Lifty....

The original lifty crew of 2011 with other rad dudes joining later

So I was real lucky to get a job as a lifty at Cardrona for the season and it was an awesome job to have, working with the raddest crew of people from all over the world we had so much fun, really miss them all and the good times we all had!! Being a lifty was hard work at times, there would be a lot of shoveling especially if we'd had a big snow fall and bumping chairs too, we all had strong arm muscles by the end of the season that's for sure!! We'd catch the van up the mountain around 7am and would take around a 40 min drive to get there. Mountain would close at 4pm and we would get back to Wanaka around 5:30/ 6. Although one day the weather was so bad it took us around an hour and a half to get down off the mountain, crazy couldn't see a thing in front of you. We all would help putting on/ taking off the snow chains on the vans as well.

                                          

At the beginning we got our training on how the lifts operated etc but the mountain was not going to be opening any time soon as there was really no snow up there other than a very light dusting, hmm or maybe it was frost, haha!! So to keep us all occupied and was a real good way to get to know everyone various activities were set up for us to do. The first main one was the intermountain sports day where teams from all 3 of the montains surrounding Wanaka competed against each other in Cricket, Football and Touch Rugby, was a fun day and what made it even better was Cardrona won overall, awesome :)

Keeping it G, haha!!

So opening day eventually rolled round, I was off that day so went up to ride, there was minimal snow but it was finally open and that was the main thing. You soon got into the roll of things and how things worked etc and working with everyone else you were all working it out together with some return staff there too. As a lifty we also had the hand held scanners to scan the bar codes on tickets, you'd get the peole who did not like to be scanned but we just doing our job!! Over the whole season I worked at every lift position at all the lifts so that was rad, you tend to work at some positions more than others but usually working with different people each day although you'll find you work with some more than others too. Sometimes early on when the mountain is still pretty quiet we would have time trials from top to bottom of what ever lift we were working on as we were allowed ride breaks throughout the day as long as work came first!! 


I could go on and on about being a lifty but I'm sure you would all get bored reading it all, haha!!

Lifty Award Night
At the end of the season they have a lifty awards night where various awards are handed out as voted for by your fellow lifties. Everyone obviously wanting that lifty of the year one and guess who was voted lifty of the year.... I did, I was shocked but so very stoked that the others would vote for me, nice to see the quiet hard working ones getting the recognition for a change!! Thank you lifty friends you rock :D and I also was voted Shoveling Queen haha awesome :)

Lifty Of The Year :)

The dress code for the awards night was dress, suit or tie. Hmm I did not have any of this and I was being bombarded with offers from the other girls offering me one of their dresses, obviously desperate to see me in a dress, haha which is a rare occurrence!! In the end I wore one of Katie's dresses. Everyone made the effort with Alex who yes is a guy dressing in a dress, I think best dressed of the night should go to him for sure and what an entrance he made with Bruce, hilarious, ah good good times :)

Here's an edit of some fun shreddage with the lifties....