Dave Dubuque: Mt. Spokane lifty ‘Dude’ spreads cheer, master of the 8-second conversation
In his 60 years, Mount Spokane lift operator Patrick Walsh – known to locals as Dude (no “The” please) – has worn a few hats, working as a registered nurse, trying his hand at owning and operating a small business, and even serving a stint as a music promoter at a locally famous venue.
He burned out on working in the sterile environment of a hospital. Running The Spike – a small downtown Spokane coffee shop that was located on Monroe Street – was an all-consuming occupation that never left him a moment for himself. And the fun of working at 123 Arts – a now defunct establishment that saw the likes of Mudhoney, the Melvins, Poison Idea and GWAR grace its stage – came to an end when the business closed its doors.
Looking for a new start, Walsh found inspiration in childhood memories of his family piling into its Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser and heading to Michigan’s Majestic Hills, where his father, a dentist who was always looking for a deal, once traded the extraction of three wisdom teeth for ski lessons for his 9-year-old son.
So, in 2008, he attended a Mount Spokane meet-and-greet/job fair. After working for the mountain for two years as an AASI level-1 certified snowboard instructor and a ski bus chaperone, he found his true calling and is now enjoying his 12th season at a job that he loves: working as a lift operator, or “lifty” (Walsh prefers to spell it with a “y”). If you’ve ridden the chairlift to the top of Mount Spokane, you’ve no doubt had the opportunity to experience the joy that he brings to each and every day.
“It’s the best office in the world,” Walsh said of his mountaintop lift shack, which faces due east, overlooking Spirit Lake. “I see the best sunrises – the 20 minutes of predawn are the best. It’s orange, red and yellow luminescent tones from horizon to horizon.”
Walsh finds joy not only in the beauty of his workplace, but also in the job itself.
“I have fun up there. I’m passionate about it and take pride in the job I do,” Walsh said. “I never forget who I’m working for: the ski bums, the racers, the park rats, the snow skaters. Those are the people that I cater to. I try to create a great experience for the people who ride my chair. I try to get to know them all, even if they’re lift ticket holders who are up for just a single day.”
It’s a “lifty tip” that he shares with the newbies on the crew. “Talk to everyone. It makes them feel welcome, and you might even discover that you’ve just met Glen Plake,” Walsh said. And he did: The influential extreme skier has long had a habit of traveling the country to visit small, local ski hills, including Mount Spokane.
Tagging along with Dude on President’s Day offered a firsthand look at a day in the life of a lifty.
Days start early: typically 7 a.m., or sometimes even as early as 5:15 if the race team is practicing Super G.
Ramps are shoveled smooth, liftline ropes are restrung, chairlifts are readied for operation, and, when the morning crowds roll in, it’s a day of hard work in weather that ranges from sunny and pleasant to frigid and brutal.
“I never get cold. Dress in a lot of layers – that’s another lifty tip,” Walsh said. “And, if you feel yourself getting chilly, pick up a shovel to get the blood flowing.
“You’ve gotta have a sense of humor. I’ve never had a bad day. I’ve had days that were difficult or frustrating, but never a bad one.
“I’ve been through five bosses. I prefer to be in the trenches and avoid the stress of being a manager – those guys are always running around, putting out fires.”
For the foreseeable future, you’ll be able to find Walsh “bumping chairs” (getting people seated), mastering the art of the 8-second conversation and spreading the good vibes as he operates a Riblet chairlift installed in 1956 and formerly known as Chair One – but recently renamed Vista Cruiser – a perfect moniker for a machine designed to transport its passengers to their happy place.