Mountain Life Update

I suppose an update here is long overdue, in fact if not for Andrea's harshly positive encourage for an update I feel compelled to post. I didn't/don't really think/expect anyone to read this but that is not the point, right?

So...life is good, great. The job is one that fits my personality well, causing me to do well without really trying. Mornings out here are typically my favorite part of the day. I enjoy my roommates french press and slowly sip it as i take the 10 minute bus ride to the locker room. I change into my uniform casually then head out for the day with my pack on my back. I load onto the base chair lift and ride up to mid-mountain as the morning moon still pours out shades of deep dark blue and grey through the mountain pines. This is the time I see animals, most notably and frequently a red and black fox. One morning I caught him burying a meal in the middle of a catwalk, gotta think he won't make that mistake again. Once I get off the first chair I head straight down the lift line towards a catwalk that takes me to a nice open run, first tracks, weaving by moonlight alone to the mountainside...amazing. Weather of course changes what this experience is like. Heavy winds, strong snow, dense clouds, all these change the experience but in each of its ways every day is exhilirating. I ride one more chair up to the top of the mountain on the front side and casually ski along the frontside ridge to my chair. It's a nice location to work, near the top of the gondola so anyone can reach it. I typically work with young kids most of the day, helping them load onto chairs, get around hills, etc. The actual lift operation job only requires my attention for a small portion of the day and when there are people that requre special attention, aka inexperienced. I ski down the slopes at the end of the day in a small group of liftys or by myself.

On my days off I do all of that just on my own schedule.

I keep to myself a lot at times but know a lot of people and am never short of company when I require some. As to plans for the future I just can't say yet. I would hate to spoil the surprise.

I hope all is well, I love all my family friends and anyone else that cares enough to stop by.
Byron

Happy Holidays

So I know, I know, a blog update is loooong overdue. My apologies. In my haste to absorb into mountain life I have neglected well, anything outside the mountains. In that spirit I'll use this outlet to tell everyone I know and love, happy holidays. I celebrate Christmas, purely for the nostalgic and historical significance it holds for me. I don't like to think of the holidays as the time of year where you have to spend a bunch of money to fill someone's happiness quota. I confess I do hold certain expectations for my mood during the holiday season and therefore the true spirit of the season is lost a bit but thats ok. I tend to think of friends and family that are far away. I think of what they are probably doing christmas morning.

I've been working a lot lately, six 10.5 hour days in a row. I have the next two days off and they are reserved for, skiing and snowboarding. I have a friend that is loaning me his board and bindings and my roommate Cesar has given me a pair of boots. I get two free lessons from Vail ski school per month so I'll take advantage and learn to board. Skiing has been the main source of my pleasure out here. Going in I figured I would just be comfortable with casually strolling down ridges and viewing the landscapes but I have found that combined with my enjoyment of the freedom out here and the equipment I'm riding on I have found myself enjoying the speed and agility granted with 5 feet of snow. Powder is like a magical word out here. Everyone dreams of it. I work chair 15 at Vail right now. It is a mostly beginner chair which suits me because I get to work with kids all day. The crew I have been placed on has been coined "The Brown Crew" on account of 80% of us being from Peru. This has sparked a desire in me to visit South America. As of now my next destination options are, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Peru, Argentina, Montana, Tenessee and New Zealand as a long shot. I am trying to learn Spanish the right way, through people that speak it. I have picked up the guitar as a hobby and have found it to be a welcomed companion. The harmonica always brings smiles when I play it at work in the lifthouse. Work has been long but good. I typically just shovel a lot and make sure people are loading and unloading the lifts correctly while also monitoring the lift mechanics, engine, tension systems and such. Really quite easy work once you figure it out. The best part of the job is the skiing that is necesarry and encouraged throughout the day. Somedays I'll be skiing for a good 3 hour total on the job just getting from place to place. I also get to make first tracks on ungroomed runs in the morning. This is pretty amazing. Skiing a freshly snowed on mountain slope as the sun is coming up. Definitely one of the perks of the job. In my free time I mostly hang out with my roommates and some southern boys that are also lifties. Anyway, I'm getting tired of writing for now. I hope this finds you all well. Life out here is good. I work a lot but work doesn't feel like the same word it used to be these days.
Byron

Life in the Mountain Valley

Hi folks.

So I feel as though I've lived here long enough to have a good working understanding of the people, the places, the attractions, the detractions and the overall vibe of life as a Vail resident. The only aspect of life out here that I do not fully grasp yet is the overall winter weather season. I know what winters are, Michigan will do that to a person, but weather, that is always something new depending on setting. I have spent some time out here in the Rockies during the winter, I know what a ridiculous amount of snow can mean but an entire life of it? I currently enjoy walking everywhere I go, can I say the same thing when 300 inches have fallen in a matter of months?

Small changes like that affect the things you enjoy.


The library is a gem here in Vail. I spend at least an hour at it 5 days a week. If I haven't made time for the library during my day it usually means mountain days have tired me out too much. I fear that the library will be a lesser place when Vail is in full swing and Scandanavian elitists are huddled by the fire in their fur coats discussing the pratfalls of competing nose wipes for their kids. For now its relatively deserted, aside from the busy computer section at which I currently sit. I found the most amazing Gonzo book on display last week. It is hardcover and at least a foot tall and one foot wide, so double that when opened. It has great widespread pictures, quotes, poems and just overall inspirational material.

Most of the books I have checked out from the library have been about music theory and guitar playing. I found a good deal on a nice yamaha and have been strumming my way through the dark sleepy nights out here.

For all of you interested back home, friends have been easy to come by. There is always a friendly face around the corner that I can share a laugh with. In the odd case that there is no one around the ambiguous mountain air and vibe get me through.

I'm sorry if I haven't checked in as frequent as maybe some of you expected/wanted. Or maybe I am reporting back just enough or perhaps too much. I have no gauge of this other than my overall desire to confine myself to the glowing pixels of a computer screen. In other words I'm trying to need the computer as little as possible so I apologize if I've been a little distant. I don't really enjoy talking on the phone to anyone unless I get involved in small talk enough to forget that I am on the phone.

Love you all, take care.
Byron, or fish as my nametag says on the mountain.

Overall Vail Update

Whats up all? I hope everyone in their respected places are doing well. I miss you. Things are good here in Vail. I am going through training sessions every day, pretty much all day. Turns out it takes a lot of equipment and protocal guidelines to memorize when working a ski lift. I love it here. Living in a mountain valley means looking out the window and every time seeing slopes and mountain peaks. The people are all friendly for the most part. Things are absolutely divided into, locals, tourists and Vail employees. Vail employees are close to locals but a lot of us, possibly myself included, are only here for seasons at a time so it is not really the same thing as living in Vail througout the summer as well and knowing how that whole lifestyle works. My first paycheck comes in about 1.5 weeks from now, thank god. Everything is on the pricier side of life but a perk of being surrounded by nice people is that you tend to find the deals pretty easily if you know how to ask. Life is good, I'm keeping a smile on my face everywhere I go and knowing that if I take the time to look around I will like what I see.

I'll have pictures soon I just haven't had enough daylight free time to get some good shots.

Love,
Byron

Greetings from Vail

I made it. I have been in Vail now for 4 days and I really am happy to be here.

I flew into Denver the day after Halloween with a bunch of hungover skate and board kids, pretty quiet flight really. Joe Schramm picked me up at the airport and I had the chance to hang out with him for 3 days in Denver. He has a nice little setup with Nick Kjolhede, Jason Bulter, John Hickey and little (but now all grownsies) JoJo. I got to play some disc, tour the town, hit up some bars and just kick back with some faces from the past.

I took the CME from Denver to Vail, it is essentially a van that they load up with ski bums and rich people. My first day in Vail was a little trying, I got to town with about 1 hour of daylight but most of that was wasted with paperwork at my apt. complex's housing office and just getting all my shit into my apartment and set up. So by the time I was ready to get my bearings about me it was already dark out and I just had to hop on the city bus and take it where it took me and figure out as I go. Luckily Vail is accomodating to the hiker. I stopped into a coffee shop and a cool cat named Quincy gave me a lowdown. So after drinking the free coffee Quincy gave me I hopped on a different bus and took it to a grocery store. Life is expensive out here. I shall be consuming tuna, trailmix, granola bars, eggs and beer, nothing else. So eventually I made it back to my apartment and just passed out.

Every day thus far has consisted primarily of training classes. Today is my first free day in Vail and I plan to just stroll the streets with my camera and get to know the place. I have plans to go hiking up one of the mountain sides with my friends Jeff and Philip so that should also give me a good idea of what else Vail life has in store for me.

I have two roommates, Cesear and Tyler, we are expecting one more by the time ski season starts. They are both good guys, Tyler is a fellow lift operator from D.C. Cesear has been in Vail for a year and a half and is working as a cook at one of the ridiculously expensive restaurants in downtown.

Life in Vail has been good but busy. I am looking forward to ski season and finally getting up there on the mountain and having the whole day to waste on shredding through powder. I am surrounded by people my age and of my mindset so making friends has never been easier. All in all life is good and just keeps getting better the more you let it.
LB

I LEAVE SUNDAY!!

As i sit in a lab and realize that I am approaching the 10th hour in a row that I am occupied with activities that keep me indoors I am surprisingly okay with it. This is because I am so close to departure date. I don't talk  much these last few days (weeks really) and I guess it is because I don't want to waste my breath. How involved can I really be in a conversation if my mind is off in the Denver airport? I really have nothing of merit to add to a work conversation. The only things that really distract me from Vail are tiny things like the various shades of grey that permeate the Michigan sky this time of year. The southward bound birds, green colors spread amongst oranges. Simple little things.

I have all but wrapped up life at Such Video. My desk never had much of my identity in it. One would go to it now and find post it notes. A phone book. A small desk lamp. The G4 that made work bearable at times. No personality. There never was any really, just traces of life. Here and there I would leave an article of clothing. A cd. Something given to me by a friend that hadn't made its way home with me yet. Now, nothing but the cold dark whisper of corporate sterility.

My room is the exact opposite. Everything I am taking with me is visible. Skis sit next to travel bags with tags on them that hold words like voyage, journey, travel. On the countertop sits my passport, some deoderant, and a few books sprawled out so as to show me every cover. It is tough deciding what words to take with you. Paper is so heavy and does not weather well. I think I will miss my collection of literature as much as anything. Even the books that I never finished, they always sat there looking at me with confidence that I would someday discover their total message. If they are ever lost I will lose more than just the sum of their parts, their very existence in my collection is a story that I am happy to remember.

My final project, a 60 second video meant to bring to light the plight of American Veterans that suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, is completed. I think this video will keep me grounded in the notion that my college education was/is worthwhile. I have no regrets about college, the friends I made, the relationships I had/have, my overall experience, but I do always question my current course and whether or not I could be doing something that fully utilizes my abilities and my desires. I think everyone, if they speak truthfully, feels that way.

LB

Two Weeks to Go!

Only two weeks left before the big move and I can't help but be bored. I love the fall colors here, orange, reds, yellows, its all really pretty and produces sweet smells and great harvests. Michigan is a really cool state for anyone thinking of relocating here. It's hard really appreciating it if you've grown up here and don't know anything else. This is why I can't agree with anyone that just stereotypes a region as one thing. Michigan has so much variety and I know this because I've spent so much time here. I can't even begin to assume I know the entire spectrum of splendor that somewhere like Maine has to offer. The same goes for people. Don't pigeon hole a person into a type, unless you want to be proven wrong. Barack Obama was just a fat momma's boy, now he's three weeks away from the oval office, I hope.

Well that was a random diatribe, all I really want to say is that things are progressing and I am one week closer to Vail. Our friends from New Zealand, Dan and Mary, are on their way to us right now. They will be staying with us for a while until they go back to Kiwi land. I am excited to talk with them about their travels and my future trip. Spending time in New Zealand remains one of my long-term goals. It is a staple of who I am and who I want to be. That's all I have. These posts will start getting more exciting I hope as the coming months progress.