[0:00] (upbeat music) [0:03] - This is my 14th season at Hyland. [0:05] So I started skiing here when I was four. [0:07] My parents lived kind of right on the backside of the hill, [0:09] so kinda just grew up skiing here, [0:11] and my parents would get us season passes [0:13] when we were younger, but then once we're old enough [0:14] to work here and they offer a free season pass [0:16] when we work here, they're like, [0:17] "All right, you're old enough now. [0:18] We're not buying your season pass anymore. [0:19] Go get a job there." [0:20] Once I was better at skiing, [0:21] I grew up riding in the terrain park, [0:23] which is the jumps and the rails and stuff, [0:24] and as a little snot-nosed kid, I was like, [0:27] "I could do this so much better than these guys. [0:28] These guys have no idea what they're doing," [0:30] and then all of a sudden, the job came up, [0:31] and I was like, "Oh no, now I have to do it." [0:35] So started as a ski instructor when I was 16, [0:38] and then I started in maintenance when I was 22, maybe? [0:41] I mean, it starts before you even open. [0:43] You make all the snow. [0:44] We've got about 50 snow guns, so you make all the snow, [0:47] and then you push it out kinda flat, and you want to try [0:49] and have a level base everywhere you go, [0:51] and then once you're all pushed out, [0:53] then we put the tillers on, [0:54] and you basically just drive in circles [0:56] till you replace all the crud with corduroy, basically, [0:59] and it's really satisfying, super instant gratification. [1:03] By the time you're done, it's like, [1:05] what, your Zen garden was all messed up, [1:06] and now it's like your Zen garden was all put back together. [1:09] We'll swap out rails and boxes and jumps [1:10] and whatever else fairly often, [1:13] and then every time we do a change, I always go back out [1:15] and look and watch what the riders are riding, [1:16] so you kind of decide this is either A, been here a while, [1:19] or B, no one's really using it, [1:22] so let's get it out and see if we can get something in [1:23] that people are more excited about and will actually use. [1:27] And then also, when we're up there, [1:28] the kids always wanna come up and talk to you and say, [1:30] "Hey, I want this rail," and if it's a realistic idea, [1:32] we try to get people what they want. [1:35] Next season will be the first season [1:36] where I have worked here longer than I haven't worked here. [1:39] The slogan for Hyland is, "work where you play," [1:41] get your free season pass, so I love what I do. [1:43] It's really fun. [1:44] It's like a park, so it's a great way to give back. [1:47] People are having fun, people that work here are having fun. [1:49] You work with a bunch of people that also ski and snowboard, [1:51] so it's a great place to meet friends, [1:53] and it's an awesome place to work, [1:55] awesome place to ski and snowboard. [1:57] I just like what I do, I guess. [1:59] (upbeat music continues)