Excellent video featuring Snowbird lift mechanic Kim Noel as she talks about why she is passionate about her profession. Kim planned on leaving after her first season at Snowbird but she got a job as a helper in the shop and became a full-time mechanic in 2019.
People don’t realize lift mechanics often are the first people up the mountain on powder days to get the lifts running so ski patrol can start avalanche mitigation operations. As you might imagine this type of work is not for the faint of heart when the snow is deep, not mention the obvious heights involved in working on lift towers. We want to take a second to send our genuine gratitude to everyone who has made a career out of keeping our chairlifts spinning. Thank you.
Join Kim Noel, a seasoned Snowbird Lift Mechanic, as she shares her passion for the mountains and the hard work that goes into making your ski day unforgettable.
Help Kim Rise Up by voting for her in Ski Area Management's Rise Up Challenge: https://t.co/feMS7WrWPJ pic.twitter.com/23JH1LZMjH
— Snowbird (@Snowbird) August 15, 2024
This video is actually part of a contest called the Rise Up Challenge sponsored by Leitner-Poma of America which awards a $3,500 education grant to the winning video submission. Last year, Tait Linehan of Killington won the contest and used the funds to help offset some of his student loan debt for his education in diesel mechanics. More info the contest below (don’t forget to vote):
A good lift mechanic is hard to find. Leitner-Poma of America wants to help the industry rise up to the challenge of supporting the next generation of lift mechanics, with the fourth annual Rise Up Challenge.
Six lift maintenance teams have been chosen to participate in the fourth annual Rise Up Challenge: Berkshire East, Mass., Crystal Mountain, Wash.. Mt. Sunapee, N.H.. Palisades Tahoe, Calif., Purgatory, Colo., and Snowbird, UtahÂ
The six chosen resorts created videos showcasing the rising stars on their lift maintenance crews, alongside mentors and teammates and one will walk away with a $3,500 education grant from LPOA and bragging rights.
Voting for the 2024 Rise Up Challenge is open through August 16, 2024. Thanks to the good folks at Ski Area Management for hosting the contest on their website. VOTE HERE.
2024 Entrants:
-Berkshire East, Mass. – Rose Dumaine
-Crystal Mountain, Wash. – Chase Clark
-Mt. Sunapee, N.H. – Connor Medeiros
-Palisades Tahoe, Calif. – Andy Sieben
-Purgatory, Colo. – Anitra Harjo
-Snowbird, Utah – Kim Noel
