Through the eyes of a chairlift operator
Here is a brand new “Through the eyes of…” article. It’s like the old saying: “Good things come in threes”. Now that you are familiar with the formula (if you are not, we invite you to read Through the eyes of : Miss Météo & a night snow maker), we invite you to discover a job that you come across every ski day, more precisely, every time you go up to the summit. It is of course the chairlift operator.
Janis Jean agreed to share with us her typical day as a lift operator at the base of chairlift II, the main chair she has been operating now for the past eight seasons. Although she started working with us in the kitchen over 17 years ago, she discovered an interest in the operations team that she has maintained ever since. Among other things, she returns year after year for the flexible hours (allowing her to pursue another career in the summer) and also because as she so eloquently states, “Richard is a good boss.”
A typical day
As skiers and snowboarders, what we make sure of when we get on or off the chairlift is that we don’t fall and thus give a show to those around us. Janis has the same priority as you: “I spend my day greeting clients and helping them. I watch them as they sit on the chair and hope to spot any potential problem before it happens. That way, I can intervene accordingly.” So, being alert is important in her work environment. At any time, when necessary, she just has to press the stop button… It gives people time to get into the right position on the chair or pick up the ski pole they dropped before starting the lift again!
First of all, let’s start at the beginning! Janis starts her day around 7:30 a.m., before the mountain welcomes its first clients. She goes directly to her chairlift, but this is not necessarily the case for all other operators, as most have to go to the main chalet to find out their assignment for the day. They then head to their assigned chairlift aboard a Tucker Sno-Cat or side-by-side vehicle on the fresh morning snow.
Once she is at her chairlift, she conducts the daily inspections. She first goes up the terminal, from there Janis checks that everything is in order, opens the windows and removes any ice that might be a safety issue. Once this is completed, she and her teammate settle in to continue the morning inspection, which is one of her favorite parts of the job. Once everything is in order, it’s time to start the chairlift! “My favorite part of the day is the first round of customer, because they are so happy to be on the slopes. It’s the same with the last lift; they all have a smile on their face because of the great ski conditions.” When you think about it, you can’t be unhappy to see people in a good mood, it’s almost impossible.
Throughout the day, Janis and her teammate alternate every 30 or 60 minutes (depending on their agreement) between the person inside the cabin and the one outside. This way, they can warm up and eat while the other one shovels and de-ices the platform. However, as she mentioned to us, “we must always be aware of what is going on outside, even when we are in the cabin. Our attention must always be on the clients.” The day ends much the same way it began. After that, they make way for the nighttime snowmaking and maintenance crews. This means that around 4:15 p.m., Janis finishes her shift and goes home to her children.
Would you like a job in the great outdoors with happy skiers and snowboarders?
Really tempting, isn’t it? We are looking for motivated and responsible people to join our team!
Or find another dream job here!
You will also like :
Through the eyes of Miss Météo
Through the eyes of a member of the restauration team
Through the eyes of the intern
