Day 121: Hanging around Youthtown

I got some unexpected work at Youthtown yesterday and today.  When I was at the boat show, Fiona was telling me that they are working to revise all of their RAMS (risk management forms) and they had put my name next to some of them.  So yesterday I went in to YT and spent a few hours working on writing a RAMS for Camp Craft.  It's all things like knife safety and stove safety and all of that, but you basically have to think about worst case scenarios, like the instructor has a heart attack and dies, and the kids pour stove fuel over everything and torch it off and property is destroyed and people are hurt and emotionally scarred.  Like that.  Then you have to identify ways of minimizing or eliminating or isolating the risks.  It's fascinating stuff, let me tell you (not really.)  It was nice to have a few hours of work, though.  Then today I was back there to do a bit more work, but I didn't get a whole lot accomplished since I took a big break to go for a swim in Youthtown's pool, and then I helped out with snow club that evening. 

The snow club is a club for kids between 10 and 17, I think, although some of the kids seemed much younger than 10.  They join for a school term and get to go to Snow Planet (indoor skiing) every Wednesday night.  They get to play a bit and then take a 1 hour lesson from the staff there and then they come home.  It was interesting to see Snow Planet and to get to do a bit of skiing.  I think I am very rusty.  Plus it was weird to be skiing indoors.  And really cold.  I am realizing that I'm a bit underprepared for wintertime, especially to be working at a ski resort in the south island.  Hopefully Bek will send me some winter gear that will help me to be toasty and warm.

Speaking of working at a ski field, I have had a bit of news on that front: I called up a place called Mt. Hutt, and the guy who hires for lift operators emailed me back.  He has filled all of his positions, but he said that people always quit once the season starts and they find that it wasn't what they had imagined.  So he's putting me on a short list and will contact me if he has a position.  No guarantees, but I am hopeful that I could get a job with a ski place yet.  For now I am still getting work up north, so I will plan to be here until at least the end of May.