Hey all! I apologize in advance for the essay you are about to read haha. Anyways, here it goes.
So I just saw a post about someone wanting advice on where/how he should go about taking a year off after school to ski as much as possible. I replied to his thread but I decided to post my response in its own thread so my response won't go unnoticed by someone who this may pertain to. I've done all this research over the last few months so I hope this helps anyone looking to move to Tahoe.
I'm doing the same thing as the kid who posted the original thread. I am moving out to North Lake Tahoe at the beginning of June after I graduate from college.
As always, if anyone sees anything wrong with the information I have found, please correct me! And extra advice is always appreciated!
Here is everything I've found and also what I plan on doing:
First: A good family friend of mine has skied all over the world, Japan and the Alps included, and he said that his favorite skiing is still out west in the states. Not discrediting how great the skiing in Europe and Japan is, just one mans opinion. But trust me, the family friend used to be a true ski bum. It's all he did for about 10 years into his early 30's. So personally, I'll take his word for it.
Second: I just landed a summer job on a golf course in Truckee so that will give me some good money going into the ski season. Best piece of advice I have for finding a job is to just email some places out there and shoot over a resume, etc. I heard back in 3 days and they're holding a full time position for me.
Third: Not sure what kind of resort job everyone on here is looking for but consider teaching lessons. I have my PSIA Level 1 certification so I will most likely be able to find a full time job teaching at a resort for the winter. It's actually decent money if you have any PSIA certification (skiing or snowboarding) and it is usually a full time position and not just part time seasonal so you will have some job stability and financial security. Look into getting your PSIA. I'm hopefully going to be teaching at Northstar. The only reason I chose Northstar is because I found an amazing deal on housing that is half a mile away from the base of the mountain (I will talk about the housing later). Also, there are perks of teaching. You'll meet a lot of awesome people who have been a "local" for years. They know everything about the mountain so you can learn a lot from them. You get a free pass obviously. And the way I look at it, you're literally getting paid to ski. It really has never felt like work to me before. Strongly consider that. Keep in mind, teaching is not for everyone. Some people love it and others hate it. But I think that everyone should try skiing or snowboarding at least once in their life and being able to help someone learn for the first time is super rewarding.
Fourth: I mentioned the housing above so here the low down on that is. I literally Googled "Northstar Employee Housing" and they have a website specifically dedicated to helping you find housing. It provides a bunch of different options and includes the type of transportation they offer to and from the mountain and they also give you the low down on each specific area that people usually like to live. The place I'm staying at, and will hopefully be signing a lease in the next couple months, is called Sawmill Heights. Here the link is:
http://www.sawmillheights.com/?cmpid=SOC00282
When you're looking at the website click on the 1 bedroom apartments. They rent a 4 bedroom apartment out by the room so you get the best deal. It's $525-575 a month depending on utilities. I'm pretty utilities are all included (electric, gas, cable, wifi, etc.) And if you have multiple people all moving together, look at the other apartments and split the rent. It's pretty cheap. I've looked everywhere in the North Tahoe, Truckee, and Reno area and it's the best deal by hundreds of dollars. I'm sure you could find a cheaper place if you really looked but it would probably be a dump. The apartments are actually very nice. And for the proximity of the apartments to the mountain, you can't beat that kinda deal.
Fifth: I'm planning on spending at least 2 years teaching at Northstar and hopefully will be able to find a full time job working for them over the summer as well. Since Northstar is owned by Vail Resorts, all of the full time employees get benefits such as health care and 401k etc. Pretty much all the stuff that will take care of your "adult problems". I know for the 401k they will match up to 6% ( if I remember correctly) of whatever you put into the account. Never to early to plan for retirement haha. Here the link is that outlines the benefits depending on what type of employee you are:
http://www.vailresortscareers.com/What-To-Know/Benefits-and-Policies
Also, since it is owned by Vail Resorts, the pass you get is pretty much the Epic Pass which lets you ski anytime at any Vail Resorts owned mountain. Here the link to all that is:
https://order.epicpass.com/#passDetail-Epic-Pass
Also, I'm pretty sure you get discounts on lodging, food, etc. if you decide to go on a trip to one of their other resorts. And I'm also pretty sure that while you're at work you get hooked up with crazy discounts at all the on-mountain dining so you don't have to worry about going hungry.
Sixth: The entire Lake Tahoe area is probably my favorite place in the world. I've been out there during the winter to ski and it's absolutely amazing. It's my favorite skiing in the States. Like people have said before, the snow quality is kind of hit or miss but the atmosphere out there is second to none. I've been out there in the summer and there is more to do than you can ever imagine. Truckee is one of the coolest ski towns you'll ever go to. And there are over 300 days of sun a year which is awesome. Reno is about 30-45 minutes away and it's pretty much a smaller Las Vegas. Also, Kings Beach is just south of Northstar. If you're anything like me and don't want the college partying to end, you can easily find a place to have a good time. Just look up 4th of July at Tahoe. It's pretty fucking crazy haha.
I really hope this helps! I know that finding all this shit out for yourself can be stressful and overwhelming so I'm glad I could pass along what I've already found onto all of you!
