Hello MHM Instructors!
We rocked the holidays and we’re already into January programs! Where does the time go? We’ll be basking in the Spring sunshine before you know it, however I’m looking forward to more Private Reserve “stoke laps” and upper Heather pow in the coming months. Let’s continue to rock January and February when all our students want to learn and improve their skiing and riding with our help! It’s such an enriching job isn’t it? I’ve heard so many of you share your stories about connecting with guests and helping them enjoy skiing and riding – it’s the best job ever! Even I had the chance to teach some first time snowboarders last week! So fun!
There is much to share in this email, so please read on …
Your Mountain Home!
World’s Largest Lesson – Friday January 11
Fun Zones: Ballroom, Buttercup and Kids
Checking in and checking your schedule
Calling in Sick and Schedule Change Request Protocols
Instructor Lounge Boot Dryer Protocol
Upcoming Clinics and Training
Alpine and Snowboard Level I Certification
Team Member Appreciation PAR-TAY – January 15 from 4:15-6:15pm
Team Member Appreciation Vouchers
Your Mountain Home!
There is so much to know and learn about this job. As Matt Troskey stated in the Company Orientation, “Seek out information…” as there is so much to know that you’ll never know it all unless you seek it out. Ask other instructors, supervisors or managers – we’re here to help you maximize your experience here at Mt. Hood Meadows. Check the employee handbook or stop by HR if you can’t find what you need after asking around. We are all here to make your lives and experiences at Mt. Hood Meadows enriching! Remember the perpetual stoke model!
World’s Largest Lesson – Friday January 11 @ 10:30am – special start time
January is “Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month” and this Friday schools across the country will be attempting to break the world record of 6,002 students learning to ski or snowboard in a single day. We will start this lesson at 10:30am in a special meeting location in hopes of breaking the world record. We expect about 240 first time and novice students on Friday (up to 120 skiers and 120 snowboarders). Come take part in the Word Record attempt – we need about 3 or 4 more alpine and snowboard instructors to come on up. If you’ve missed a shift or want to modify your schedule to pick up this day, then let’s do it. Let us know you can come by using the Schedule Change / Pickup Shift Form on the MHM Instructor Portal here: https://mhm.snowproportal.com/schedule-change-requests
to help get the mountain ready for opening including boarding Buttercup early for setting up the Buttercup Fun Zone.
Fun Zones: Ballroom, Buttercup and Kids
Seymour has made a few appearances in the Fun Zones. If you haven’t seen the Kids Fun Zone yet … well … it’s super cool. Lots of fun things for kids to engage with while learning. At Ballroom Carpet, the far skier’s right outside the final banked turn on Ballroom is for snowboard first time lessons – try using this terrain and let me know how it is. The skier’s left side of Ballroom is for everyone and does have the “mini ramp” near the bottom for fall line and cross hill traverses and first glides. At Buttercup we now have some rollers and 5 gentle banked turns – access these Learning Terrain Features via the entrance to Shipyard just past the bottom of Vista. Stay high and hug the skier’s right rope line – you’ll see the signage and red fencing. These banked turns are gentle and fun and allow our first time guests access to Buttercup a little sooner. This then helps alleviate some congestion at Ballroom. I’m not saying to take your students up too soon – as we all have made that mistake – but maybe your students will have an amazing experience going to (or even staying on) Buttercup because of the sculpted features we’ve added specifically for them!
Checking in and checking your schedule
Please be sure to check your schedule when you arrive at the mountain and check in, too. Recall that your employee ID is the last 4 of your social security number and the year you started. For those of you who started this year it would read: 123419 (for example). Please be sure to “Check In” by moving the slider below you name from left to right – this alerts us that you’ve made to the mountain and are checked in and ready to work. You can also check your schedule from home at this URL: https://mail.skihood.com/WebAdmin/
You should check in at the mountain as well as review your assignment that morning (or evening) as we sometimes make last minute changes based on those who have called in sick. So even if you checked your scheduled duties the night before, they may have changed by the time you arrive. Be looking for the “Scheduled for Morning Setup” on your schedule – this means you get
Calling in Sick and Schedule Change Request Protocols
Please always use the Call In Form on the MHM Instructor Portal to call in. Sending an email to Tyler or Josey or a text message to a supervisor does not get the message to everyone. Plus, I’m pretty sure you don’t know what days a manager or supervisor has off, so if you send a message to someone who is “off” we may not know you’re sick until 2 days later. So, please use the proper call in procedure by using the Call In Form at this URL: https://mhm.snowproportal.com/calling-in-sick
Schedule Change Requests or Pick Up shifts should be submitted well in advance of your request schedule change or Pick Up shifts. Please use the Pickup Shift and Schedule Change Request form on the MHM Instructor Portal at this URL: https://mhm.snowproportal.com/schedule-change-requests
Instructor Lounge Boot Dryer Protocol
If you are NOT working tomorrow you should NOT leave your boots on the dryer overnight. If it your Friday or you are part time instructor just take them home to dry out. As you know, many of our full time instructors “camp” and having dry boots the next day is very helpful for them, especially for those who do NOT have an adequate way to dry their boots wherever they are staying. If you have a place to dry your own boots at night, please use it, rather than leaving boots on the very limited spaces on the boot dryer at the mountain.
Also, Damprid Easy-Fill System Moisture Absorber has been known to work really well in ski/snowboard boots – It is convenient and quick to refill and you can dry your boots out even in your locker with this stuff. Just Google it! Also an instructor had one of his boots mixed up with someone else’s because they were the same model but not the same size – it got it sorted out, however this is another reason why not to leave your boots on the boot dryer overnight especially if you are not working the next day! Thankfully the boots were located without issue.
Upcoming Clinics and Training – Paid and Voluntary
The clinic and training calendar has been updated on the MHM Instructor Portal. Please check that website for upcoming paid, voluntary and certification training clinics. Please note, only clinics that say “(Paid)” in the clinic title are paid clinics. Level I certification and many other evening clinics we schedule for your personal improvement – this is one of the benefits of being an instructor – you get to come to ski or snowboard improvement clinics to improve your personal skiing and riding as well as your teaching. All new and returning instructors may attend up to 6 hours of paid training during the season, but these must be “(Paid)” clinics.
Alpine and Snowboard Level I Certification
Be sure to start your Level I pre-exam clinics so you’ll be ready for either the January 28 or February 2 exam (Alpine only – two-evening exam). For more information about these clinics see this link: https://mhm.snowproportal.com/events/categories/level-1-exam plus each individual discipline clinics on this page: https://mhm.snowproportal.com/calendar
Team Member Appreciation PAR-TAY – January 15 from 4:15-6:15pm
Team appreciation dinner with all kinds of yummy food! Special bus times. Party is in the Vertical – please enter through SnoBlaster room. Vegetarian menu items too plus raffle prizes.
Team Member Appreciation Vouchers
A major change from last year is that each voucher is assigned to each team member, so each person is accountable for how they get used (not to be sold). Please pick up your lift ticket vouchers in the Day Care office. These are Open to Close tickets and are valued at as much as $109. Also, team members have “buddy passes” which are also available at huge discounts – around $39 for an open to close ticket for a friend.
Hope to see you all this weekend!
Tyler
