at 1:15PM: https://mhm.snowproportal.com/events/crossover-clinic-snowboarding-paid
Friday 1/13 at 1:15PM: https://mhm.snowproportal.com/events/crossover-clinic-snowboarding-paid-3
AdaptiveSkiing_Logo_v3
Adaptive Lessons earn $2 more per hour
We need help with our Adaptive lesson guests. We have Northwest Association of Blind Athletes (NWABA) and Washington State School for the Blind (WSSB) who are coming for lessons. NWABA starts coming on Wednesday Night beginning January 18 and WSSB will be coming on select evenings in February (dates TBA). We offer individual Adaptive lessons just about every day of the week, too. If you want to teach Adaptive lessons and get the $2/hour pay bump, you’ll want to attend Adaptive specific training. There are some Adaptive training clinics on the calendar to help you earn your $2 more per hour! Be sure to check in with Reishelle Hoeschen, our Private & Adaptive Lesson Supervisor, by email if you’d like to teach Adaptive lessons – Reishelle.Hoeschen@skihood.com
See these clinics (for example):
https://mhm.snowproportal.com/events/adaptive-training-night-online-intro-clinic-2
https://mhm.snowproportal.com/events/adaptive-teaching-for-differing-cognitive-abilities-4
https://mhm.snowproportal.com/events/adaptive-low-vision-training-for-nwaba-instructors-paid
When Riding Lifts – Lower the Bar!
Many seasons ago a tree fell on the Shooting Star lift while it was open and operating, causing a sudden stop with passengers ejected from the chair. Thankfully at that lift incident, no one had a life altering injury and no one lost a loved one. However, a similar incident occurred just 2 days ago at Park City ( see this link: https://www.parkrecord.com/news/park-city-mountain-employee-killed-in-lift-accident/ ). While we don’t know if the ski patroller who fell from the lift (and perished) had the chairlift bar down or not, this is just another reason why … when you are on-duty (in a lesson or not), you MUST lower the retraining bar. It doesn’t matter if you’re not scared or you don’t need to rest your feet on the foot rest. If the lift stops suddenly (like when a tree falls on the haul rope), this will potentially prevent you from becoming unseated in a similar type of lift incident. When riding the lifts … lower the bar EVERYTIME. This is mandatory.
Program Lessons – Plan on Working the next 3 session dates, too!
If you have been scheduled to work program lessons starting tomorrow or Sunday – please do you best to make it to the next 3 Saturdays or Sundays as well. The consistency from week to week with your students is appreciated by all – both the parents, the students, and your team! The next 4 weekends are an “all-hands-on-deck” work days, so please do not requests these days off. Being sick or injured is one thing – but requesting these days off to go skiing elsewhere will not be granted. We really appreciate you being available to work these days.
Heather Canyon Update
Yes, heather Canyon did open, but the conditions and coverage are not ideal. There are many unmarked obstacles, creek holes, thin cover, etc. We are not taking any minor students into Heather Canyon for any lessons this weekend. I would also advise that unless you’ve been in the canyon for 5 or more season and know all the nooks and crannies of this gated terrain, that you do NOT venture in unless you’re with someone who knows the area extremely well. Peter and I scoped out multiple run-outs from the bottom of Moon, Half-moon and Twilight. There are many exposed creek holes, flowing creeks and exposed waterfalls. It is my opinion and the same as John Bain of Slope Safety, to avoid Heather Canyon until we get another big dump.
Chill Program Starts Next Week – Come Coach Wednesday & Thursday Nights!
The Burton Chill Foundation program starts next Wednesday and Thursday night. If you are interested in teaching any of these nights for the next 5 weeks, please send an email to Theresa.Ritchie@skihood.com who will be providing information about how to sign up to work these nights, how to attend the virtual Burton Chill Foundation training on Tuesday evening, and a whole lot more.
Chill was founded in 1995 by Jake and Donna Carpenter, founders of Burton Snowboards. Chill has served more than 30,000 young people since the program began, working with approximately 3,000 youth annually. We work with social service agencies, mental health agencies, foster care programs, juvenile justice programs, and schools in local communities to engage youth participants. All gear and services necessary to enjoy boardsports are provided to the youth at no cost. To learn more, please check out this link: https://www.chill.org/about-us/
Did I say leave early? See you in the morning!
Tyler
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Tyler Barnes (he/him)
Director of Meadows Learning Center, Nordic and Snowshoe
O: (503) 337-2222 ext.1276
M: (541) 490-4580
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