We're Getting Married!

She was a ski instructor, and he was a lift operator at Hunter Mountain. Samantha was teaching beginner children to ski on the bunny hill. Jason was the head lift operator for the "carpet" surface lift—better known as "The Magic Carpet," a name given to help small children feel more excited and less frightened when learning how to ski. Jason would come out of the operator’s lift shack and walk on the carpet like a treadmill, watching the skiers from time to time—especially when Samantha circled the lift with her students. Jason would also help the little skiers when they got stuck getting on or off the lift. Then one day, while Samantha was creating a silly and fun ski lesson, snowballs suddenly started flying. Jason helped the little skiers launch snowballs at their instructor, making the experience even more fun for the kids—or was it? Throughout the 2016–2017 winter season, Jason and Samantha came to know each other while working on the Magic Carpet. But then summer came, and the winter fun was over. On December 16, 2017, the first day of the Seasonal Ski Program at Hunter, Samantha made a run on the Magic Carpet. This time, there was no Jason. The kids were more advanced this year, so she made a run on C-Lift instead. Jason was now the head of a different lift—C-Lift—a chair lift and the next step up for beginner skiers. He was waiting and hoping Samantha would be teaching again and show up to use C-Lift. By the time she reached the top of the lift, there was Jason, outside the lift shack working on the ramp. As Jason and Samantha locked eyes, they both pointed at each other with smiles on their faces, excited to see one another. It was rather obvious to the other instructor Samantha was working with. On her next trip around the lift, Jason handed Samantha a piece of paper with his number on it. After work, Samantha didn’t waste any time—she messaged Jason. He was surprised to hear from her so quickly, but he was ecstatic. They met later that evening in the main lodge and hung out for a long time. From then on, Samantha and Jason were nearly inseparable. They saw each other every day—not just at work, but after work too. They went skiing and snowboarding on their days off and visited other sister ski resorts together all along the East Coast. As the weather warmed, they hiked, swam, biked, and made plans for their next adventure. She was a ski instructor, and he was a lift operator—and they met on the Magic Carpet Ride. Today, Samantha is an Assistant Store Manager in the Rental & Retail Department, and Jason is an Advanced Lift Mechanic—both working year-round for Vail Resorts at Hunter Mountain.