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squaw valley to require pre-employment drug screen

Posted on September 30, 2011 by powdork

from squaw valley’s online employment application

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE SUBMITTING APPLICATION Pre Employment Drug Policy I understand that, as a condition of my employment, I will be required to submit to, and voluntarily agree to submit to, a drug screen and to any procedure to assess my qualifications for employment.

i would like to be the first to say (and this is the only time on this site you will see me use capitals)
SCREW YOU SQUAW VALLEY!!! unless…
their employment policies page states that this will apply to some departments.

Drug/Alcohol-Free Work place
Squaw Valley Ski Corp is committed to a safe environment for its staff and guests. Post-accident drug/alcohol testing is required of all staff members. Some departments require pre-employment DOT testing.

presumably DOT only refers to bus drivers, equipment operators, and such.
the individual position’s descriptions do not describe whether or not the department requires pre-employment drug screening. for instance, there is no mention of it on the open position of equipment operator or transportation driver. if there is to be a drug screening program, and the only way to apply for a job is through an online application, then the applicant should be able to determine online if the position requires a drug screen before applying. squaw’s current application program denies this.
applying from chile? the online application states that “All employees will be drug-tested and will not be able to start working
until results are received”.

so what is it squaw? and what exactly are you screening for?

Posted in rants, skiing | Tagged andy wirth is worthless, drug screenng, ski resort, squaw, squaw valley buys alpine meadows | 3 Comments

been enjoying sunsets & sunrises

Posted on September 28, 2011 by camluvs7

now that we’re getting closer to winter, the later you can wake up and still catch sunrise and the earlier you can catch sunset.

sunrise at 1/320 seconds, f/7.3, 13mm, ISO 100
my senior sunrise, sunrise on august 26th from camp richardson.

sunset at 1/80 seconds, f/4.4, 4mm, ISO 100

sunset of the last night of summer, sunset on august 25th from timber cove.

sunrise at 1/60 seconds, f/4.9, 4mm, ISO 100
sunrise from zephyr area.

sunrise at 1/250 seconds, f/2.8, 5mm, ISO 100
sunrise from zephyr area. with geese.

sunset at 1/320 seconds, f/6.2, 4mm, ISO 100
sunset on september 23, from timber cove.

sunset at 1/1250 seconds, f/7.4, 20mm, ISO 10
september 23, from timber cove. with ducks.

sunrise at 1/250 seconds, f/6.2, 4mm, ISO 100
sunrise on september 15, from fallen leaf area.

sunset at 1/160 seconds, f/8, 27mm, ISO 100
sunset on september 24 from lakeland village. using my dad’s beautiful camera (:

sunset at 1/250 seconds, f/8, 115mm
sunset on september 24 from lakeland village.

rainbow at 1/60 seconds, f/4, 115mm, ISO 100
rainbow on september 24. wish i had gotten a better picture of it.

Posted in photography | Tagged photography, sunrise, sunset | Comments Off

squalpenwolf – born to be wild

Posted on September 26, 2011 by powdork

originally posted on 6/1/2011.

unofficialsquaw.com is reporting there is a letter of intent out there describing how ksl (squaw valley) plans to buy alpine meadows from jma. the new fraternity will evidently be called kslamajama. since none of this is finalized, and the purchase of the missing piece (whitewolf) is still only a rumor, we are still just hoping for (or hoping to avoid) the squalppinwolf transformation. depending upon your view point, this is either the second coming of skiing to tahoe, or the ruination of your secret powder stash. i saw steppenwolf back in florida. the crowd was chanting for ‘born to be wild’ when john kay stepped up to the mike and said, “this ain’t fuckin’ burger king, you can’t have it your way.”

in other words, change she is a coming. a rough estimate of the pieces of the puzzle. squaw=blue, whitewolf=purple, alpine=red

if connected via white wolf, this would be the second largest resort in north america, and only slightly smaller than whistler-blackcomb. no matter how they sell it or interconnect it, that’s two separate mountains, whereas this is one interconnected european style resort
obviously, this isn’t going to happen without some sort of public comment period, during which time the developers should be overtly amenable to ideas as long as they advance the project.
what’s important to you
bike park?
open boundaries?
environmental improvements?
convenient fast rail transport from sacto to tahoe city?
separate areas to retain local identity?
employee benefits?
late seasons?
year round recreation opportunities?
connecting lifts?
no connecting lifts?
some sort of day use area as opposed to all destination resort?
cheap passes?

edit-someone on TGR mentioned that there could be additional terrain between beaver/estelle and squaw peak that could be opened as well, making it the largest resort in north america (the yellow would be this area)
squalpenwolf resort's new boundary

edit-(july 16, 2011)
several reliable folks (that i trust) have heard from people they trust that the sale is now in escrow.

edit- (september 26, 2011)
the internet rumor mill is now saying the deal has been done, and we can expect an official announcement tomorrow.

Posted in skiing | Tagged alpine meadows, squalpenwolf, squaw valley, squaw valley buys alpine, white wolf | 8 Comments

buttseks on round top

Posted on September 5, 2011 by powdork

butterfly sex that is

yup, they’re doin’ it

we hiked up from woods lake, got off the main trail and had one the easier and more pleasant bushwhacks out there

then we found the trail

there’s still a lot of snow in places

greg scouts his line

then skis it

setting up for the lower choke

you’re never thirsty when summer skiing

next run was under the sister. the notch chute no longer tops out

the lower portion of the line

our chicken scratch

we exited via the lost cabin mine trail. also not ugly

and the pov. despite comments i may have during the video, the best day golfing can’t touch the worst day skiing

Posted in backcountry, skiing | Tagged backcountry, carson pass, skiing, summer skiing, tahoe | 2 Comments

skifishbumming at highland lakes

Posted on August 25, 2011 by powdork

with the school year coming up rapidly, the kids sitting around inside, and me desperately needing to get off the grid we hatched a last minute plan to get the hell out of dodge. highland lakes was our destination, though we had never been to the campground there. i had seen the area from folgers peak a few years back, and was confident it would hold what we needed. snow, flowers, and fish. fortunately, we brought steaks in case the latter didn’t work out.
we arrived in the late afternoon and immediately knew that the snow was not going to be an issue. in fact, since the snow started just off the trailhead, i was bummed that i had only brought skis for myself. i figured i could set up my tent and head up, leaving the tripod behind for jasmyn to get pictures of the descent. here is my view from the top. you can see my blue tent at the far side of the lake in the triangle formed by three roads.

a close up of the moon from the camp site. the snow was fairly smooth, despite the look. it wasn’t a particularly warm day and it was still a tad firm.

got back to camp in time to start the fire and catch some sunset pics. somehow on the way up and didn’t notice that the last bit connected to the lake, and bailed early. that would give me something to do on tuesday anyway.

looking the other way at highland peak

i was hoping to get some milky way shots, but clouds rolled in. at least the new powder mag has hit the stands

it was then that the aliens attacked. fortunately, i was able to fend them off with my light spoon

it was apparent the aliens stole all the fish before i was able to drive them away

unfortunately they left all the bugs behind

jasmyn found some pretty flowers to shoot. she is interested in learning about bokeh

after we went on a very short hike i decided i should get my turns in before we headed to lower highland lake

a little tentative the first time around. the left turn at the bottom went through the worst of the sun cups

the turns were good, but when i got to the bottom and saw a grassy beach, a great place to fish, flower fields, all at the bottom of a fun run, i found my happy place, so we set up camp.

the girls bummin’ around

i went for a walk (this is all right next to the lower snow field). folgers peak in the background

flight of the bumble bee

there a number of streams running through a small area. some were rocky, some were muddy

then it was time for fun

who said fun? this is serious business

there were cameras everywhere

things were going along swimmingly

then i was practically swimming

back up one more time

lots of speed this time

i really like this shot (skylyn took it)

exceeding the 5 mph speed limit on upper highland lake

i’m the best damn skier in this lake!!!

ok, we got skunked as far as fishing goes, so here’s a file photo from 2009

fast forward to saturday, 8/27/2011
my buddy chris recently had a knee operation so i figured this would be a good trip for him since he could sit and fish while getting out of the house. kickin’ it on the opposite shore

upon arrival, i was sad to see the two lower lines no longer connected

but happy to be on snow anyway

mostly

the video from the run above

and now it’s sunday. after some back to school shopping, it’s time for some fun, and maybe something for the girls to remember
it was good to get them out on snow

and props for them just charging without knowing

what pond skimming was about (skylyn)

and for charging after watching her sister fall

jasmyn

after three tries, jasmyn opted for crossing at any point to hop into some warm clothes

skylyn got it wired while i tried some photography stuff (motion blur).

her first time making it all the way across

yee-haw!!

the eyes don’t see that many freckles on jasmyn. strange how the camera does that

obviously, it was time for a kicker. that’s the logical progression, right?

woo-woo! kicker to pond to land to lake.

i see water in her future.

yup.

i can’t think of a better way to end a summer than walking barefoot through flower fields with skis on your back at sunset. srsly
fin.

but first – a shout out
to my lovely subie. three times to highland lakes in one week is a lot to ask. thanks.

to ma nature, for making it all possible

and to my skis, through thick and thin (snowpacks), you’ve always been there for me

Posted in backcountry, skiing | Tagged camping, fishing, skiing, summer, wildflowers | 5 Comments

burney falls

Posted on August 24, 2011 by camluvs7

burney falls at 1/40 seconds, f/3.2, 7.9mm, ISO 400 i went to burney falls state park with my friend’s family this week, it was so lovely and warm and beautiful. go there.

rainbow at 1/320 seconds, f/3.5, 11mm, ISO 100

burney falls at 4 seconds, f/7.9, 4mm, ISO 100

mist at 1/125 seconds, f/3.4, 10mm, ISO 200
mist from the waterfalls, it made all the plants look really neat.

hatchet at 1/320 seconds, f/6.2, 4mm, ISO 100
this is hatchet falls, it’s about a half hour drive from burney. it was really pretty there, and fun to jump off the rocks and the giant log.

river at 1/5 seconds, f/7.9, 4mm, ISO 100
this is a river at hatchet, i tried working with longer exposures with the water a lot in burney. still trying to figure it out.

wakeboarder at 1/640 seconds, f/4.4, 11.4mm, ISO 100
i learned how to wakeboard in burney. it was really fun, this is tim wakeboarding.

campfire at 1/250 seconds, f/3.4, 10mm, ISO 100
this was really cool, people at the campfire had some sort of powder that turned the fire different colors!

Posted in photography | 1 Comment

round top skiing and flower fields – 8/19/11

Posted on August 20, 2011 by powdork

after making late july turns on round top it was apparent the flower show was going to be around a month late this year. wasn’t a problem, just another reason to come back. last friday, we did. the flowers did not disappoint

nor did the views

nor did the snow. thats round top lake, caples lake, and tahoe in the background

the snow was about as good as it gets in august

smooth sailing for about 500′ vert

our line ran out a few hundred feet above the lake. the line directly under the sister did go all the way, but was not as smooth

then it was back up, through more flowers. these things are annoying with their vibrant colors and what not.

so greg decided to squash some

before dropping back in

august 19, 2011, round top

lookers’ left of the crescent still goes all the way

time to head back to work

through the aforementioned annoying flowers

and bees

where’s waldo

Posted in backcountry, skiing | 1 Comment

fun around caples lake

Posted on August 14, 2011 by powdork

the end of summer is typically when i find time to go camping with the girls. this year it is the same. the last two weeks we have spent roaming around caples lake and emigrant lake. actually, we camped at caples lake during the first week and made an unsuccessful attempt at hiking to emigrant lake. i didn’t give us enough time and as a result tried to push the girls too hard. the next week i made sure we had all day to do it, and i made sure not to forget the bug spray. the trip did present me with a plethora of photo opportunities and some excellent learning opportunities as well. all the shots here were taken with the EOS Rebel T2i. the vast majority were with the 18-55 kit lens. hover over the images for exif data

for instance, after finishing the day off fishing at caples, the moon and the sun were setting simultaneously
f/5, 1/10 sec, 50mm, iso200

with the moon already set and very little in the way of light pollution, it was a good night for practicing some astrophotography. this is where we camped
f/3.5, 20 sec, 18mm, iso1600

more fishing the next evening. we were one fish away from being skunked for the trip
f/3.5, 1/250 sec, 18mm, iso100

fishing on caples lake with round top and the sisters in the background
f/5.6, 1/800 sec, 50mm, iso100

campfires are fun, skylyn enjoys her perfect marshmallow
f/5.6, 4 sec, 55mm, iso400

jasmyn practices her penmanship
f/9, 20 sec, 18mm, iso100

skylyn too gets into the light writing. we didn’t see this shooting star as it occurred. turns out though that wishes made on pictures of shooting stars can come true too.
f/4.5, 30 sec, 18mm, iso1600

ghosts of caples lake. during the 30 second exposure, i painted the girls with a little light and then we switched spots so they could paint me with a little light
f/3.5, 30 sec, 18mm, iso3200

big and small
f/3.5, 30 sec, 18mm, iso3200

teh milky way. you’ll notice the stars look a little sharper in this one than the last. i bumped the iso up one full stop to 6400 while dropping the exposure time one stop down to 15 seconds, thus reducing the star trail effect
f/3.5, 15 sec, 18mm, iso6400

orbs. i’ll be practicing more of this in the future. this was with a head lamp, which is directional. it is best done with a non-directional light source on a string.
f/3.5, 15 sec, 18mm, iso1600

the next day we attempted to hike to emigrant lake, but we left a little late given i had to work at 4. still, it was a nice day for a walk. we started at the emigrant lake trailhead, home of the caples lake spillway
f/29, 1/25 sec, 36mm, iso100

forest of flowers
f/4.5, 1/800 sec, 56mm, iso100

fast forward to the next week. another opportunity at emigrant lake. we started at the woods creek fishing access at the southeast point of caples lake. this saved us some distance, but involved bushwhacking and several creek crossings (this is emigrant creek). i wish i had bumped up the iso to 200 for this one.
f/4, 1/400 sec, 28mm, iso100

we made to the lake. turns out it is beautiful in the summer too. not sure why i shot this at f5 instead of 3.5
f/5, 1/1000 sec, 18mm, iso100

we found a nice rock to sit on and have lunch. i thought i had this focused on the girls, but it looks like i missed a bit. lesson-use the manual focus some times. this was with the sigma 50-200
f/5.6, 1/1000 sec, 148mm, iso100

the sigma is a capable piece of glass though
f/5.0, 1/1000 sec, 113mm, iso100

this is one of my favorites. i like these candid shots much better than the posed in most cases. also with the sigma 50-200
f/5.6, 1/1000 sec, 200mm, iso100

emigrant creek just as it leaves the lake is quite the beautiful spot
f/4, 1/500 sec, 18mm, iso100

with lots of small fry
f/4, 1/500 sec, 43mm, iso100

thanks for looking! love me some comments/criticisms

Posted in photography | 3 Comments

splash

Posted on August 5, 2011 by camluvs7

it’s summertime, therefore i’m around water a lot, therefore i take pictures of it.

water at baldwin at 1/2000 seconds, f/3.1, 4mm, ISO 100
props to hand model jasmine.

camp rich sunset at 1/30 seconds, f/2.8, 4mm, ISO 400
it was smoky, the smoke made for a pretty sunset even without clouds.

paddle boarder at 1/400 seconds, f/5.7, 19mm, ISO 100
good model. i like the contrast between him and the background.

kiva beach at 1/60 seconds, f/4.9, 4mm, ISO 100
my friends do a good job of dealing with me taking pictures of them all the time. this is at kiva beach, i don’t go there often and i learned i like it more than i thought.

kiva beach at 1/250 seconds, f/2.8, 4mm, ISO 400
focusing well on the water is hard, i’m still trying to figure it out.

pope at 1/400 seconds, f/5, 7mm, ISO 100
he’s just strolling down the beach. i like how i got both the bird and the paddle boarder.

Posted in photography | Tagged photography, water | Comments Off

the winter that keeps on giving

Posted on July 25, 2011 by powdork

it’s obvious we had a great winter last year. the rivers are still high, the lake is approaching it’s natural rim. the wildflowers are weeks or months behind schedule. some are going to have to skip this year altogether.
oh, and there is an abundance of snow. lots of snow. tons of snow.
so, lets go ride.
thursday, july 21st at round top (carson pass)
greg in the spring fed area that has usually been a flower show for 3 weeks by this time of year

me in the same spot

video from thursday

friday, july 22 at solstice couloir, mt dana. tioga pass
we met at 5am at the 7-11, grabbed coffee and donuts, and were on our way. 2.5 hours later we were gearing up at the pass. why do they only honor veterans on the county line. seems kind of restrictive. casey didn’t care. he was just bummed about not getting a v8

then we hit the endless boulder fields which sapped our spirit as we approached the base of the couloir

looking up from where we finally hit the snow

casey approaches the top of the couloir. i had to bail from where i took this picture to have any sort of hope of making it back to work on time. i ended up punching in 3 minutes late after a jump in lake tahoe replaced a shower

on the way out, i came across the world’s shortest (and tastiest) river

saturday i took a break to get my life back in order and gather up some sleep.
sunday it was on. we took a crew of 5 back out to carson pass since it was so good there only 3 days before. we were not disappointed
the crew on one of the sisters sub-peaks