Oh hey! Mimi here. Actually, my name is Amy, but we thought it would be funny to name our blog after names we've been called that are not our real names. I thought that was funny, and then I couldn't think of a better idea. My boyfriend gets called the wrong name all the time. Pretty must the only name that gets confused with mine is "Mimi," and it's usually when I have congested sinuses and can't enunciate.
When I graduated from college in 2006, I didn't know the first thing about finding a job. Then the economy crashed, and jobs became even more impossible. So, I moved in with my parents for the winter to be a ski bum. Fifteen years later, I've somehow transitioned from ski bum to ski professional, although professional bum might be a better way to describe my career. Then, in the Year of Our Lord 2021, I dusted off that ole English degree and started writing again. So, here we are.
Credentials include:
- PSIA Alpine Level 3
- PSIA Children's Specialist 2
Hats I've worn:
- DCT at PSIA-NI
- Ski instructor
- Staff trainer
- Boss lady
- Boot tester extraordinaire
- Race coach
- Education program developer
Places I've Worked:
- Bogus Basin, Boise, ID
- Bogus Basin Ski Education Foundation, Boise, ID
- Crystal Mountain, WA
- Mt. Ashland, Ashland, OR
- The-place-that-will-not-be-named, UT
Also, I also wrote my Master's thesis on ski area development impacts on plant community composition. To accomplish this, I read a 1,000 page EIS, did botany surveys at a ski area and in the surrounding mountains and taught myself statistics. Here's my recommendation: disturb the soil on your ski slopes as minimally as possible and don't get embroiled in a 25-year-long NEPA process, because in the end, everyone loses.
I like to go adventuring in the woods. Sometimes the best snow on the mountain is in the low-angle bushes. I like to ski fast. I don't like to leave the ground. In my un-scientific assessment, when you get to the upper-levels of this industry, the gender ratio is about 15 dudes to 1 woman. Teaching kids is easier than teaching adults because I don't know how to talk to grown ups. Kids just want to tell you about their favorite things and if I sing "Do You Want To Build a Snowman?" they look at me weird and then they trust me. Snow makes me giddy and my feet are always cold.