#frankday

Frank Day in Alta + How to Survive an Entire Ski Season 

(April 20, 2018)

Five days ago was the last day the lifts were open in Alta before transitioning to its weather-permitting weekend-only schedule. I’m not quite sure why it’s called “Frank Day,” but various deskies also claimed to have met “The Frank” who was apparently a guest at our lodge who brought back retro skiing techniques. But since his name is Frank, people incorporate throwing and catching hotdogs on the mountain and wear literally anything they want or nothing at all while doing so. There are flips off of mega-jumps built from snow which are performed by only the bravest of skiers, people tripping over skis (and probably on acid), drunk merriment, sunburns galore, and so much danger on Frank Day. 

So I pretty much said “Well, I wanna live more than I want to party” and I just had an Oriental-inspired photoshoot with Abby instead of skiing. In fact, I shipped my skis back to my parents a week before Frank even commenced.  Looking at the situation and assessing whether I’d be okay or not  was how I survived Frank, by not going at all. I’m just not at that level of extreme partying yet. . . But maybe next time I’m in Alta! (There was still a lot of fun karaoke and dancing  at our employee party at least!)

I’m amazed that I survived the whole season uninjured, but not at the same time since I barely went skiing compared to other people I worked with. Now that I know how to ski, at least it’ll be easier next time when I decide to do it again. I worked with such amazing characters this winter, so I hope whenever I return to Alta, it’ll be at least comparable to how lucky I was this season. 

Tips for Working at a Ski-Lodge When You Don’t Know How to Ski

1) Take a few ski lessons:

There are a lot of people who claim they know how to ski the right way, but the only way you can ensure learning the correct technique is if you get a professional lesson. Ask about free lessons or discounts that you can get through the lodge you’re working at and you might luck out like me!

2) Bring books:

If skiing isn’t exactly your thing, you’re going to be spending a lot of time indoors. When everyone is outside skiing, you’ll be inside, so make that time productive rather than watching too much Netflix because you’ll be sad. I know some people who finished a dozen books this winter, and then there’s me who finished five books. All were short and pretty easy. 

*Trust Your Vibes/Sonia Choquette

*Getting to I Do/Dr. Patricia Allen

*The Empath Survival Guide/Judith Orloff

*The Four Agreements/Don Miguel Ruiz

*Show Your Work/Austin Kleon

3) Pick up some new hobbies:

It’s easy to be bored sometimes if you’re not that interested in your book, so I spent a lot of time writing, sketching, and painting also. I subscribed to a monthly Yousician Ukulele tutorial app as well, but so far all I know are a couple of chords because I had nowhere to play ukulele where I wouldn’t be heard. I hope that I’ll have enough time in my own room when I get to Monhegan! Another great hobby to pick up is knitting and crocheting, especially since you can just make your own hats and scarves and possibly sell them. Some people consider drinking a hobby, but I don’t think that’s very healthy.

4) Maybe work a second job

Depending on your personal goals for working at a ski lodge, you may want to consider picking up a second job if you have the time and need the money. Working at my lodge, I made a little over $1300 salary a month, and then $200 was drafted from my paycheck for living expenses and $90 for the lift-pass. I luckily was able to find work only 10 steps away from my room in the little gift store we had at the lodge where I earned $10/hr for sitting there and reading while hardly anyone came in to shop. It prevented me from having as much free-time, but I think it was worth it since I used that extra money for buying plane tickets. I could have sold paintings if I really needed to, but I’ll need to do that next time since I painted so many things for gifts. In other seasonal places, people I’ve known have sold massages, haircuts, and their own clothes to make an extra buck. It’s also nice to barter and trade your skills for food or alcohol or whatever you’re in need of. 

5) Go to parties but not bars