westoftheriverHello, I got offered a job as a liftie at Alta (alongside employee housing at the Buckhorn), and I accepted it and the employee housing. I am looking forward to being there and have heard really good things about Alta and the people there -- but I am aware that every single living situation has both its upsides and downsides. If by chance someone knows something about the living experience/job there -- I would appreciate knowing the downsides of being there so that I can prepare for them in advance. Is there anything/anyone I should be careful in regards to?
Thank you in advance!
**This thread was edited on Sep 29th 2024 at 3:03:13am
I haven't worked at Alta but I have experience with the Whistler housing which I assume will be similar. There are lots of good aspects about it, especially if you are a social butterfly. But here are the bad:
1. Usually it is 4 people to a room with only a few, coveted private rooms. If you have tidy people, it is a breeze but, in my experience, this is more the exception to norm. I had one bunkmate who literally left all his clothes on the floor, used condoms etc.
2. Because you are sharing, prepare for nights where you are going to get zero sleep. Some people are not as considerate as you might be. Be willing to stand up for yourself.
3. Be prepared for a lot of alcohol and drug use and all that comes with it. Depending on shift patterns, some people might be off when you are working, so for sanities sake don't go too hard if you know you must get up for work the next day.
4. Keep your pecker wrapped and keep an eye out for 'that girl'. During my tenure at Whistler, one of the lodges had a rampant STD problem which we managed to track down to a patient zero. If you have the urge to splurge, just rub one out.
5. This depends on if you have cooking facilities in your room. Be prepared for all the useful shit to have gone missing. A lot of workers are transients and can easily kit out their sleeper van by pilfering lodge kitchens at the end of the season. Alta isn't going to fork out for forks so having your own set can be ideal but I'm sure you can find cheap ones that you don't care about getting jacked.
6. Be careful about leaving valuables about. This goes without saying. One of your roomies might be the toast of the town and you'll have a lot of people you might not know coming in and out. Once something is gone it can be very hard to track down who took something. Call the cops if needs be but this can have its own consequences, especially socially.
7. Be prepared to be shuffled around rooms. Having efficient packing is key.
The rest of my advice is room specific so let me know if you want me to add to the list.
