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Friday Update Time!

Friday update number 6!  Ski season starts at Vail in 3 weeks!  Training classes start in 10 days! 

We made a sweet map of Vail with lots of pictures to help you get around. Check it out here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/43908764@N04/map/

Training

Our first training class, that starts on November 8^th, will be located in the Express Lift Coffeehouse, which is very close to our office in Vail Village.  Training will start at 8am or 9am on Monday, depending if you’ve worked as a lift operator at Vail before, and we expect you to be ready to learn.

Schedule of Events

(if you’re in training starting November 8^th)

* This could change depending on snow / other stuff!

·         Friday, November 5^th

o        3:00pm – 5:00pm - Paperwork Session, Lift Operations Locker Room

·         Sunday, November 7^th            

o        9:00am – noon – Uniform Distribution, Lift Operations Locker Room

·         Monday, November 8^th

o        8:00am – Lift Operations Training Starts (Returning Employees), Express Lift Coffeehouse

o        9:00am – Lift Operations Training Starts (New Employees) , Express Lift Coffeehouse

·         Tuesday, November 9^th

o        TBD – Lift Operations Training, Express Lift Coffeehouse

·         Wednesday, November 10^th

o        TBD – Lift Operations Training, Express Lift Coffeehouse

·         Thursday, November 11^th

o        8:00am – noon – New Employee Orientation, Express Lift Coffeehouse

·         Friday, November 12^th

o        Day Off for most

o        8:00am – 3:00ish – Team Leader Training, Warehouse Conference Room

·         Saturday, November 13^th

o        Day Off

·         Sunday, November 14^th

o        10:00am – Lift Operations Training, Express Lift Coffeehouse

·         Monday, November 15^th

o        8:00am – Lift Operations Training, Express Lift Coffeehouse

·         Tuesday, November 16^th

o        TBA

·         Wednesday, November 17^th

o        TBA

·         Thursday, November 18^th

o        Start of Winter Schedules

·         Friday, November 19^th

o        9:00am – 3:30p - Opening Day!

What do I need for training?

·         Warm clothes, gloves, hats, warm shoes, etc. - We will be spending a good bit of time both inside and outside.  Don’t wear flip flops. (We have seen that before, they don’t work well with snow.)

·         Ski pass – You need your ski pass in order to clock in and out and get paid.  It is also handy to go skiing.  You get your ski pass after you have finished all your paperwork at the paperwork session (details below).

·         Lunch – We generally have enough time to get lunch in the village, but it gets expensive and busy around noon.  You might want to pack a lunch to save some money and relax during the lunch break.

·         A clean look – You don’t want to be the person who gets sent home (to the next training class or for good) for not shaving.  If you have established facial hair that looks respectable, that is ok, otherwise, make sure you’re cleaned up every day!  ***We get to decide what looks respectable and what doesn’t!  If you have any questions it might be a good idea to come visit us before training.***

·         A willingness to learn and have fun doing it!

Paperwork

We are having a paperwork session on Friday, November 5^th from 3pm to 5pm.  You can get all your paperwork done in one place, check out the locker room, have some delightful refreshments, and have the peace of mind that everything that you needed to do is finished before training. 

Uniforms

Uniforms consist of pants, a jacket, and a vest.  We’ll also give you a pair of work gloves. You will need to provide your own hat, goggles, boots, undergarments, and anything else you want to wear.  Non-uniform clothes have to be tucked in at all times, so leave your tall-t’s at home.  Also, any kind of shirt that you wear under your vest, if you only wear a vest, has to be solid black.  You can always wear your jacket though!

Employee Handbook

The employee handbook can be found here:  http://jobs.vailresorts.com/skijob1/SiteAssets/files/main/2011%20Employee%20Handbook.pdf

It has all of the corporate policies and a ton of other information.  Check it out if you want!

Fact of the Week

Colorado contains 75% of the land in the US that is over 10,000 feet in altitude.  There are 58 peaks that are over 14,000 feet high!  There are 756 peaks that are over 13,000 feet.

Supervisor Profiles

This week you get Shawn and me (Chris).

Supervisor Profiles - Ann & Deb

Direct Deposit

If you want to sign up for direct deposit, make sure you bring a check with you from your bank!

Update 5 -

Friday update number 5!  Ski season starts at Vail in less than a month!  Training classes begin in 2 weeks.

We made a sweet map of Vail with lots of pictures to help you get around. Check it out here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/43908764@N04/map/

I just got here, what should I do!?!?

1.       Go to Timber Ridge and get settled into your apartment.

2.       Explore the town, pick up whatever you need from the store, and get your bearings.

3.       Come to our Hire Paperwork session on November 5^th in Vail Village from 3 - 5 PM.  If you can’t make it, call us to find out how to get your hire paperwork done. 

4.       PAPERWORK MUST BE COMPLETED BEFORE YOU CAN BEGIN TRAINING.  NO EXCEPTIONS.

Housing

If you are in employee housing, most of you will be living in Timber Ridge Apartments.  Timber Ridge is about halfway between the Vail and West Vail highway exits, on the North Frontage Road.  It’s relatively close to the grocery stores and shops in West Vail, and a few short bus stops away from our office and locker room in Vail Village. 

All employee housing apartments are furnished with the essential pieces of furniture (fridge, stove, kitchen table and chairs, couches, coffee tables, a few lights, beds with mattresses, and dressers).  You will have to provide sheets, towels, dishes, silverware, pillows, and other things like that.  Most of the things that you will need you can purchase in Vail at City Market, Safeway, and Ace Hardware, but you can also visit Wal-mart in Avon which is about 10 minutes away by car.  I’ve included a map with all the important places in Vail that I could think of.

*** The housing office is closed on Saturday and Sunday through October 31^st.  It will be open 8am-5pm, 7 days per week in November.  Make sure you’re arriving during the hours that they’re open!  It’s a good idea to get there by 4:00.

Training

Our first training session, beginning on November 8^th, will be located in the Express Lift Coffeehouse, which is very close to our office in Vail Village.  The Coffeehouse is adjacent to the Vista Bahn chairlift.  Training will start at 9am on Monday, and we expect you to be ready to learn.

The 2^nd session, beginning November 22 is full.

Our third session will begin on December 9^th.

Paperwork

All employees, new and returning, must complete Human Resources Hire Paperwork before being allowed to begin training (aka: work, earn $).

We are having a hire paperwork session on Friday, November 5^th from 3pm to 5pm in the Lift Operations locker room.

Directions to the locker room.

1.       Get to the Vail Village Transportation Center/Parking Structure.

2.       Walk up Bridge Street toward the ski area.

3.       Find the “Edge” statue of a ski racer near the base of the Vista Bahn chairlift.

4.       Walk west toward the Ticket Office and follow signs downstairs to the Lift Locker Room.  

If you come to this, you can get all your paperwork done in one place, check out the locker room, have some delightful refreshments, and have the peace of mind that everything you needed to do is complete.  We encourage everyone to come to this!  If you cannot make the paperwork session, call the office to make other arrangements to complete the paperwork process.  If your hire paperwork is not completed prior to training, you will be bumped to the next class.

There will be another paperwork session for those of you in the November 22^nd training session.

Uniform

We provide you a uniform for use while you’re at work.  The uniform consists of a jacket, a vest, and snow pants.  You can’t wear these uniform pieces unless you’re working, so make sure you have your own gear for your days off.   You’ll need to bring all the rest of the stuff with you (hats, gloves, goggles, socks, boots, scarves, etc.).  As for helmets, we’re going to provide you with one that you’re welcome to wear during work and also during your days off.

Fact of the Week

There are at least 10 free concerts in Vail every winter!  They just announced O.A.R., Dwight Yoakam, Weezer, and Mix Master Mike for Snow Daze this winter. Check it out here:   http://www.vail.com/events/free-concerts.aspx#

Travel – **VERY IMPORTANT (I’m going to keep putting it in here so everyone knows)

When you’re arranging your arrival into Vail, please try to arrive at least 2 days early.  It takes time to get situated in housing and sign a lease.  Also you need to fill out paperwork in order to start training class.  If you don’t have your paperwork finished before your class starts, you can’t be in that class!  In order to successfully do your paperwork, you’ll need 2 forms of ID.  Below are the IDs that you can use to do paperwork.

Another Friday, another update.

Friday update cuatro! Ski season starts at Vail in 35 days! Training classes start in 24 days!


Fitness

Core strength training is an important part of overall fitness. The stronger your core muscles are, the easier it is to transfer energy to the smaller muscles farther from your core. Lift Operators do lots of things using the core as a base like shoveling, lifting people, and most importantly skiing and snowboarding.
http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/core-strength-training.html


Housing Information

Housing deposits are due to secure your spot in employee housing. Housing is currently full, however if you don’t send your deposit in, we will open up your spot to some of the other people who are still interested. We sent out a resource guide for those of you who are looking for alternative housing, if you need it shoot us an email and we’ll get it to you.


Training

There have been some misconceptions about training classes. Our training classes are NOT 1 day training sessions. They are 2 weeks of learning about lifts, the mountain, the town, and everything that we do. You can expect to get about 30-35 hours of paid training per week for 2 weeks during training. The November 8th training will go Monday through Thursday, and possibly Friday. Count on the training beginning November 22nd to go Monday through Wednesday, off Thanksgiving, then back on Friday. Chairlifts have different makes and models, and take a significant amount of time and effort to learn.


Fact of the Week

FORMER LIFT OPERATOR SAVES CHILEAN MINERS!
Matt Staffel (2002/2003) was part of the crew that got those guys out. Matt was quoted on CNN as comparing this great achievement to getting Chair 5 open on a 2 foot powder day.
Nice work Matt!



CONTEST #2: Hometown Icons

Send us a pic of an iconic image that makes your hometown, or current town, special. It can be a person, place, or a thing. Something that you can brag about while away.  One of the best things about living in Vail is meeting people from all around the globe. This is your chance to let everyone know a little something about where you are coming from and maybe reach your hand into the Swanny box for a sweet pair of ski gloves.  You don't need to be in the picture, but let us know what it is.

Here is our example from Vail.  The Covered Bridge and 10th Mountain Division Soldier.

Email the pics to Debs at dperry@vailresorts.com.  We’ll have a winner by next week.


Travel

When you’re arranging your arrival into Vail, please try to arrive at least 2 days early. It takes time to get situated in housing and sign a lease.


PAPERWORK SESSION!!!
(for those already confirmed for the 11/08/10 training class)

When – Friday November 5th 2010
Time – 3pm – 5pm
Where – Vail Village Lifts locker room
WHAT TO BRING – your 2 valid forms of identification (see posts below if you’re confused)
What - Come and meet the supervisors, get your paperwork finished so you can get a ski pass!  Enjoy delicious refreshments.



Paycheck Info

If you are in the first training class on the 8th, you will receive a paycheck on the 18th. On this paycheck you will be paid for the first 3 days of training, from the 8th until the 11th. After that you’ll receive a paycheck every 2 weeks, with 2 weeks worth of work on each one.

We have several banks in town, if you’re looking to open a new bank account in Colorado.

1stBank (locations in Vail, Lionshead, West Vail, Avon)

Alpine Bank (Vail and Avon)

US Bank (Vail and Avon)

Millennium Bank (Vail)

You can get direct deposit for your paycheck if you want. It usually takes about 2 paycheck cycles to get it started.

Supervisor Profiles

We decided we’d all make a short video to tell you a little bit about us. Enjoy Lynsey and Leo’s profiles.

Housing Deposit System - Working?!

For those of you who have been waiting to pay your deposit, the system seems to be working now. I haven't gotten an official email from the people that made it, but it worked for my test account this morning.

Friiiiiiiiiiday Update

Hello Lifties:

Friday update time!  Ski season starts at Vail in 42 days!  Training classes start in 31 days!  It snowed a little bit last night, maybe we can find some pictures later.

And the winner is...

Grooming

Gentlemen, we do have a grooming policy in the Lift Department.  If you have a beard it has to be clean and nice.  If you don't have a beard when training starts, you will not be allowed to grow one.  If you have a beard when training starts, and we determine that it looks shady, we'll make you shave it off.  So pretty much, if you want to have any facial hair for the winter, grow it now and make it pretty.  I'm working on some sort of picture to show you what is ok and what isn't but you'll have to wait for that.

Fitness

Keep working on your physical fitness!   There are a number of gyms in Vail that you can use when you get here:

Vail Aria Club and Spa - around $75 for a monthly employee membership

Vail Athletic Club

Avon Recreation Center

Housing Information

Currently, the online housing deposit system is not working.  Pinnacle (the housing people) are telling me it will be fixed by the end of the day, but I will let everyone know as soon as it is working again.  If you have not replied about employee housing yet, there are not many spots left, so make sure to let us know.  We also took the time to make a short video tour of Timber Ridge this week.  Here it is:

Fact of the Week

Vail installed $2.5 million dollars worth of snowmaking equipment in Golden Peak last year.  This will allow the ski team to start training November 1^st, and get a nice head start on all the snow that they need for the terrain park.

Travel

Getting up to Vail is pretty easy if you don’t have a car.  In fact, you DON’T NEED a car in Vail at all.  We have one of the largest free bus systems in North America.  You can get anywhere in Vail on the bus quickly and easily, and you don’t have to worry about digging your car out of 9 feet of powder.

If you don’t have a car and you need a ride up from the airport, CME is one of the best options.  The shuttles run every hour and a half during the day.  We do get an employee discount on CME, which I will have to get to everyone later.  If you’re planning on using them to get up here within the next week, just tell them you are going to be an employee when you book your reservation on the phone at 800.525.6363.

Documentation

I wanted to remind everyone about bringing the correct documentation again. This is very important, if you screw this up you might not have a job when you get here.

Employees are required to present either one of the documents from List A or one of the following documents from List B and one of the documents from List C.

List A (Documents that establish both identity and employment eligibility)

• United States Passport
• Permanent Resident Card or Alien Registration Receipt Card (I-551)
• Temporary Resident Card (I-688)
• Employment Authorization Document (I-766, I-688B, or I-688A)
• Foreign Passport with temporary I-551 stamp
• For aliens authorized to work only for a specific employer, foreign passport with Form I-94 authorizing employment with this employer

List B (Documents that establish identity only)

• Driver's license issued by a state or outlying possession
• ID card issued by a state or outlying possession
• Native American tribal document
• Canadian driver's license or ID card with a photograph (for Canadian aliens authorized to work only for a specific employer)
• School ID card with a photograph
• Voter's registration card
• U.S. Military card or draft record
• Military dependent's ID Card

List C (Documents that establish employment eligibility only)

• Social Security account number card without employment restrictions
• Original or certified copy of a birth certificate with an official seal issued by a state or local government agency
• Certification of Birth Abroad
• US Citizen ID Card
• Native American tribal document
• Form I-94 authorizing employment with this employer (for aliens authorized to work only for a specific employer)

So you need, one document from List A (Passport), or one from B and one from C (Driver’s License & Social Security Card).  All of the documents must be original and unexpired

Gear

We have a few company owned stores, and as an employee you can get 10%-20% off most items.  If you need anything before you get out here it might be worthwhile to check these places out.

Mountain Sports Outlet -

http://www.mountainsportsoutlet.com/

in Silverthorne & Glenwood Springs, great deals, but sometimes hit or miss.

Vail Sports - http://www.vailsports.com/

Also the Ski Swap is at Dobson Arena in Vail on October 29th & 30th.  You can find all kinds of deals on gear there.

Entry 4 - Only 1 day left!

Bill at the top of Mount of the Holy Cross (14,010 ft.).  This is not an easy hike.

Timber Ridge, your new home.

Drew practices his levitation.

Entry #2

Gonna be tough to beat this one.

The gauntlet has been thrown.

We got this from Austin today.  Looks like he'll be getting some new gloves unless some more of you step up to the challenge.

Training Class #1 = Full

Hey gang,

Training Class #1 is FULL. If you haven't yet scheduled yourself into a training class, you can still get into our 2nd class which starts on Monday, November 22nd.

-Chris

Training Class 2 = November 22nd

Sorry to everyone I confused.  In the first update I had written that the 2nd training class was on November 24th.

It is actually Monday, November 22nd.

Sorry!

49 More Days!

Hello Lifties:

Friday update time!  Ski season starts at Vail in 49 days!  Training classes start in 38 days!  A ski area in Colorado will probably be open within the next few weeks!  It has been beautiful in Vail so far this fall, but snow is on the way.

Fitness

Its time to start working on your physical fitness.  Vail is located at 8150’, so its going to take a little while to get yourself acclimated to the altitude here, but starting a fitness program now will help to speed that along.

We strongly suggest you start working on these routines: core performance winter training program. You should do it 2-3 times a week, with a day of rest in between.  This program will help strengthen your core, which should help you be a better skier or snowboarder, as well as a fitter, healthier lift operator.

*CONTEST*

Send us a picture or video of yourself doing the exercises, be sure to tell us which one it is, and next Friday we’ll pick one of the entries to win a brand new pair of Swany winter gloves!  Submit your pics to Facebook, here (in the comments), or to one of us via email.

Housing Information

We are sending out housing info, to those of you who requested it, today.  Please make sure to read it carefully and follow all the directions on the forms.  You need to select a property to move to the next step.  You will have 3 choices: Timber Ridge (closest to Vail), Riversedge (in Avon), or River Run (in between Vail and Avon).  If you have any questions please let us know.

Fact of the Week

Vail has around 180 lift operators at our peak operating times.  We have lift operators from many different countries and all around the US.

Travel

When you’re arranging your arrival into Vail, please try to arrive at least 2 days early.  It takes time to get situated in housing and sign a lease. 

Paperwork

For us to put you to work, you have to fill out some paperwork.  In order to fill out the required paperwork, Human Resources has to make sure you’re who you say you are.  Here is the list of identification that will work for that purpose.  This is straight from the government so bear with us, we will try to clarify afterwards.

Acceptable I-9 Documents

Employees are required to present either one of the documents from List A or one of the following documents from List B and one of the documents from List C.

List A (Documents that establish both identity and employment eligibility)

• United States Passport
• Permanent Resident Card or Alien Registration Receipt Card (I-551)
• Temporary Resident Card (I-688)
• Employment Authorization Document (I-766, I-688B, or I-688A)
• Foreign Passport with temporary I-551 stamp
• For aliens authorized to work only for a specific employer, foreign passport with Form I-94 authorizing employment with this employer

List B (Documents that establish identity only)

• Driver's license issued by a state or outlying possession
• ID card issued by a state or outlying possession
• Native American tribal document
• Canadian driver's license or ID card with a photograph (for Canadian aliens authorized to work only for a specific employer)
• School ID card with a photograph
• Voter's registration card
• U.S. Military card or draft record
• Military dependent's ID Card

List C (Documents that establish employment eligibility only)

• Social Security account number card without employment restrictions
• Original or certified copy of a birth certificate with an official seal issued by a state or local government agency
• Certification of Birth Abroad
• US Citizen ID Card
• Native American tribal document
• Form I-94 authorizing employment with this employer (for aliens authorized to work only for a specific employer)

So you need, one document from List A (Passport), or one from B and one from C (Driver’s License & Social Security Card).  All of the documents must be original and unexpired.

Gear

If you were thinking about buying a helmet for this winter, don’t!  As part of our safety initiative, Vail is going to issue you a helmet to use for the season once you start working.

- Lift Ops Team

Tower Install on the new Chair 5!

Chair 5 tower install from satchele Burns on Vimeo.