Jealous much?!

Hello Hello!


As promised, I wore my snow stuff into work today. It was awesome not to think about what I have to wear for the first time in a while. I am sure I will come back from the West with a whole new attitude (much more laid back!), new lingo and new loyalty to different snow brands. It has been interesting to see what the latest trends in ski apparel is. Apparently Neon colors are the way to go. It is important to get noticed out there! No worries though, I still sported my Boston Red Sox t-shirt over my Hot Chili's!I have to represent! My office mates like to give me a hard time about being from the East and I guess they can if I drove 3,000 miles away from it to try my hand in this world!


I got out there today and it is absolutely gorgeous! The mountain is 4,500 feet above tree level so the views are spectacular. And the trees that are on the mountain are unbelievable! They are called "snow ghosts" b/c the mountain accumulates so much powder that after awhile the trees don't look like themselves anymore, they are so caked on with snow. They have appropriately been dubbed "snow ghosts" instead! Check it out!
There are 9 chairlifts and I have only had the pleasure of 3 so far. After lunch I am going to get back out there. It is 12 degrees out here, which is the coldest it really ever gets. My first hand at boarding on real powder was difficult. It is such a different feel and you really have to work on your momentum in order to not get stuck. This goes back to the having no fear idea - I just have to barrel down the mountain with the wind at my back! Don't hate me because this is what I get to see everyday when I work, but take a look at how stunning and pristine this mountain is!

The lake the mountain overlooks is called Lake Pend Oreille and it never freezes b/c it is over 1,000 feet deep. This certainly is a sight for sore eyes! So for all of you naysayers who had me terrifed of the weather and told me the only thing I would find out here are potatoes and questioned as to why I chose Idaho instead of Colorado as my Western destination, you can eat your words, or in my case, eat the powder spray I am leaving behind as I beat down the mountain;)

View from the top!

Well Welcome to Schweitzer Mountain! Here I am with blue skies, deep snow, great vis and moderate wind. It is 12 degrees and from what I am hearing this is one of the biggest days Schweitzer has seen!


I was able to ring the bell today summoning the packed lines waiting to get up the mountain that the chair lift is open! A great tradition and one that should be implemented for every walk of life. Few things are as important as the opening of a lift at a ski mountain and the bell represented this perfectly.

What is funny about Schweitzer is that there are a lot of New Englanders here! Maybe this is something we should pick up on? Hmmm, I won't ever betray my Northeastern roots, but what I see so far out here I am liking! So far I have met people from Dover, Bartlett and Gorham, NH. Even the CEO is from North Conway! It already feels like I am at home!

We have reached a 4,900 person capacity on 2900 acres and we still have a few hours to close. The snow is amazing with people falling in up to their waist! This is something that East skiers rarely deal with so I am not sure if I want that experience to say I had it or if I want to avoid it altogether! I was already briefed on Tree Wells. This is a serious and dangerous hazard of skiing the West! If you fall into the base of a trunk after powder days you can suffocate in a matter of minutes and it is difficult to get yourself out. I can't believe people trust me to snowboard down this mountain.

The office I work in is in a 2 story building and is painted bright orange and lime green. It definitely helps the creative juices flow! No joke though, the porch in which I have to walk up two flights of stairs to get to the office front door is full of snow. There is so much powder here that it reaches up to at least two stories. It is crazy!

I have built in snowboard breaks during the day in order to keep my mind moving. Everyone in the office does. I am literally required to snowboard out here. And because there is so much snow and it reaches our back deck, I just walk out the door, strap on my board and slide towards the lift. It is amazing. Who wouldn't want this job?


When I asked about the dress code before coming out there I was told that it is Western Casual and jeans are the norm. I figured I would try and impress them a few times out of my internship and I brought my heels and oxfords and pencil skirts. Thankfully I didn't wear them on my first day. I quickly realized that you're laughed at if you show up to the mountain in any of the above. I kind of like it that way. It is much simpler. In fact, tomorrow I am going into the office dressed in my snowboarding garb!

Fear can take a backseat!

So I guess I am a real author now! Just by having a blog, I feel as though I can say that. (Isn't that how the movie Julie and Julia first came to fruition? She started a blog and it gained recognition and soon enough she had a book deal and a movie!) It is kind of like when you play guitar hero for long enough, you can be considered a real rock star!

I already feel like a rock star though. I just drove cross-country for the first time, landed in Northern Idaho and am getting ready to snowboard on some of the freshest POW I have ever seen or felt! Not bad for 1 week after my college graduation!

I remember being such a scared college first-year at UMaine. In fact, convulsively crying in my new dorm room from fear isn't that much of a stretch from the truth. I couldn't see the bigger picture and had no idea what was waiting for me. Well how could I have imagined where I am now?

After a Summer of serious soul-searching - we all have to say that cliche phrase once, twice or 20 times in our lives - I discovered the power of positive thought. If all you believe are good things and can put a positive spin on the negative and live your life with integrity then fear really isn't much of an issue. A friend's mother even lives by my new favorite quote: "feed your faith and your fears will starve!" Well I have faith that everything always works out and being fearless here in Idaho is perfect proof of that!