Michael

Travel information

I am currently

Activities i am interested in:

04/02/25: I'm currently in Park City, Utah, having just finished another great season as a Ski Instructor at Deer Valley, and I'm eager to find my next Workaway!

Description

I'm happiest being active, being social, and being outdoors.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned here: You've really got to meet people from all walks of life to realize just how much you don't know.

My name is Mike, and I just finished another great season of ski instructing at Deer Valley in Park City, Utah. This summer, I've decided to return to the work/travel realm, where I've always thrived. I love to meet new people, learn new skills, broaden my understanding of our world, and I feel there's no better way to do these things than through opportunities like a Workaway.

I think I'm my best version of myself when I treat life as a series of adventures: After college I became a radio personality, but I later became a zamboni driver, a wildland firefighter, a mountain bike guide, a Habitat for Humanity site supervisor, an Army Infantryman in Afghanistan, and I even got to spend a year digitizing the correspondence of Dr. Martin Luther King at the MLK center in Atlanta. For the past four winters I've been a ski instructor in Utah, which I love, but I haven't truly enjoyed the work I've had in the past few summers, so I've decided it's time for my next Workaway.

My first, best, and longest experience with Workaway was on a blueberry and chesnut farm in Ohio. It started as one month, then four months, and then I ended going back as a paid employee for months at a time over subsequent summers and falls for many years. That experience really reinvigorated my zest for living and my spirit of adventure. So often when I meet new people, I'm blown away by how little I truly know about the vastness of our world, and all the people in it.

I take pride in my work ethic, and maybe I'm a people pleaser, but I take value in earning the respect of others through my work, in being someone who is reliable, and consistent. Though I'm not a tradesman, I do have fair experience with hand tools, power tools, and even driving heavy equipment, like tractors and skid-steer loaders. I even have 3 winters experience driving a zamboni on a frozen lake at a resort in Colorado (Any zamboni owners out there?) . At my last Workaway, a farm called Blueberried Alive, I built a compost tea brewer from online plans, a Sawzall, PVC piping, and a motor from a hot tub.

It has been two summers since my last Workaway experience, and I really miss it. I look forward to once again meeting new people, the reward of a good day's work with my peers, and further broadening my experiences and skills with a new adventure.

Interests

Van life

Camping

Yoga / Wellness

Winter sports

Water sports

Team sports

Sustainability

Self development

Sailing / Boating

Outdoor activities

Nature

Mountain

History

Hiking

Fitness

Farming

Events & social

DIY & crafts

Cycling

Culture

Books

Beach

Animals

Adventure sports

Languages

Languages spoken
English: Fluent

More details about my language interests
This workawayer has indicated that they would be interested in sharing their language(s) or learning a new language. You can contact them directly to discuss this.

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Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Gardening

Eco Projects

Animal Care

Art Projects

Teaching

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Some knowledge of:  

DIY and building projects

General Maintenance

Life at a Farmstay

Helping with Computers/ Internet

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Able to teach about:  

Hospitality/Tourism

More details about your skills

Over the years I've become a jack of all trades, knowing a little about a lot. I know basic carpentry and construction, basic vehicle repair and maintenance. I am comfortable working my my hands and with power tools as needed, whether it's using a chainsaw to fell and limb dead trees, or using a Sawzall to cut holes in burn barrels.

I have an affinity for vehicle operations. I have about 3 years experience driving zambonis and skid-steer loaders for Keystone Ski Resort in Colorado. My last Workaway host entrusted me to drive his Ventrac mini-tractors with a variety of attachments like mowers and stumpgrinders, and he taught me to drive his larger Kubota Tractor to spray compost tea in his chestnut orchards.

I'm proficient with personal computers,just recently as the office manager of an accounting office during a very busy tax season. I have worked a Point of Sale System in many hospitality jobs, most notably as a supervisor at a ski resort at which i trained the system to our incoming employees. and I once had the unique opportunity to spend a year digitizing the correspondence of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. right at the museum and archive near his boyhood home in Atlanta. There, I was promoted a few times to Training Supervisor, and I authored the training manuals to be used to train the King Center's permanent staff on the digitization cameras and computers.

I have a great deal of experience in the hospitality industry, most recently as a ski instructor at Deer Valley, where customer service is paramount. As a Lead at Keystone Ski Resort, I trained incoming seasonal employees each year in operations at the resort's Adventure Center. At one of my previous Workaways, I acted as on-site host to an AirBnb in Falmouth, Massachusetts, for an owner who needed to remain in Boston, welcoming guests, providing for their needs, and turning over the rooms as needed.

Age

51

What else ...

I love the social aspect of workaway, getting together for meals when possible, music, board games, any chance to be social and get to know my hosts and fellow workawayers. I love the outdoors, and my favorites are generally skiing and mountain biking, but I'm interested in trying just about any outdoor activity. I know it's tough to get to know someone from an online profile, and I welcome any chance for a phone call or a video call, to show you who I am.

Some more information

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  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies

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  Special dietary requirements