Colorado

Sunrise Over Breckenridge

In 2005 I took my second winter semester off, this time to work at Breckenridge Ski Resort. My job was amazing and I still have trouble comprehending how I got so lucky to get paid to do what I did.

I was part of the Guest Services team at Breckenridge Ski Resort and the main function of my job was to make sure all the skiers and boarders on the mountain were having a great time and safe. How did we do this? Well, we would arrive about an hour before the slopes opened, make sure all the pathways were cleared and salted and then we would great guests with backpacks full of hot chocolate, small cups and a dispenser valve to give hot chocolate out to anyone who wanted it.

After the initial morning rush, we would then ski the Green and Blue rated runs with radios and stop by the maps every so often as well. If someone looked lost, scared or worried, we would help them and/or help lead them down to a safer slope. If someone was injured, we would call ski patrol, wait with the guest until they arrived and then help out in any way we could before sending them on their way with the incredibly capable ski patrol.

If I remember correctly, this job paid about $8 per hour which wasn't a lot, but it paid my rent, food, phone, gas and insurance so it was not a loss of money experience and in exchange I was able to ski well over 100 days that season with most runs being paid to do what I would do anyways if I saw the same situation - help people who were scared, lost of hurt and encourage the rest to have a great day and enjoy the beauty and fun all around them.

This photo was taken early one morning as I was heading out to the car for work. I can still remember it to this day as it sticks with me as one of the most beautiful sunrises I have seen. The colors kept getting more and more intense and the looming cloud reflecting them was just massive making the mountain peak below it look like nothing more than a bit of a hill. I saw many sunrises during my time at Breckenridge, but this one was the most beautiful and intense I saw and I was glad to have my camera to capture it. Enjoy!

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