Climbing Roofs Not Rocks

Reflecting on seasonal employment and not being an expert

Last winter, things were a little ‘light’ in the income department. By that I mean I didn’t have a ton of lucrative writing projects like I normally do. Plus, Whitney and I spent about a month honeymooning in Ecuador.

So, this year, I decided to pick up an extra gig to add to my normal freelance writing work. I looked around at some indoor retail jobs at REI and L.L. Bean. I thought maybe my wealth of knowledge about outdoor clothing and equipment would make me a viable fit. But I didn’t have enough retail experience.

Plus, I’ve got a two-week chunk of vacation coming up over Christmas and New Year's, which makes locking in a seasonal retail gig difficult. They want you there precisely during that time to deal with the holiday craziness. So my dreams of wearing one of those pickle-colored REI vests and decorating it with pins and patches of all the dope places I’ve explored came to a screeching halt.

Then, randomly, one day, I saw an advertisement on the side of the road for a lighting company that installs Christmas lights and other decorations. Intrigued, I decided to email the two local Christmas light decorating companies. I heard back from one of them within the same day. By the end of that day, I had an interview. Then, by the next day, I was hired.

Rock Climbers Make Great Christmas Light Hangers

Rock climbing and Christmas light decorating go hand in hand for a couple of reasons. The most obvious is that if you live and climb in a place that experiences a winter, rock climbing inevitably shuts down temporarily. Meanwhile, other types of work open up, like lighting jobs.

This job, in particular, perfectly aligns with my travel schedule. The installation stage runs from October to the week of December 6th (except I started in November). Then, the take-down stage runs from the second week of January until early February. That means I can work every day and get all of my pre-planned vacation time. Frigg yeah!

In addition to the seasonality of the two industries working out, climbers inevitably make good Christmas light decorators because, well, they like to climb. Hanging lights involves climbing ladders, trees, roofs, fences, etc. Essentially, any object that stands between you and where lights need to be installed.

In addition, climbers are comfortable at height and understand how to operate around edges. We know how to approach edges with caution and never to put our backs to the edge. Unless you’re trying to take an epic selfie. (Just kidding.)

Climbers are also familiar with the safety equipment (full-body harness and rope) used in the lighting industry when extra security is required. On my first day, I was giving a belay to a coworker who was strapped into a harness so he could get closer to the edge of a roof. What better way to build rappore with my new coworkers, right?

Lastly, climbers and climbing guides, in particular, are no strangers to the physicality of the job. There’s a lot of ups and downs, lifting, raising, holding, squeezing, walking, and climbing. The burn you get in your shoulders from holding a painting pole above your head while hanging lights in an evergreen tree is very potent. My arms will be shredded once I finish this gig.

The days are also super long. So far, my longest day on the clock has been 11 hours. If you include the time I need to get ready for work and commuting, that’s like a 14-hour day.

Long work days hanging lights are a lot like long multi-pitch climbing days in the backcountry. You’re up before sunrise and headed to the objective. Once there, there’s a lot of climbing and pretty views from the tops of tall objects. Fortunately, unlike backcountry climbing days, there’s no pooping in wag bags. We use gas stations for that.

So, while I never thought I would be hanging Christmas lights, in a way, I’m absolutely built for the job. But there is one exception. I’m not just climbing.

When I was hired into the position, I was specifically hired as a boom lift operator. What is a boom lift, you say?

This is a boom lift. And this is the exact machine I am operating

When objects are too tall to safely reach with ladders, like big ass houses and trees, you need a boom lift to hang the lights. That’s where I come in.

Teddy, the Boom Lift Operator

I’ll be honest– when I started this job, I thought I’d only be working off ladders and on tops of roofs. I thought I would be part of a crew and be told what to do. I wanted little responsibility and mindless physical labor to get me through the winter. But in reality, things have shaken out much differently than that.

I’ve got way more responsibility than I originally planned for. I’m driving a company truck, hauling a boom, and running jobs with only one, maybe two, other guys. So, like, I’m sort of in charge.

In addition, I had a way steeper learning curve than I predicted. I’ve been climbing trees and other objects since I was in diapers (literally). I’ve been working off ladders for years as an indoor climbing gym route setter. I’ve even driven big trucks and towed trailers.

But I’ve never operated a machine like a boom lift.

Climbing Up the Learning Curve

It’s been a long time since I needed to learn a skill from ground zero. While I am a fairly flexible person and a fast learner, learning to operate the boom really had me worked up.

When I was getting started, trying to absorb all the information I needed was like drinking from a fire hose. Now, I know how my clients feel when they sign up for an anchor-building course. Other times, I was like a deer in the headlights, just stunned and incapable.

I was really struggling with not being good at something.

In addition, the training I was receiving felt like it was lacking some of the finer details. Nothing was unsafe or sketchy during my training; it just felt like I was missing ‘something’ or multiple ‘things’ that would make my life easier and allow me to accomplish jobs faster. Instead of learning those ‘things’ preemptively in training, I discovered them one by one as I stumbled over hurdles like a drunken track athlete.

To make things extra interesting, there’s the added time pressure of a seasonal job (some of the jobs need to be done before Thanksgiving, and all the jobs need to be done before Christmas). This made me feel like I needed to run before I could walk. Or like I needed to teleport myself up and over the learning curve instead of clumsily climbing my way up.

A nice sunny day, hanging Christmas lights

I’m Not an Expert, I cannot Teleport, and That’s Okay

My high drive, desire to do good, and performance-oriented mindset really struggled with the learning process during the first couple of weeks. After a couple of healthy venting sessions with Whitney, she helped me realize that I had set unrealistic expectations for myself.

It’s really fun to feel like you’re blazing around town, busting missions, and hanging lights. I am used to that feeling when I am guiding, leading tons of pitches, and weaving up, down, and all over the cliff. But I desperately lacked the efficiency I am used to from my guiding work.

In addition, I was succumbing to the time pressure too much. I wanted to make the bosses happy by smashing out jobs. But honestly, who really cares? I can only do my best, and sometimes my best isn’t good enough.

I can’t and will never be able to teleport myself up and over a learning curve. Not for operating a boom lift. Not for any new skill I want to learn. I’ll just have to stumble along until, eventually, things start to level out.