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Best jobs that are skiing related/allow you to live in the mountains?
there lots of options. a lot of people work restaurant gigs. just be ready to develop a coke habit and herpes. id say also becoming an alcoholic but thats a given in any role in a mountain town
being a lift operator is hit or miss depending on location. some place do not offer ride breaks so then you are only skiing on your days off and you pay hella in rent.
swing shift jobs are dope. i used to work at the resort warehouse delivering food orders from 4p to midnight and it was sick as fuck. we would shred everyday, work, get off in time to close the bars, sleep 8 hours and be on the hill by noon when the upper mountain was opening up on pow days. pay was slightly above what lift operator entry level pay was but got to drive a snowcat. if i got paid what i do now, id do that job forever lol.
people absolutely love being a ski instructor. theres certs you can get that get you better clients and more pay. you’ll have to mention that you’re a ski instructor in the first 2 sentences otherwise they pull your certs or something (jk but the joke is how do you know someone’s a ski instructor? theyll tell ya)
if you’re trying to grow a career, corporate ski resorts are among the best. due to the transient work force, there is a fuck ton of mobility across the resorts to step into leadership roles. people are often chasing dream roles at dream locations and it opens things up a lot especially if you are willing to relocate. start at a big resort in a small department and be a standout starting day 1. your interview for your next role or maybe even beyond starts the day you arrive. nothing pisses me off more than people changing their work ethic when a job becomes available. we all saw how you were on self motivation before lol.
Honestly do something trades related, i/e. electrical, vehicle maintenance, ect. You'll be able to get a job anywhere, and actually make enough money to afford life in a ski town. Resort jobs are fun for a few season, but living on the edge of homelessness gets old quickly, especially when you realize that all your homies that seem to be "making it" just have regular donations of cash from their parents.
there lots of options. a lot of people work restaurant gigs. just be ready to develop a coke habit and herpes. id say also becoming an alcoholic but thats a given in any role in a mountain town
being a lift operator is hit or miss depending on location. some place do not offer ride breaks so then you are only skiing on your days off and you pay hella in rent.
swing shift jobs are dope. i used to work at the resort warehouse delivering food orders from 4p to midnight and it was sick as fuck. we would shred everyday, work, get off in time to close the bars, sleep 8 hours and be on the hill by noon when the upper mountain was opening up on pow days. pay was slightly above what lift operator entry level pay was but got to drive a snowcat. if i got paid what i do now, id do that job forever lol.
people absolutely love being a ski instructor. theres certs you can get that get you better clients and more pay. you’ll have to mention that you’re a ski instructor in the first 2 sentences otherwise they pull your certs or something (jk but the joke is how do you know someone’s a ski instructor? theyll tell ya)
if you’re trying to grow a career, corporate ski resorts are among the best. due to the transient work force, there is a fuck ton of mobility across the resorts to step into leadership roles. people are often chasing dream roles at dream locations and it opens things up a lot especially if you are willing to relocate. start at a big resort in a small department and be a standout starting day 1. your interview for your next role or maybe even beyond starts the day you arrive. nothing pisses me off more than people changing their work ethic when a job becomes available. we all saw how you were on self motivation before lol.
Be a ski instructor, talk about it, make friends. You don’t make much money till you get your certs and some veteran status but that just means you get to ski a lot more. Spent my first two years instructing eating ramen and frozen pizza and skiing every single day, best two years ever.
Tree planting, wild fire fighting, construction, arborist, offshore fishing all keep you fit in the summer and slack off in the winter. I've worked most jobs at ski resorts, worked at restaurants and it's way better to have free time in the winter to just focus on skiing.
There aren't a ton of jobs at the resort that actually allow you to ski that much. I'd recommend getting a job working in the evenings in a restaurant as a server or bartender. You'll have more time off during the day to ride and the amount of money you make compared to the length of your shift is generally better.
Alternatively, get a job with flexible hours that isn't at all involved in the resort or hospitality in general. That way you can focus on being a guest at the mountain rather than being an employee there. I worked for 4 years coaching in my early 20s and it was awesome but i have even more fun skiing now that i'm not associated with the resort and just get to be there when i want, doing what i want.
the good news is that you've got loads of time to figure it out, so just have fun and see if anything piques your interest career-wise in the meantime
If you want a couple fun years work for the resort and be a liftie or something.
if you want to build roots in a ski town and be sustainable it can be hard. Working for the resort or anywhere else in the ski industry long term has diminishing returns, but once you don’t work in the ski industry skiing naturally becomes a lot more expensive (no discounts + skiing benefit)
I’d become a skilled tradesperson or if you got smart brain a medical professional (even a nurse optometrist something like that). something halfway to being niche, enough so that a small town will need it, but there aren’t a lot of people doing it.
Check if the resort you are interested in has an activities center - Ice skating rink, those little roller coasters, afternoon snowmobile tours, etc. These activities generally start after the mountain closes for skiing so the resort can keep digging into the tourist's pockets.
When I moved to CO I worked on the tubing hill. Started every shift at 2:30. Free pass, employee housing, excellent insurance and was able to ski every day of the week. If you are just ski bumming it and not looking for career opportunities this is a great way to live in a mountain town and ski a lot.
I'll throw out wildland fire fighting in your younger years. you get to travel around the mountain west and get your winters free. Once you start looking to settle down you can then transition into a different forest service job because you have your time in with the government. Plus, many forest service offices are in/near ski towns
skiermanBuy drugs in large quantities, sell drugs in lower quantities for a higher price.
you can wholesale and redistribute more than just drugs lol. it could be anything. maybe anal beads, or butt plugs, or strap ons. literally anything works with this model
If you're smart and have the means go to college in a ski town, get a degree in business, engineering, or any similar field that a degree will help you in. Get internships in that area and plan to move there full time after college.
You could easily get a 9-5 in a ski town with a degree and might be able to get a hybrid/night time salary paid job making good money so that you can ski 2-5 days a week. And once you can't ski hard anymore you'll have a good career built around you.
There is merit in bumming around and getting a liftie or restaurant job if you just want to party and get laid. But you can get a lot of skiing in and build an actual career and feel healthier and more fulfilled longer into life.
(This plan is also a pain in the ass and you gotta be determined FYI)
ParkingLotPisstree planting all summer then EI in the winter.
I agree with treeplanting, been at it for 8 yeas, but I hate that people do EI, pretty lame in my mind. It is made for people who need it for not being able to work, not being too lazy to work. It honestly gets me so riled up. I know it is a vastly upopular opinion, but pull your ass together and work.
Treeplanting from what I understand is less of an option stateside. I vote treeplanting and grooming, I work as a groomer and skied 125 days last year, it is fun. It may not be viewed as a lifetime job, but it can be.
Bring on the shredding for hating on EI, I just hate how much I pay into it for so many lazy (typically 18-30̷ year old) people who think it is fun to not work.
**This post was edited on Nov 6th 2024 at 6:28:20pm
-skian-I agree with treeplanting, been at it for 8 yeas, but I hate that people do EI, pretty lame in my mind. It is made for people who need it for not being able to work, not being too lazy to work. It honestly gets me so riled up. I know it is a vastly upopular opinion, but pull your ass together and work.
Treeplanting from what I understand is less of an option stateside. I vote treeplanting and grooming, I work as a groomer and skied 125 days last year, it is fun. It may not be viewed as a lifetime job, but it can be.
Bring on the shredding for hating on EI, I just hate how much I pay into it for so many lazy (typically 18-30̷ year old) people who think it is fun to not work.
**This post was edited on Nov 6th 2024 at 6:28:20pm
I was just making a joke and totally agree. Both the tree planting and skiing counites are full of people who claim EI every winter / summer but make no effort to fins a job during these times. Its like going to a food bank when you can afford to feed yourself. pretty low.
Also I'm sure its pretty easy to get a visa to plant.
ParkingLotPissI was just making a joke and totally agree. Both the tree planting and skiing counites are full of people who claim EI every winter / summer but make no effort to fins a job during these times. Its like going to a food bank when you can afford to feed yourself. pretty low.
Also I'm sure its pretty easy to get a visa to plant.
Totally agree, it really gets my goat that people take it just for fun. Of course we all want a paid vacation, but what if we all took it? I think it is horrid that people take it for fun when people genuinely need it. We used to year after year have people apply to work, get a job offer, and then never hear from them again. We learned later that if you show that you are trying to get work you can extend your EI. Brutal, and screws over the people actually working.
You definitely can get a visa to plant, you are right. I just meant if you live in the states and do not want to take a big journey and work in a different country it would be tough. Not saying impossible. That said it is a journey to go planting no matter where you live it seems... haha. Where did/do you plant?
It's tough on pay, the body, and brain sometimes but it's pretty tight. Most people I work with/have worked with in the past on shift usually are FT Firefighters and patrol on the side, but not a bad way to be a single dude and ski bum it up for a while.
Medical certs also allow for maybe an EMS or firefighting career in/around mountains to combine with patrolling. Kinda what I'm trying to do atm
Real estate agent. Get out and ski in the a.m. do your showings in the afternoon/evenings. If you are in a wealthy area which some major mountains/resorts it could be a good opportunity to live in a great ski town and earn a living.
skiP.E.I.Tree planting, wild fire fighting, construction, arborist, offshore fishing all keep you fit in the summer and slack off in the winter. I've worked most jobs at ski resorts, worked at restaurants and it's way better to have free time in the winter to just focus on skiing.
Where could I find tree planting jobs? I wanted to be a wildland fire fighter but it seems like all the sign-ups have closed.
its not for everyone. Low pay. High hazard … should be looked at more as a stepping stone to guiding than a career imo. Some of the most fun years of my life to be fair but even if you want to work for the resort and ski every day there are better options out there
