Being a lifty at Deer Valley

When I retired last summer, I knew I wanted and needed to keep busy and employed. In addition to working two days a week teaching at UVU, I decided that being a lifty (lift operator) at Deer valley would be a win-win for me. It pays decent and it offered free skiing for me and my dependents (Joel and Will). Plus, it sounded like a fun adventure with plenty of opportunities to ski more than usual and to enjoy the beauty of winter. What I didn't know is that it would also provide more physical exercise than I had anticipated. 

I applied online in about July. I was hired after a phone interview. The only real requirement was that I would need to be able to ski to and from the lifts. I was assigned to work Thursdays and Fridays at the Empire and Ruby lifts on the far west end (right on the map) of the resort. I trained for a day before Thanksgiving and then started December 1st. In March I added a third day (Tuesdays) and was assigned to Lady Morgan lift. When needed I also worked Occasionally on Northside and Silver Strike lifts. Friday April 14th was my last day working at Deer Valley. 

Base of Empire lift. Empire peak is the tallest summit at Deer Valley. 

Looking from the top of Ruby on Flagstaff Peak west to Empire Peak. 

Empire lift top and view eastward. 

The view east on one of the rare mornings when I was assigned to open the lift top. The 7:15 shift usually opened. I started at 8:00 and usually closed the tops of Ruby and Empire. 

The base of Ruby.

The Flagstaff and Empire crews were based out of the basement of Empire Lodge. There we held our morning meetings, kept our gear in lockers, and enjoyed the employee cafeteria (Empire Bowl) which provided affordable good food and free drinks. I usually brought a lunch--bagel, sliced turnip or jicama, and orange so I could ski during my lunch and then eat while stationed at the top shack.

 

Nearby was the Montage Lodge/Hotel. Quite high end. We parked in the parking garage and then walked over to the Empire Lodge. 

Pano of my base of operations. Ruby lift (left) Empire lift (center), Montage (right rear) and Empire Lodge (right).

Base hut of Ruby. Each lift was assigned three lifties. One lifty would start work at the top at about 8:00, the other two would start at the base. We would shovel snow, sweep off chairs, put on cones, and help put up the lift line ropes, and put out maps and tissues boxes. Then when the lifts opened at 9:00. we would rotate breaks. Each lifty gets a one hour ski break in the morning and then a 45 minute lunch break in the afternoon. Most days I would take the first ski break (so nice for both powder and corduroy days) from 9-10 then I would work two hours (while the other two had their break) at the base loading chairs, then lunch then I would go up top and stay until closing. 

Our main task during the day was to make sure that all the guests were safe while loading and unloading the lifts. The buttons could stop the lift if a guest fell or a ski came off or slow it down to a medium or slow for children or loading a toboggan. To then start again or speed up, two rings by both top and bottom operators indicated that it was all clear to start or increase speed. Only the top lifty can speed up the lift. The phone was used to alert the other end when foot passengers or toboggans or a skier with a dropped ski was in route. The chair number was marked so that when it arrived at the other end an announcement was made so the other lifty knew to adjust the speed. At the base we always stood out side where the guests loaded. There we would greet them, sweep any accumulated snow of the chair, help children up onto the chair, pull down the foot rest if needed after they loaded, and then watch to make sure no one fell off as they loaded. 

The top shack of Empire.

The view from Silver Stike hut to two of the other three lifts at the summit of Flagstaff. 

Ruby hut. At the top we alternated between inside and outside depending on the weather. 

Same buttons with the addition of reset, restart and fast buttons. 

We were always watching to make sure no one fell while loading or unloading. 

Here are my tips to prevent falls:

When loading: Make sure all 2-4 people with you are lined up at the Wait Here To Load red plate and then proceed forward to the Stand Here To Load green plate in unison. If needed it is OK to let a chair go by if you all aren't in place and ready to move forward together. I've seen skis get intertwined as one behind person hurries to fit in with people already in place. 

Have your phone put away, hold your poles unattached and outward as you turn to watch the chair approach as you load. 

If you are a parent of young children ask the lifty if you need a slowed lift or help lifting a child. Also, please watch your kids. They can easily slide off if you don't pull them up and back into the seat. I love the new harnesses that some children wear that allows the parent to easily lift them up into the chair. Many parents seem very nonchalant when loading. If you don't pay attention and both of your daughters miss the chair load and end up in the pit because you were not paying attention, and if the lifty then after stopping the lift comes and lifts your two daughters up into the chair then at least be kind enough to say thanks (the mother did not say thanks to me)

To prevent problems unloading, I would recommend that you do not cram you pole baskets or handles between the bottom back bar and the seat pad as you sit down on top of your poles as you load. If you must do this then make sure you have pulled the poles out before you are on the unloading ramp. I've seen many poles get stuck which ends up causing falls as people unload. 

Also, if you are having a bad day or are not thrilled with a parent at the moment, then perhaps ride up separately. One day at the base of Empire, four family members pulled in to load. They were in the midst of a kerfulffe and just before the chair arrived, a troubled teenage son pushed his mother in anger and she fell into the pit. I quickly pushed the red stop button. I then went into the pit and helped the woman take off her skis and climb out. She was yelling at the son telling him his was done for the day and had to go back to the condo. He refused and stood his ground. It was not my job to expel him so when he wouldn't move I double beeped to start the lift again. The ticket checker, then advised me to make sure the bar got pulled down lest the son push his mom out of the chair on the way up. That I did.

Do what the signs say. Raise the footrest at least one tower before the unloading ramp. Lift your ski tips before reaching the ramp. Make sure back packs, ski poles and other possible entanglements are unencumbered before you unload. 

To make unloading safe, the first lift operator of the day makes sure the ramp is smooth and level (the heavy rake is a key tool for this) and that orange cones are in place to indicate the smooth way down. Also, a trip bar is installed just beyond the cones (on the right) so that if someone fails to get off their skis will hit the bar which will automatically stop the lift. 

Notice the yellow Unload Here sign which is aligned with the first two orange cones. For some unknown reason more than a few folks like to stay seated until they are past the first cones and their skis are off the ground. Then they jump down. It drives lifties crazy. We are left wondering: are they stuck, asleep, stupid? Please unload at the yellow sign and not after. 

The lifty that closes the top (3:00 on Empire and Lady Morgan, 3:45 on Ruby) is tasked with making sure the lift ramp is in good shape for the next morning. This means shoveling, raking, and picking away excess snow and ice or adding more snow to make sure the ramp is smooth and flat and then smooth and sloping. During the day, ramp work is also an ongoing task of the lifties. We shovel and rake and sweep to make sure the ramps are without ruts, bumps or slopes and neither too high or too low, that could make loading and unloading problematic. Here is my prepared ramp at the end of the day after last chairs had been called and then the lift stopped. 

Also at the end of the day, cones and trip bars, tools and garbage cans need to be put away then the snow cats can come in at night and make sure the unloading areas are groomed. 

Me, on my last day easily sweeping morning frost off of the chairs on Empire.

I substituted for another lifty on New Years day on Crown Point lift. It is not a detachable lift meaning the chairs don't detach and slow down as they proceed through the wheels. It had snowed about a foot New Years Eve so I was trying to sweep off the piled high chairs as they came around the base wheel. There was fresh snow everywhere. As I tried to sweep and then step back to let the chair pass, I stumbled and the chair hit my head and knocked me down. A nice foreman soon switched me to work on nearby Wasatch which is a detachable chair lift that slows down and does not require the lifty to "bump the chairs" (grab and slow slightly) as the guests sit down. 

The pit of Empire. Notice how high the snow is piled on the sides. On snowy days supervisors and foremen use snow blowers to clear out this area. Lifties help with shovels and scoops. This year was a killer for snow removal. I've never seen snow piled up like this in the 30 years I have skied at Deer Valley. 

On training day we learned how to use the green pad to catch someone (like firemen do with a banket) that may be dangling from a chair in the pit area and how to use the ladder laying on the snow just beyond the second pole to unload people stuck higher up. I never had to use either of these rescue devises and don't think anyone did during the whole year. Once the chairs are beyond the pit, it becomes the task of the ski patrol to rescue stranded people on the lift. 

To descend from the tops of the lifts for breaks, lunch, or a shift at the base, lifties can either ride the lift down (which is what I am doing here on Empire) or they can ski. At the end of the day the only way down is to ski. Some lifties would not bring their skis meaning those of us who did were the one's who always closed down the tops of the lifts. 

Notice the roped off area under the lift. The show was so deep that skis were starting to drag and a few skis were popped off. Eventually the cat came in and plowed away more snow so that skis would not drag. 

My back pack was my daily friend. It held a non-Deer Valley coat (yellow and grey) to use when skiing on my break so people wouldn't bother me with questions and so I could go fast and not have people complain that employees were flying by them. It held my three hats, my lunch and snacks, glove liners, hand warmers, sometimes my snow boots, and Excedrin. 

End of day photo as I'm starting, with backpack on, to ski down Supreme run from Empire. At the end of the day we are required to ski down the designated easiest trail on the lift and then we have to cross our name off a roster in the basement of Empire lodge. That way our supervisor can see that all lifties are down the mount and if not they know which one run they need to go search. 

Hat hair. We are required to wear any combination of the four layers of DV clothing, DV gray snow pants and always a hat--stocking knit, ball cap or personal helmet (always required when skiing). 

I bought a DV safari hat that was also approved. I had thought I would wear it more during all the spring

skiing days but we only had a few of those. 

I enjoyed the variety and friendliness of the Deer Valley crew I interacted with. Lifties were mainly twenty somethings or sixty somethings. bek was one of the regular crew on the Empire crew. She is also a member of the LGBTQ+ family and was very supportive and kind. 

She liked to place rubber duckies at the base of Ruby. Sometimes the roof drippings created real pools for the ducks to float in. Most days they floated on ice. Other lifties have set out rubber dinosaurs and pink flamingoes. The ski school kids are entertained when they spot them. 

Cheerful and hard-working Andy (left) was my Tuesday and Thursday supervisor in charge of six lifts. Steve was my Thursday foreman in charge of two lifts among those six. Supervisors and foremen oversee the lifties and the ticket checkers. There main task is to make sure that the ramps are level, smooth, snow free and that the lift lines are well ordered. They come early to dig out and set up the lift lines and they stay late making sure everything is in good shape. They also deal with figuring out how to work with fewer people when people call in sick or have transportation problems. Additionally, they are there to answer questions, train and remind us when we mess up. One foreman taught me one day how to use a large extension scoop to pull down ice and snow on the top the lift building. most days my upper body had great workouts yanking, raking, scooping, shoveling and sweeping. There is an art to much of it. 

Friendly John and Kay are retirees from Ohio. They pull out an RV every winter, park it in Heber and work three days a week--he as a lifty and she as a ticket checker. Days off they ski. They then drive back to Ohio for the summer, where they often boat and fish on Lake Erie. 

Our crew also included J-1 visa holders who are college students from South America who spend their summer vacation enjoying a Utah winter. Two lifties that worked with me were from Chile and Argentina. Other J-1 employees worked in food service and elsewhere. They all headed back home in about mid March which resulted in a lean staff. 

Lifties all wear green tops and grey bottoms. Ski school instructors and mountain hosts wear all green. Lift mechanics wear all black. They snow mobile up to the lift tops in the morning to get the lifts up and running, They check on lifts throughout the day and they are on call (found waiting in shacks at the tops) to restart emergency stops, check out squeaks, monitor shifts to generators when electricity goes out etc. 

Here a mechanic fixes a ringer that wouldn't stop ringing. 

Ski patrol wear red. I called their shack occasionally for things like riding down the lift with a guest (required) who had vertigo and was unable to ski down and to retrieve dropped skis under the lift while guests waited on top. Bottom lifties would help load toboggans.

The record snowfall of the 22-23 season was great for skiing, but it required a lot of work from the mountain crews. 

Keeping toes warm while standing out side at the bottom was a challenge. 

The cornice at the top of Empire grew to impressive heights. 

On a very warm Tuesday last week, two large boulders of snow rolled off the cornice above the Daly Bowl. On their way down they knocked over several trees. The ski patrol had closed the bowls and chutes a week earlier because of safety concerns so no one was hurt. 

Commuting in the snow was the only major dislike of my experience. I would drive via Provo Canyon and Heber Valley. I would leave my apartment at 6:15 in the morning and arrive about 75-90 minutes later depending on road conditions along the way and morning school traffic in Park City. If I knew there was an overnight storm, I would leave at 6:00. One morning Provo canyon was a white out so I drove via I-15 and I-80. Driving home at the end of the day could also take time with traffic through Park City stalled during the film festival or during holiday ski weeks. Above is my Subaru after a day of work. I was subbing at another area so I didn't park in the Montage garage. 

Stopped in Provo Canyon coming home in a storm. 

The Subaru served me well. I often would pass ill-equipped cars going slowly in the plowed right lane by using the snow packed left land. One morning I slipped around a couple of cars that had just collided and were pulling off to stop. 

The slow going large oil tankers on the drive between Heber and Park City added to the challenge of the drive. 

It is a beautiful drive. I took this morning photo of the moon setting above Mt. Timpanogos while driving around Deer Creek reservoir.

One of the best parts of the job was seeing and skiing with friends and family. My brother Bob is a regular skier at DV. He would often come and find me at my post. Some days we even skied a few runs on my break. 

One snowy day Bob and his son John took selfies with me in the background doing my job at the base of Ruby. 

Warren H. was my Indonesia teacher in the Language Training mission in 1975. He saw on Facebook that I was working on Empire lift at DV so when he came from New Jersey for a ski vacation, he tracked me down at work and took me to lunch. Siblings of in-laws, high school friends, Bob's ski buddies all stopped to say hello. 

Ryan, a recent student of mine at BYU also tracked me down and we skied the trees during my break. 

Ski breaks were a delight. They were helpful in that I learned the mountain better and could observe condition which then meant I could answer guest questions about where to ski better. When I was assigned to work Lady Morgan I ventured out on new trails to experience them. Here I am on a powder day skiing Centennial for the first time. Not my favorite conditions--a foot of snow over big moguls and deep ruts cut between the trees. It reminded me of following the kids on tree trails at Solitude. 

Even so, I enjoyed the beauty and challenge of the new run. 

I had some great powder runs, but I also enjoyed the groomers. Here is early morning corduroy on Supreme. 

The ultimate best was non-work ski days. In January, Will, Joel and Emma joined me for a great powder day. As dependents Joel and Will got season passes and Emma used the complimentary passes (5) each worker gets. 

Emma just learned to ski last year. That didn't stop her from fearlessly skiing all over the mountain. Impressive!

Snow and aspens combined--beautiful. 

One afternoon most of the powder had been skied out, but we ventured off into the aspens off of Tycoon and scored some great turns. We returned for more that day and on other days. Here an out a breath dad happily videoed his two sons whooping down through the powder and the aspens. A skiers delight.

One day while waiting in line for the gondola to start, Joel noticed an owl in a nest on the top of a rock pillar of the gondola building. Cool. 

On Easter Sunday I skied a solo day. It was a sunny day with lots of groomed runs. I love the view from the top of the Sultan lift looking southwestward at Timpanogos (right) and Provo Peak (left)

and eastward towards the frozen Jordanelle reservoir. So much snow for April! 

It was a good, fun, rewarding year. I skied 54 days. Most days that was only for an hour or two while working, but any time skiing is a good time.