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Engineering Career in Skiing?

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J_Berg
Posts: 562 - Karma: 2,031
I'm a junior in highschool and I want to pursue engineering as a career choice and I was wondering if anyone knew any jobs that are engineering related in the ski field. Whether it be production of skis, layout of resorts, lifts structures, etc. I really love the concept of engineering, and of course skiing. I'm looking to go to school out west as well. I live in Northern IL at the moment. I'm visiting a bunch of schools in Colorado Utah area this spring.
Thanks

Feb 18 2014 4:39PM
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snowpocalypse
Posts: 1036 - Karma: 3,525
Most people forget that experience is key. Sure companies are looking for educated and passionate people. Guess what? There are a lot of people that fit the bill out there. Where is your real world experience. Have you ever worked in a shop before? Worked on the mountain? No doubt, get your education as most people don't stay in the same industry their whole working life, but do not neglect the networking and industry knowledge. Don't expect to pop out of college with your newly printed piece of paper and fall into a product development position. Those people have spent years working in the ski and snow industry. Good luck we need more motivated people out there to continue to grow the sport.
Feb 19 2014 11:38AM
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broto
Posts: 9039 - Karma: 25,664
lift maintenance, at least at my shitty hill, is left to the half drunk rednecks who can turn a wrench and that's about it. i'm sure the case is different for bigger resorts, but i think you must mean designing lifts. lift maintenance is not (in my experience) a very reputable career.
Feb 19 2014 12:01PM
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snomaster
Posts: 3346 - Karma: 5,770
So many opportunities:
Snowmaking system design and using those to make energy from melt runoff in spring (microhydro)
Product design from skis to bindings to helmets and way beyond
Automotive systems
Lift design build
Facilities design build
And if non of that works you can just work for a ritzy slopeside hotel in their engineering maintenance dept and be a skid (like a few guys I know)
Feb 19 2014 12:05PM
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Pudge
Posts: 3718 - Karma: 3,117
Yeah, he did a real bang up job eh? (;

Materials Engineering at most schools, including Utah, has more of a concentration in Civil works than not. Go Mechanical, if you enjoy your courses in Statics and Mat Sci, make it a concentration. Don't waste your or other's money at a state school, that you don't get in-state tuition to.

State schools, especially land grants, are all comparable, and your senior design is what will determine how well you did with what you had. Private schools are a different story and should be taken case by case.

(Insert shameless promo of UNH here, because I didn't get into Dartmouth)
Feb 19 2014 12:24PM
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FunkyMalone
Posts: 66 - Karma: 640
If you live in IL go to Michigan Tech, 3rd best valued college in America and 2nd highest average starting salary in the nation. I am a freshman here and I love it, plus theres a free ski hill and you are only 40 minutes away from Mount Bohemia. We also have the Boardsport Technologies Enterprise which has its own ski press and does projects from researching innovative materials for skis to precision machining skateboard trucks. Plus you can make your own skis if you buy the raw materials.
Feb 19 2014 12:26PM
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ANDR01D
Posts: 1181 - Karma: 3,319
1. If your only reason for becoming an engineer is to work in the ski-industry, be careful. I'm not going to tell you to not go after a dream, but the field is rather limited, only one major company is primarily US based (K2). Best bet is to go for a sweet job that offers the flexibility to go ski.
2. Unless your state schools are awful, or an out of state school is giving you a boat-load of money, go to a state school. I saved sooo much money, and went to the same school as J. Lev (A few years after he did of course).
Feb 19 2014 1:09PM
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SKI.ING
Posts: 2695 - Karma: 2,535
Sure fair enough. Most of the schools you're touting as being superior are only superior as far as their admissions go. Private/Ivy League schools are more about getting in than they are about passing once you're there. In my opinion public systems like the UC have smarter people because it's people fighting in the trenches trying to make something from nothing. And they have just as nice facilities and staff. I understand that the schools you listed probably have more money, grants, and all that jazz but I just hate that they get this reputation as having superior students. For instance I won't even defend Stanford, despite living in CA, because it's known that once you're in they want you to pass no matter what, so it's harder to get in than it is to do well there. And snob comments like yours don't help the situation. Like any grouping of people, somebody always gives it a bad rep.
Feb 19 2014 1:20PM
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mikem
Posts: 926 - Karma: 8,965
My dads electrical engineer and even though his work does not pertain to skiing he can still ski everyday he wants up in UT

The u is a very good school for what you are interested in i think.

But if you want a job that is On the Hill based engineering then I guess something like a Lifts technician or civil engineering if you want to help pioneer a ski hill
Feb 19 2014 2:29PM
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Bangzilla
Posts: 62 - Karma: 13
Engineering is super cool to study because it just explains how everything works and makes life really inspiring to be able to know how things are working and why.

Montana State University in Bozeman is right down I-90 from you and is definitely the best school in the country for skiing the goods and engineering in a cool environment.

There are only 3 colleges within 30 minutes of a truly sick ski area:
University of Utah SLC U of U
Westminister SLC
Western State Gunnison
Montana State University Bozeman MSU
All Front Range Colorado schools are around 2 hours to truly sick skiing, so they do not make this list.

Only 2 have engineering schools:
U of U
MSU

MSU is way sweeter than U of U because Bozeman is just so much nicer of a place to live than Salt Lake.
SLC has terrible Air Quality, Salt Lake was worse than Beijing lots of days last year, truly some of the worst in the country, U of U is a commuter school with very little 'campus life', the whole vibe of the front range of the Wasatch is just a little off.

Whereas Bozeman is just an awesome place with sick skiing at Bridger and Big Sky and an engineering department that has produces dozens of the engineers at Black Diamond Equipment and has the leading avalanche engineering studies in the country. You're stoked to just be at this point in your journey, it's gonna be fun.




Feb 19 2014 2:34PM
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linus_deboss
Posts: 1036 - Karma: 1,914
/threads
Feb 19 2014 2:56PM
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KimberBlackWolf
Posts: 13 - Karma: 168
Snow making gun design and snow system control. As a snowmaker I can honestly say that snow making systems are awesome and guns can always be more efficient
Feb 19 2014 3:13PM
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Uncle.tito
Posts: 192 - Karma: 139
It's a measure word for book
Feb 19 2014 8:58PM
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whoa-dere
Posts: 10596 - Karma: 7,105
that's 本
Feb 19 2014 9:33PM
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J_Berg
Posts: 562 - Karma: 2,031
Does it matter like UofU has lower admission requirements, does that reflect anything later on when gettting a career, like they look at that as lesser than a college of higher standards?
Feb 20 2014 11:10PM
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J_Berg
Posts: 562 - Karma: 2,031
I live in IL and I dont have the asian intelligence to get into U of I's engineering program haha, I wanna go away to school as well. I have relatives in the denver/boulder area as well. Also, I really like the concept of engineering, I was just looking for applications of it to the ski industry
Feb 20 2014 11:13PM
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Scaredwhiteboy
Posts: 1395 - Karma: -938
Those fuckin' asians man. Stealing all the spots at UIUC from us good, hard-working white folk.
Feb 20 2014 11:22PM
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Craigskis
Posts: 6650 - Karma: 1,645
That be physics engineering Yo
Feb 20 2014 11:59PM
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SKI.ING
Posts: 2695 - Karma: 2,535
Are you even educated? You sound like you haven't ever been admitted into a college before. A lot of those schools take into account "legacy" too. And part of the expense of private or Ivy is that you're paying for connections and an almost guaranteed pass if you're not a complete idiot. I went the public route, and my brother went the private route so I can speak from both angles here and see the differences.

And you don't even have a place in this argument. Yoski listed intelligent schools, but in a condescending way that wasn't entirely true. So I told my side. Now go troll elsewhere. Nobody likes you.
Feb 21 2014 5:16PM
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.GaperMan.
Posts: 305 - Karma: 1,409
No way. your from northern illinois? I'm from barrington
Feb 21 2014 10:37PM
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J_Berg
Posts: 562 - Karma: 2,031
Crystal Lake! haha small world
Feb 22 2014 9:00AM
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aust.s
Posts: 82 - Karma: 15
Careful man...Dont want to mix the workplace too much with skiing. BTW im going to colorado school of mines for engineering- great school for engineering and plenty of mountains to ski around it! check it out!
Feb 22 2014 5:47PM
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amo
Posts: 6709 - Karma: 1,248
If you're down with spending 4 years with a bunch of sweaty dudes. I can't tell you how many times I've overheard engineering majors complaining about the lack of females/hygiene in the engineering school.
Feb 22 2014 6:51PM
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Pudge
Posts: 3718 - Karma: 3,117
So much this

The only salvation is the enviro or possibly civil engineers. Orrrrrrrrrr go to a state school where there are tons of chicks

(insert more shameless promo for UNH)
Feb 22 2014 6:56PM
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caucasian_chad
Posts: 4078 - Karma: 3,625
You're better off going into a field of engineering where there is a good market near good skiing.
Feb 22 2014 7:48PM
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Scaredwhiteboy
Posts: 1395 - Karma: -938
Literally every engineering school is like that. As long as your at big school that isn't only engineering, you'll be fine.
Feb 23 2014 3:31AM
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ski-plastic
Posts: 311 - Karma: 64
Here's a few points from my world. Background: I have B.Eng (Hons) degree in Mechanical Engineering from Glasgow University, Scotland. Depending on who is making the list, that's generally a top 20/top 50 school in the world.

1. The School.
In general, it WILL matter where you go if you want to work for somebody big. Engineering is a degree in demand so now everyone is offering it (supply and demand - naturally). However, if you start talking to companies, getting internships, proving you're worth something etc before you graduate then that can work in your favour.

2. Difficulty.
Engineering isn't that difficult if you have the right mind (decent grasp of physics and maths). Honestly, I studied with some complete retards and at the end of it, they all got a degree! Whether or not somebody will hire them now is a different story but they all have the certificate. Just put a modicum of effort in and you'll be fine.

3. For me, I didn't really understand where the whole engineers being soap-dodging social hand grenades comes from. I had a huge year group and my classes were a mix of electrical/aeronautical/product design so yeah, some girls looked like something you'd draw with your left hand but then we also had a decent few that made you want to tear your bellend off as well. Just like any other class.

4. Job
First off you'll have to pick your flavour of engineering. Mechanical, Electrical, Aeronautical, Material, Civil etc. There are literally loads to choose from and naturally what you pick will have more/less validity for the direction you want to pick at the end. However, if all you want to do is find some time to shred then go work in oil and gas! The industry is screaming out for engineers and they'll pay a fuck load more than anything else. I recommend looking at working offshore or even land work if they offer you a rotation. 2 weeks of work followed by 2 weeks of doing whatever the fuck you want! Yes its that simple. Depending on who you work for that cycle can be month on - month off, 6 weeks on - 6 weeks off or if you ever find your way over to Norway you can find yourself on a 2/3 or even a 2/4. They're pretty class about it over there!
Feb 23 2014 6:41AM
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JLev
Posts: 872 - Karma: 4,795
www.k2sports.com/careers
Feb 23 2014 9:48AM
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Lewisd553
Posts: 52 - Karma: 286
How bout you branch out to scotland and ill be your middle man out here ?
Feb 23 2014 5:21PM
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Pudge
Posts: 3718 - Karma: 3,117
Stop breathing

No middle men, that's the core of Jskis
Feb 23 2014 10:01PM
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