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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.