A 4:00 am call from a new rookie patroller wakes me up…“Morning Monty! Full control punch in at 5:45.” My sleep was already light as I was anticipating the call, so going back to bed is out of the question. After some breakfast, I look at the weather to see what it was up to overnight. I then head off to my part time job at Sundance Ski resort to help mitigate avalanche danger, before heading off to my full time job as a Sales Rep at Liberty Mountain.
I have been working at
Liberty Mountain for 7 months now and have been a Ski Patroller at Sundance for
about 5 years. It’s been great working
for companies in the same industry that have the flexibility and understanding
to allow me to work both jobs.
Having these two jobs also gives me a unique opportunity to use what I sell. In other words I can put the gear to the test in the morning and then be a walking testimonial that same afternoon! This season in particular I have been using the Denali line of gloves and the Power Wool Beanie from Outdoor Designs.
For day to day work, my go to glove is the Denali Worker. This
glove is the work horse of the lineup. It is easy to put on and take off quickly, which is
something I end up doing a lot when dealing with medical calls and the paper
work that inevitably comes with them. It is a full
leather, no frills, get the job done glove that will stand up to the rigorous tasks
of patrolling (ie. pulling rope lines and hauling bamboo around the mountain)
The Denali glove is a great cold weather glove and is the one I
normally pull out when doing avalanche control work. The leather is supple
enough to allow me to perform tasks that require some finer manipulation while still keeping my gloves on. There has been more than one instance while prepping a
bomb for deployment in frigid wind that I have been grateful for the gloves' dexterity! The one handed gauntlet closure on the wrists is also very handy and
I found I can wear it over or under my hard shells as needed.
Lastly the Power Wool Beanie is great when I need an extra
kick of heat under my helmet, or for something a little lighter on the hike
up. Anyone who has hiked or worked in ski clothing knows you do not keep your
googles on while you hike. If you do they will be fogged up for the rest of the
day and you won’t see a thing! Having the Power wool Beanie is like having a
soft shell to hike up in. Once you get to the top, you can cool down for a second
and then throw on your helmet and goggles right over it!
So far Outdoor Designs products have not failed to impress
me and I look forward to continue testing them. Whether it is hoofing
it up a hike in a foot of fresh snow or pulling an unfortunate skier off the
mountain in a toboggan, OD products are getting the job done!
Eric Montandon works on Ski Patrol at Sundance Mountain Resort and is a Sales Rep at Liberty Mountain.
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