Constructing a summit terrace is an unexpected job for a snow maker. In the turn of each season, the terrace is a unique setting that houses a diversity of folks from skiers to wine festers to yogis to newlyweds. The beauty in this— of unanticipated work and a mountain that keeps us moving all year long— is the newness that welcomes alternative tasks and challenges us to find solutions. This is what keeps our work interesting.
Winter sports enthusiasts have no time for hibernation. Turns out, summer is also a pretty cool season for adventure and opportunity. What better way to distract from awaiting the first snowflake than to engage in summertime goodness like laser tag, disc golf, and beer fest?
We continue playing behind the scenes for Blue’s outdoor adventures and events. The Summit Terrace is freshly paved and settling. We removed automated hydrants from the hills to rest in the barn until winter. We wired a charging station for laser tag equipment and installed a power and water line for the Aerial Park food cabin. We constructed new features for the Spartan Race and kids’ Adventure Camp.
All the while, Bucky jokes, we’re really working on our killer farmer tans.
On the snowmiser crew, everyone gets a nickname. Meet, Bucky.
Name: Jeff Buck
Better known as: Bucky
Work: Foreman, Snowtech
Play: Ski and snowboard
Favorite trail: Paradise because “it’s a wide open cruiser.”
Bucky is a night time snowmaking and grooming foreman. Starting in 2000, Bucky learned from senior operators how to effectively and efficiently groom trails. Now, he oversees operations and teaches the new kids how to drive the winch, and he’s never short of rye remarks to keep the laughter rolling. “He’s the best operator I know,” says the boss man, “Bucky is able to dig through a maze of underground piping and electrical systems and not hit anything. He can feel a piece of PVC conduit from the operator seat.”
Meet, Seabee.
Name: Nick Delich
Better known as: Seabee
Work: Electrician, Snowtech
Play: Ski and snowboard
Favorite trail: Switchback for its “unique fall lines.”
Seabee’s nickname comes from his seven years of work in the United States Naval Construction Forces. Now, he plays electrician and snowtech utilizing his diverse call of skills. Seabee likes the short commute from home and working with the miser crew. He started at Blue in the winter of 2003, and his personable character has kept us entertained ever since. “One thing I taught him is to be careful around electricity, and he’s not dead yet,” Bob jokes. “He’s a quick learner, a good worker I’m able to give a task to and he just goes and gets it done.”
As we sweat out the mid-day heat, we know the long days of sunlight are slowly getting shorter. Snow making system upgrades are underway and the repairs continue to continue. We’ll be ready when the frost hits… will you?
See you on the slopes,
the snowmisers
bluemountainsnowmakersdotcom 