Back of Trackers
The first two weeks I rarely left the lodge; I painted most of the rooms and fitted new T V’s in that time. There were no guests and no snow, so there wasn’t much else to do. I was working 8 and 10 hour days to try and get it all done before the rush. I was introduced to the Man which was the pub, where I would end up spending many a drunken night, along with the other staff on the mountain. The staff were mostly young snowboard riders, who moved from place to place…. Australia, Japan, Canada, U.S.A, Europe, New Zealand…. working on the lifts, in lodges, anything, to do what they loved to do. This was, work a few hours a day, board or ski the rest of the day and get pissed and party the rest of the time. I wondered how I was going to fit in amongst these young folk at first, until on one of those many drunken nights, I got up on the dance floor and began to move like Jagger, you gotta move like Jagger, and I was in!
Slowly the guest began to arrive and we got a good dump, that’s skiing terminology for, it snowed.
There was skiing to do.
I managed to beg borrow and steal and only had to buy skis. Fifty dollars at the Falls Creek Hotel for a set of ex hire skis and I was ready to roll…..and bounce…. and slide…. all over the mountain. Who said skiing was expensive? I’d been skiing once before in this very place on a one week package, thirty years before, so I had some learning to do. Brian came up with me the first few times, give me a few tips and then take off down the mountain, with me right behind him. Occasionally he would have to stop while I picked myself up but mostly I was right behind him when we got to the bottom. I was doing ok.
I am….THE LONESOME TRAVELLER….travelling east….BE HAPPY!