How much better is working for a resort

It's obviously very dependent on the job. Job at Mountain A is going to be different from that of Mountain B. You'll probably meet more like-minded people at a resort job, but if you're in a ski town you will meet plenty of people whatever you do.

It’s also dependent on the person.
Some people like being a lifty. Some people can’t stand working outside and quit halfway through a season.
You’ll meet people whatever your job is in a mountain town.

Working for the mountain and living in employee housing feels like living in a college dorm.....but way more smelly.....

Depends what you want. when i ski bummed i chose to work somewhere other than the resort because i didn't want to be bumping chairs during ski hours, i wanted to be skiing! so i got an evening job. ideally i would have been a bartender or server, where you can make waay more money than entry level resort jobs and other places

of course, that makes housing and stuff a little less simple, eliminates the free pass, and put you in a different social circle possibly. but IMO that was easily worth it. depends if you have a car, too, and if youre good at reaching out and making friends rather than just going with what's present at the resort employee scene

everything is a compromise. ask more specific questions and im happy to answer

Work Park Crew, you get to ski all day, make more than minimum wage at most resorts, and you'll get to meet a load of skiers.

SofaKingSickDepends what you want. when i ski bummed i chose to work somewhere other than the resort because i didn't want to be bumping chairs during ski hours, i wanted to be skiing! so i got an evening job. ideally i would have been a bartender or server, where you can make waay more money than entry level resort jobs and other places

of course, that makes housing and stuff a little less simple, eliminates the free pass, and put you in a different social circle possibly. but IMO that was easily worth it. depends if you have a car, too, and if youre good at reaching out and making friends rather than just going with what's present at the resort employee scene

everything is a compromise. ask more specific questions and im happy to answer

I would say this is accurate. If you can wait tables at night at a nice restaurant or tune skis that is ideal. You want to be skiing during the day, not working. As far as a pass goes, it depends where you are. When I lived in Tahoe my Squaw pass was 1600, so I waited tables at night and instructed one day a week (sometimes less, I did the minimum) to get the pass. With passes at many places having gotten cheaper you might not have to work at the resort part-time. If I could have gotten my Squaw pass for 900 I don't think I would have instructed. Having said that, instructing was a great way to meet people and we got discounts on gear and food, just understand that if you instruct full-time you won't get to ski for yourself all that much.

I left Tahoe a decade ago, I was there for 6 years. Squaw was pretty shitty to work for back then and I knew lots of people who worked for the mountain their first year and then did something different. I don't know how it is now, my knowledge is out of date.

By the way, being a bartender is pretty much perfect. You get to ski all day and make good money. getting a bar tending job was tough in Tahoe, the guys who had good ones were pumped.

Where are you planning to work.

eheethAs title says, how much better is it working for a resort as opposed to an off mountain job as a bartender etc. if at all, other that the obvious free pass, discounts and all that. How it affects your social life especially - I'm in the mindset that if I don't have a mountain job I won't meet as many people... Chur boys

It depends on the ski resort entirely. I can give some insight to working for a resort. You do get staff housing which sounds nice but in reality its slightly above a ghetto. The places will not be nice. But you do get to meet lots of people. Depending on the job you'll get paid dirt so dont expect to make anything this route.

Sometimes businesses will offer a discount on a lift pass if you work for them. Food or services you'll get tips and if you are on the ball finding a house isn't hard.

Cheers for the replies guys. If it helps, it'll be in Australia, so things like tips aren't relevant.
I'm specifically thinking instructor or bar job.
My problem is, if I go for an instructor job it'll be in another state, with expensive accom, and I won't know anyone (not an issue, more about leaving my other mates). If i go a bar job, I can get accom for peanuts with mates, and am with all my mates.
I kinda wanna save up some money too to go overseas post season, which is tough but I'd try my best, so I'm working on the basis that a bar job saves money at night and is more reliable work, whereas instructing is inconsistent and you have more time off to spend money.

It kinda sounds like I'm answering my own question, but based on the experiences you've had with both which would you go again?

eheethCheers for the replies guys. If it helps, it'll be in Australia, so things like tips aren't relevant.

Are there not tips in Australia?

Crispy.Are there not tips in Australia?

Not to the same degree - there's normally a jar on the counter that some people put coins in if they got a lot of small change they don't want to carry, or if they still want to show they appreciate it. They normally split the jar at the end between everyone on the shift. You're normally lucky to take away $10 on a good day.

stormtroopermake more than minimum wage at most resorts,

what resort are you working park crew at?

8 year resort employee here.
My advice is....
Don't work for corporations. (Vail, Intrawest etc.)
Make sure the free pass is worth the low wages. (Alta pass is $1000)
Pick your job based on schedule. Being a lifty sucks at 99% of resorts.
I work grave shifts most of the year and have ample time to ride/use my benefits.

In park city you can work at Burger King and make more money then half the resort jobs. That should say it all right there...

I can’t wait for resort walk outs and more unions over resort wages.

In Summit County Colorado last year Wendy's was paying $14 an hour and providing an EPIC pass. While Keystone/Breck were paying $10.

eheethCheers for the replies guys. If it helps, it'll be in Australia, so things like tips aren't relevant.
I'm specifically thinking instructor or bar job.
My problem is, if I go for an instructor job it'll be in another state, with expensive accom, and I won't know anyone (not an issue, more about leaving my other mates). If i go a bar job, I can get accom for peanuts with mates, and am with all my mates.
I kinda wanna save up some money too to go overseas post season, which is tough but I'd try my best, so I'm working on the basis that a bar job saves money at night and is more reliable work, whereas instructing is inconsistent and you have more time off to spend money.

It kinda sounds like I'm answering my own question, but based on the experiences you've had with both which would you go again?

Been a ski instructor for 8 years So I have some thoughts on instructing, it’s a sweet gig but it has its issues. The biggest issue for me is I spend 5 days a week working on snow and I get all amped up to send it my two days off but when you have that kind of stoke building up inside and the confidence from skiing every day you eventually take some nice bails and its impossible to recover well being on snow every day. By the end of the season my body is a mess every year. I’m really thinking of trying to get an off resort job next year so I can spend 4 or 5 days a week skiing how I want to ski and then work at night and have some time to rest as well or even maybe a job on park crew because when I ski on my day off I’m skiing with my friends on park crew who are getting paid and I’m always jealous. Although I will say if you’re about slidey rythymical robot turns instructing is the gig for you (spending time perfecting your “intermediate parallel”). Also I’ll add on all these people are saying they get 10 at a resort and 14 at fast food but if you’re a ski instructor with more than a level 1 you will not make 10, I’m closer to double that. Obviously depends where you go but I know Australia pays a lot more than where I work although it’s also harder to come by hours which may solve My issue with too much time working haha.

**This post was edited on Apr 19th 2018 at 11:15:12am

Does anyone know what the yearly salary is for like a resort manager?

SkiBum.In park city you can work at Burger King and make more money then half the resort jobs. That should say it all right there...

I can’t wait for resort walk outs and more unions over resort wages.

this, I am really fucking happy to be going back to school for the forseeable future and not have to deal with Alterra raping this town harder than Vai..

Nickc88Does anyone know what the yearly salary is for like a resort manager?

Would fully depend on the resort, but I could tell you that becoming a mountain manager or something for any resort will take years and years of working at lower levels first.

Also, shoot for night work or hotel work cuz some hotels can provide you with ski benefits, sometimes a better wage than what you'll get on the mountain and even tips if youre rocking front desk/bellman/shuttle driver positions, and night work allows you to get up in the morning and ski before work which is nice on top of the handful of days off you will have. Bartending and waiter jobs involve insane amounts of tips that will help you get by but still sometimes a pretty low wage, but still lets you ski before work almost everyday. I worked lodging for the past few years and made a decent wage, worked every night/skied every day, and had a decent time for the most part. Even bumped chairs for a season and that was a pretty good time, too. Try and work at lifts where the skiing is half-way decent. Dont listen to people who say it sucks because it honestly doesnt, its a fun job. Ive met some really good friends bumping Jupiter chair @ PC and that was probably the most fun job ive ever had.

At least in our area, we experienced issues with not enough staffing this season at a lot of the resorts and businesses in town. It was kinda shitty with it being a low-tide year. It seemed more apparent this year that local businesses and hotels/restaurants/resorts/etc, were struggling to fill positions, which in turn forced a lot of us to work 7 day weeks more than we'd like too. It was good money but damn, sorta takes a toll mentally-speaking when youre getting worked like a dog and cant get out to relieve some stress. Thats why I suggest night work if you can swing it.

Ive also found it to be super hard to have a healthy social life, though its doable. Not that you wont be meeting any people or anything. Youll meet people that are there for the same reasons but you dont get a whole lot of time off, you dont want to be hungover when you gotta get up at like 5-6am to work all day on the mountain, and hard to find people to go out with when your shift concludes at like 11pm or midnight if you work nights in town. Youll have days to go ski and go out which is fun but wouldnt expect it to be a routine "every day" thing, ya know?

It may seem like doom and gloom to some but if you want to work hard, its doable. It sounds crazy that its getting way more tough to do the season resort work life, but sadly it feels like it more and more each season.

Nickc88Does anyone know what the yearly salary is for like a resort manager?

When I left the industry, 2 almost 3 years now ago I left a management position, Vail Corp, salaried, $60k + bonus + 3% year raise. That was middle to lower end of management pay scale from what I could tell.

SkiBum.When I left the industry, 2 almost 3 years now ago I left a management position, Vail Corp, salaried, $60k + bonus + 3% year raise. That was middle to lower end of management pay scale from what I could tell.

That's actually not as bad as what I thought it would be. But I guess you have to deal with a lot of a shit?

I can’t say much on behalf on the mountain town thing(my local is a 15 minute walk), but with a 100m vertical hill unless I was working the lift next to the park, or really trying to have fun with the guests lifts or “outdoor operations” was horrid.

I've found instructing is good if you are working at a smaller, less busy resort, because it is easy to get time off and one can almost always get in some laps every day trade-off is less hours=less $. Park crew isn't bad for riding time and hours, but the wages usually are the lowest. As a lifty, depending on where you work you may be able to get in a few laps during work if there's a system where you are constantly bumping between the top and bottom every hour or so. You'll probably be really tight with the people you work with, and might meet others through them. Honestly I don't see how you'd meet fewer people if you work similar hours to an off-mountain job.

SkiBum.When I left the industry, 2 almost 3 years now ago I left a management position, Vail Corp, salaried, $60k + bonus + 3% year raise. That was middle to lower end of management pay scale from what I could tell.

Jeez I thought Vail would pay alot more

stormtrooperWork Park Crew, you get to ski all day, make more than minimum wage at most resorts, and you'll get to meet a load of skiers.

What hours do park crew usually work?

BmillerzWhat hours do park crew usually work?

Depends on the resort hours, Shifts can range from an hour before opening to and hour after closing. Also sometimes will have to work nights for park builds.