On a normal Saturday morning, many Sandpoint kids are blissfully sleeping in, enjoying the weekend. They wake up around 10:00 am, check their phones, and let out a sigh of relief because it’s the weekend. By this time, I’ve been awake for four hours, embarking on my long journey to work at the Outback on Schweitzer.

My day starts at 6 am. I wake up, get ready to ski, grab some breakfast, and leave my house at 7:00 am to catch the 7:30 bus up the mountain. I usually nap on the bus ride up. When I get to the top, I go to my locker room and put on my boots, helmet, etc. I grab my skis and poles and head to the quad, where the lifties check my pass and I ride up. Two of the best parts about my job are that I get a free season pass to Schweitzer and I get to ski to work. It’s really cool to ski the mountain without any lines of tourists, SARS kids, telemark skiers, etc. 

When I get to work around 8:15, I take my ski stuff off, pull a beanie and tie my apron, and head upstairs. I’m a prep cook, so my job is to make things like cookies, parfaits, mac and cheese. I also work the fryer and make fries, chicken strips, onion rings and more. 

Right around 10:30 am, people start to trickle in. From that point until 2:30 pm when the grill closes, it’s absolute mayhem. One thing I really enjoy about my job is that the time passes super quickly – it doesn’t even feel like work. We jam to music all day. If you’re ever at the Outback on a Saturday, you’ll probably see me belting out some Tom Petty!

At about 3:00 pm, we close down the grill and the deep fryer. At this point, I have the choice to leave and catch the Stella back to the frontside or to stay and help close up. One really cool thing about staying is that I get to ride a huge yellow CAT back to the front side of the mountain around 6:00 or 7:00 pm. Usually I night ski after work and take the 7:30 bus down the mountain.

At the end of the day, I’m tired but satisfied. I’ve found a place where I really enjoy my work and the people that I’m working with. It’s rare for a teenager to say that they look forward to their job, but I can say with confidence that I do. 

Working at Schweitzer is great for me because I’ve been skiing since I can remember and wanted to immerse myself more deeply in the mountain culture. I found out about this job from my friends and when I visited the Schweitzer website, there was a big list of jobs that needed to be filled. Although it’s a bit too late now, I would highly recommend looking at this list before the beginning of next season and applying as soon as possible. Whether you’re a part of lift services, Ski School, or food services, working at the mountain is a great experience that I absolutely love.