Heavenly Valley

    So the year is 1972, I just quit American River community college after a whopping two month stay. Didn't even make it through the first quarter. Didn't like Sacramento and I really missed Tahoe. So I pack my stuff in the Camaro and come home. My folks were disappointed but were understanding . They insisted I get a job NOW as they said I wasn't going to just hang out and party with my friends. As luck would have it they were leaving for a two week trip so I had the place to myself.
     I didn't want to work at the casinos so I thought about applying at the mountan I grew up on , Heavenly Valley. I drive up there and they wouldn't even give me an application....my hair was too long. So I get a hair cut and go back ...nope, still too long.This calls for drastic measures. I get my hair cut a third time, real short and get dressed in the latest '72 fashion. A matching brown Levi suit. Flared bell bottom trousers, matching jacket and a buttoned up white shirt. Man , did I look like a dork! But hey, I got the application and after the interview a job! Starting wage ? The princely sum of $2.25 an hour. And I quit school for this?
    The ski area wasn't open yet, no snow, so they give me a bucket of paint and a brush and I start painting the interior of the main lodge. I noticed this strange little man kept checking on my painting. He eventually introduced himself. His name was James Bond. Now this guy is about as opposite from Sean Connery's 007 James Bond as you could imagine. He's short with a bad comb over and he's over the top gay. He's the interior decorator / special events planner for Heavenly Valley.
     One day as I'm painting he tells me Iv'e been transferd to his department and I now work for him. Now I have nothing against gay people,but this was a little awkward as I was the only person in his department and he seemed to really like me, I mean REALLY like me..He would walk me around from one building to the next pointing out colors he wanted changed or different drapes and such. This was not only strange but  embarassing. I knew nothing about interior design and I hated his color choices and the whole thing ...well, it was just plain weird!
     Fortunately the old guy that ran the lift crew, Frank Moore, rescued me and put me on the chair lift crew. Now these were my type of folks. These chair lift attendants are all a little crazed, a littlle shady and always up for a good time. What a cast of chararcters! I fit right in with this bunch of weirdos.
     Once the the boss discovers I can ski he sticks me up at the very top of the mountain, the top of the sky chair. I'm in a tiny hut with a heater and a portable radio. Also it's a little
 over 10,000 feet in elevation . A great view of the lake and basically you  just watch skiers disembark from  the chair ride without any difficulty. Once in awhile someone will have a ski come off or they fall as they stand up to get off the chair, thats when you hit the stop button halting the chair and you help the skier get it together.
      I knew all the guys on the ski patrol and they let me join them for the sweep.When the last skier gets off the lift at the end of the day all the patrolers gather at the top of the mountain and break up into pairs and each pair takes a different run looking for anyone that's either lost or injured. So your'e sweeping the slopes to make sure no one is left there through the night. It's really quiet except for the ocasional shout of  one of the patrol guys or myself  yelling out "last run" or "everybody head down to the bottom, the lifts are closing". This was done to make sure all the skiers make it to the bottom and are safe and sound.
      I really enjoyed this. Youv'e got the whole mountain to yourself, the sun is going down and it's just you and some other guys that are good skiers. As I make my way to the bottom of the mountain I'm making big turns on empty ski runs. By now it's getting dark and its time to lock the doors and gates, turn on the lights, make sure everything's secure and head home and start a fire. Come back tomorow and do it all over again.
      After awhile I started working on the tram, but thats another story. Take care, Bob