Blog of a K2 Intern

Prior to my first day at K2 I emailed the Ski Marketing Coordinator, Andrew, with a few last minute questions.  Mainly, what is appropriate work attire?  To which he responded: “…you will want to have your shoes shined and briefcase polished.  We usually stick to Windsor or half-Windsor knots, and Fridays are casual, so you can wear a zany Hawaiian shirt on those days.  No hats, and we expect a haircut that you can set your watch to.”

So I find myself thinking:  hmmm… my footwear collection is a plethora of deteriorating vans, the only Windsor I know is a county in Vermont, and I’m rockin’ a 'fro that rivals Art Garfunkel's on the cover of Bridge Over Troubled Water in 1970.  As a three-fifths compromise with Andrew, for my first day I shaved my face and sported my finest Izod men’s performance button down t-shirt.

My first few hours at K2 consisted of a pee test, finger printing, shaking hands, and forgetting names.  But after a questionable start, Andrew took me on the grand tour.  The giant building in Seattle’s industrial district is jam packed with cool stuff.  Funny photos and retro gear line the walls, helping me understand the rich history of K2.  There is a skate park, a trampoline, and a freezer at least the size of Eminem’s trailer in 8 Mile where engineers test equipment in wintery conditions.  Walking through the warehouse is like walking in Manhattan; the rows seem to go on for days.  And then there’s the Ski Marketing department: a full service bar, big screen television, leather couches, ski chairs, and racks upon racks of Jack Links beef jerky.  My eyes were popping out of my head.

And then reality set in.  As with any internship, there is a certain degree of female dog work.  I cleaned the most intricate yet dangerous looking mold out of the kegerator.  I de-funkified the coffee machine so these Seattleites could enjoy their morning cup o’ joe.  And I tidied up "The Cage:" a landfill of the ski marketing department’s gear.

However, once I completed the tedious work, I got to participate in some pretty cool stuff.  Everything at K2 is done in house (accounting, advertising, product shooting, ect.), which is pretty remarkable for a large company.  So a few of the guys: Jeff, Gutt, Powell, Andrew, Joe, and Ryan were brainstorming for a new ad campaign for the A.M.P. Series in Europe, and I got to participate.  I had just as much of a voice as everyone else, and it was only my second week in the office.  Being an intern isn’t always glorious.  I have suffered injustices, I’m the butt of incessant jokes, but somehow they still manage to make me feel like part of the team.

-Intern, Out.