![Julia smiling set against some greenery](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/400x420_blog/public/admissions/content/blog-author/image/7382cb94-d687-4bfb-8a21-71ed89dfbf02_1_201_a_-_julia_cappio.jpeg?itok=G2ofq6aA×tamp=1694612238)
A Day in My Life as a Ski Instructor
7:15am
Time to get up! To be honest, I was not feeling it. I snoozed my alarm once and then realized that I really, really ought to get out of bed.
7:45am
I walked to breakfast with the sun shining and cold air hitting my face. A beautiful way to start the morning!
![A selfie of me wearing my headphones with a big, red ski jacket on. I am smiling without my teeth, and look tired.](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/wysiwyg_width_only/public/admissions/wysiwyg/img_8422.jpeg?itok=ky3rVSvL)
8:15am
The bus is here! Riding the bus is my least favorite part of skiing since it's so warm and sweaty on board. Luckily, I had lovely company. Aubrey (a fellow ski instructor and '27) and I chatted the entire bus ride.
![A photo of Aubrey smiling on a school bus. He is wearing a beanie.](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/wysiwyg_width_only/public/admissions/wysiwyg/img_8427.jpeg?itok=c95YABRK)
9:00am
Time to go skiing with my friends! I went to the rental shop to help get everyone situated and then we were flying. One of my friends, Rachel, was newer to skiing than the rest of us, so I gave her a little lesson. She crushed it!
10:45am
My first lesson is at 10:45. Today, I worked one-on-one with a student on the small carpet. They made a lot of progress! More than anything, skiing is a confidence game. We tested out singing Noah Kahan (an Upper Valley native) on the way down, and it totally worked! I was so proud of the improvement that my student made.
12:30pm
I always try to make time for a quick run between lessons. I knew I had some homework to do once I made it back to the lodge, so I raced down the hill. (Okay, you caught me. I was going to race down the hill no matter what). Then, I grabbed some food from the cafe for lunch and started my readings!
![A photo of an iPad on a table with some arroz con leche in a plastic container to the left of it and a green water bottle to the right of it](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/wysiwyg_width_only/public/admissions/wysiwyg/img_8431.jpeg?itok=qqALkhwg)
1:45pm
The afternoon lesson can always be a bit difficult since all of us (instructors, I mean) are pretty tired. But my lesson went wonderfully today! My two students improved so much on their turns and weight distribution. I was really proud of them by the time the lesson was over.
![A 0.5 photo of a black magic carpet. You can see the tips of my snowy skis and it looks like someone is coming off the carpet. There is a hut to the left of the carpet.](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/wysiwyg_width_only/public/admissions/wysiwyg/img_8434.jpeg?itok=_Cll5pij)
4:00pm
We typically make it back to campus at around 4. Nothing beats the feeling of taking off your ski boots and relaxing for a few minutes. What a day!
![A selfie of me with a surprised and happy expression on my face. I am carrying my skis over my right shoulder. The sky is blue above me.](https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/sites/admissions.prod/files/styles/wysiwyg_width_only/public/admissions/wysiwyg/img_8436.jpeg?itok=yaiyK4sR)
5:00pm
Now, I am finishing up this blog post before getting ready for dinner. I can't get enough of Hanover winters.