Snow job

Are the folks bugging you to get a “real job?” Well, now here’s your chance to ski fresh while advancing your career goals.

The University of Colorado School of Medicine in conjunction with Front Range backcountry ski guides Powder Addiction announce their “Mechanized Guide School,” which will take place Dec. 27 – Jan. 10, 2018. The 14-day class will take place on Powder Addiction’s 2,600-acre permit area on Jones Pass, west of Berthoud Pass.

“Do you want to be a backcountry ski/board expert, leading others to majestic powder stashes and breathtaking vistas?!” reads the course description, which sounds much more tantalizing than, say, Organic Chem 300. “We’ve designed an immersive and intense two-week curriculum to teach you what it takes.”

Attendees will be based out of Empire – which at 291 year-round residents makes Silverton look cosmopolitan (although it is home to the Lewis Sweet Shop, which makes a killer chocolate malt.) But lack of nightlife shouldn’t matter, because you’re there to ski, er, gain professional experience in your chosen (powder) field. Speaking of which, the class is designed to teach not only the intricacies of ski guiding (don’t ever let paying customers poach your line) but useful life skills as well.

Graduates will receive certs in AIARE Level 1 Avalanche, CPR and Wilderness First Responder as well as training in terrain safety, environmental stewardship and something called “guide-craft.” (These are the things you’ll want to highlight to the folks.)

Touted as “the only school of its kind in the Rocky Mountain region,” the price is almost as steep as the terrain: $3,680. But then again, it might be a total bargain if it gets you out of the basement and all your stuff out of the garage.