so i have this new and amazing gig....i negotiatied myself free skiing at bridger, bigsky, and moonlight ski resorts here in bozeman in exchange for exposure in photography and columns in the msu campus paper, the exponent.
so, today i headed up to moonlight to meet with their marketing director, skis in tow of course.
she handed me a department season pass.
heck yeah.
she scattered all sorts of upcoming events being held in moonlight, we swapped contact information and upcoming issue ideas.....and that was that
sweet.
i was given a little moonlight tour, they have no actual 'base lodge', but they have a cafeteria, bar, and ski and ticket information...there is a moonlight lodge located a little farther up the mountain however. the lodge is pretty posh, fine dining, no getting sloppy here though.
i was told that i would be getting a mountain guide to show me around lone mountain, which is when i met christo pierce. he is the adult snow sports supervisor...aka he runs the ski school. so he was my tour guide/meet and greet guy/and ski instructor for the day. pretty much took me under his wing and showed me the ins and outs of the development, finances, growth statistics...even as far as divulging in how much a single chair left weighs. 1000 pounds. a little too much information, but ok.
christo! he rocked~ i wasn't expecting a ski instructor at all, especially a 33 year ski instructor veteran, albeit i desperately needed one!
tip #1...make your turns like salt water taffy.
tip #2...lean in on your left big toe when making a right. right big toe when making a left.
tip #3...keep the tops of my poles at my bottom peripheral.
tip #4...bend my ankles.
tip #5...there is a momentum that you harness
we skied all over, i took photos, and by the end of the day, i felt i had drastically improved. upon which he said he wants to make me his "ski project." i must really need it if i am referred to as a "project."
project=an undertaking requiring concerted effort.
i feel belittled and honored simultaneously. :)
a few of my highlights...
meeting martin bell, a 4 X olympic downhill skiing competitor...
halos..
woofer...
and amazing views
