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Resort employee stereotypes?

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Lifties- very very very mellow.
Cooks- somehow every one I’ve met has been pretty weird.
Instructors?
Rentals?
Park staff?

 
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Oh this could get fun.
A lot of this depends on the type of resort you work at.
Some destination resorts I’ve been to in the US hire from other countries to help supply the work staff, because the locality couldnt supply all the people for just the winter (and other reasons).
My closest resort is right next to a town with a few high schools etc… So you get employees that have never skied at all. our typical liftie is a toothless drunk - to give the stereotype.
instructors are snotty high school kids some of whom are barely old enough to work…

Be sure to add ski patrol to the list.
Our patrollers are stereotypical real Granola types.
Some instructors are as well. college age beard long hair and work on the river in the summer as a river guide, and then on the mountain in the winter… and of course collect unemployment in the off seasons.

Cant say I know many cooks, but one instructor was a cook in the evenings - yea he was nuts, and always telling stories.
Rental crew… I wonder if they know anything at all about the sport sometimes.

 

In Canada , I think all lifties are Australian

 
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The resort that I work at is basically Australian’s other country.. we have more australian’s in the town than we do canadian’s. There are also a lot of British and a few kiwi’s.

Lifties: Party animals, mostly the cause of all the craziness going on at staff housing.

Ski Patrol: Old skiers that are still trying to make living in whistler their life,  there are a few young guys that are quite cool and I find them the most helpful. The older guys just want to sit and do nothing.

Instructors: It used to be that they were the most hated people on the mountain but over the last few years it’s gotten much better, there are normally a small group of highschool students working part-time to earn some cash, but most instructors are awesome people who just like to have fun and ride on their days off, and piss of speed conrtol

Speed Control: Should be added to the list. The majority of these people just want to ruin your day of riding and try and tell you what to do even though most of them can’t even ski or snowboard. They are just pissed because they don’t get paid.

Rentals: I’d have to agree with that fact that they don’t seem to know anything about the sport they are giving equipment to.

Cooks: Don’t really know too many so I don’t have a comment on them

Park Staff: Park rats that even when it’s snowed 20cm they are still hitting up the park.

 
Just Giver - 16 June 2009 07:49 PM


Cooks: Don’t really know too many so I don’t have a comment on them

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never piss off a Cook….at least not if you eat there..

 
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Dave99 - 16 June 2009 08:02 PM
Just Giver - 16 June 2009 07:49 PM


Cooks: Don’t really know too many so I don’t have a comment on them

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never piss off a Cook….at least not if you eat there..

Ya good point, your opinion of the food at the resort might change from good to bad rather quickly.

 

Lifties: 2 hours sleep every night. Always drunk. Hate their job. Always at parties.

Ski patrol: They have to get the first pow lines. Think they know everything. Very helpful when needed.

Instructors: Not touching this one wink we are awesome.

Speed control: The most annoying people on the mountain. They don’t understand what fast and slow actually is. Power trippers.

Rentals: Similar to lifties. Hate their job. Don’t care about customers. Party animals.

Cooks: Hygienic I hope!

Park staff: Park rats. Usually good snowboarders. Some are lazy. They love to ride above all else.

 
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Who is typically more of a know-it-all on the hill? patroll, instructors or park staff?

 
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It’s funny about Speed Patrol - they’ve power tripped at me more than once before, but I think part of the problem is how it’s set up. For example, I taught a couple of mates last year, and standing on a beginner/intermediate run (off to the side) looking uphill and waiting for someone really skews your perception of how fast someone is going. It feels a lot faster and a sh*tload scarier when they’re coming towards you.

I think speed patrol should actually be doing laps, to see what the general flow is. There are 2 reasons this won’t work:
1) They’re usually not the strongest skiers on the hill, so they wouldn’t have a chance of catching anyone that was speeding
2) Management would think they were slacking off all day and not approve it.

 
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Enn Zed - 18 June 2009 12:57 AM

It’s funny about Speed Patrol - they’ve power tripped at me more than once before, but I think part of the problem is how it’s set up. For example, I taught a couple of mates last year, and standing on a beginner/intermediate run (off to the side) looking uphill and waiting for someone really skews your perception of how fast someone is going. It feels a lot faster and a sh*tload scarier when they’re coming towards you.

I think speed patrol should actually be doing laps, to see what the general flow is. There are 2 reasons this won’t work:
1) They’re usually not the strongest skiers on the hill, so they wouldn’t have a chance of catching anyone that was speeding
2) Management would think they were slacking off all day and not approve it.

I think your very right about this… Some of them do ski around but I heard that they get rewards for taking peoples passes. Like they get a certain amount of money if they suspend someones pass and even more if they take someone’s pass away for speeding or being reckless.

Here is a good example of what they think out of control is: My brother is a really good skier and he was skiing switch down part of the run that was way away from the beginner area, he was obviously in more control than most of the people in the beginner area and the speed control stopped him at the chair lift and told him that he was out of control.. If someone was skiing switch out of control then that would be reason enough to stop them but when the person is in complete control it doesn’t really make much sense. Oh well

 
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The only thing like speed control on the hill is at a local small mountain at times employees are asked to go slow down traffic when it gets too crowded.
but it’s like ski school people doing the job… there’s no official position like that here. either instructors do it, or maybe patrol does it.

 
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snowslider - 18 June 2009 03:27 AM

The only thing like speed control on the hill is at a local small mountain at times employees are asked to go slow down traffic when it gets too crowded.
but it’s like ski school people doing the job… there’s no official position like that here. either instructors do it, or maybe patrol does it.

so your speed control isn’t that bad? that’s gotta be nice

 
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The mountain is too small to get any speed.
you’ll stop or you will hit a tree or a fence or something.

 
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aw well that makes sense then.. what is your local mountain?

 
Just Giver - 18 June 2009 03:53 AM

aw well that makes sense then.. what is your local mountain?

Sounds like it`s his back yard.. LOL

 
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Haha good one Dave.

Who is typically more of a know-it-all on the hill? patroll, instructors or park staff?

Definately patrol, followed by instructors, park staff a distant third.