With the ski industry's seasonal hiring in full effect, I thought I'd reminisce about my little stint at Breckenridge and offer advice to those thinking of taking the leap.

There's nothing like three people crammed into a one bedroom apartment that's so small your air mattresses actually touch each other. At times you wake up because someone on the air mattress next to you moved. 'Quit shaking the damn beds,' you're thinking. You want to choke them. Other times you wake up in the middle of the night gasping for air (the lungs haven't quite adjusted to the oxygen level yet). The first alarm clock goes off at 5:30. The rest are staggered every 10 minutes to allow maximum sleep time while other roommates go through their morning bathroom routine. You curse the buzzers. All this to save a buck on rent. You have entered the lift of a lift operator.

"Locker room opens at 6:00 AM. Change and be on the mountain by 6:15," my supervisor told me. This meant a 20 minute walk to work everyday in sub zero temps with my board and lunch for the day strapped to my back. The city shuttles don't start running until 6:20. If you're lucky, someone will see you walking, stop and give you a ride up the hill, but more than likely they've only scraped off a volleyball-sized section of their windshield so they will cruise right by you. At least that's what they told me.

I was lucky enough to get on the transport team, which meant morning snowmobile driving. This was hands-down the greatest part of my day; the snowmobile screaming up the mountain with a fellow lifty hanging on for dear life as I navigated to the top of the lift through fresh powder in near darkness. A mountain that you know like the back of your hand going down becomes a labyrinth going up.

Once at the top, I'd help the bottom operator get the lift running (you need one at the top and bottom) and watch the chairs make a loop to see if any fell off overnight or if any frozen bodies show up.

After starting two or three lifts, setting a maze or two,and screwing around on the snowmobile for awhile, I'd head off to my assigned lift for the day. With the occasional ride break, the rest of the day is filled with doldrums: trying to get greenhorns to stand in the right spot so the chair doesn't smack them, showing the new guys how to run the lifts, bumping chairs, picking people up off the ground -the usual.

If you've been around a lift, you know that they are pretty powerful. They're run by the equivalent of two semi engines. And despite popular belief, they do not stop on a dime. People realize this when they're not paying attention, a chair knocks them over and then grinds them into the snow for ten to fifteen feet. We called it "getting hamburgered." If they get up with snow on their face, it's called a "burger with mayo." Getting in a chair's way is not a good idea unless you're going to sit on it. And I've seen it all; from people coming out of the gates too late getting hamburgered, to people falling off at the third tower 40 feet in the air.

While I'm at it, I may as well knock out some of the more common questions:

Q: "Where do they put the moguls in the summer?"
A: "We stack them like traffic cones in a shed."

Q: "Where does this lift go?"
A: "Over to Keystone."

Q: "How do they make the moguls?"
A: "We park a bunch of VW bugs on the hill before the snow comes."

Q: "Why don't they let people go up the other side of the lift?"
A: "This is a merry go round, not an escalator."

Q: "Can't you make the lift lines any shorter?"
A: "Sure. Go home."

Q: "Does this take you to the top?"
A: "Nope. You'll have to get off and use the stairs."

Q: "Where's the U-jump at?"
A: "You mean the half-pipe?"

Q: "Where's the stunt ditch at?"
A: "You mean the half-pipe?"

Q: "Can you help me?"
A: "No one can help you."

Being a lifty really is a pretty sweet gig. I'll probably look back on it as one of the best times of my life - three day weekends, living in the mountains, tons of snow, after work parties, the local bar scene, riding everyday of the week, and of course hitting the stunt ditch every now and then.

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For the latest snow conditions, go to coloradoski.com. It's updated daily at 6:00a.m. and 2:00p.m.