# Working at a snow resort in the US :)



## chupacabraman (Jul 30, 2009)

I'm guessing you're coming from Australia? (mate) 
Just because I'm from Canada and have been looking into working at a US ski resort for a season. I'm just wondering how you went about it, and what program you are talking about.
From the contact I've had with a few resorts, it seems like my chances are slim-to-none. I've been told that "because of the recession there is no demand for foreign workers so we can't hire you"

How come it's so damn easy for people from outside North America to come work in Canada/US but Canadians/Americans have so much difficulty working in each others country?


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## Guest (Aug 18, 2009)

I'm going through CCUSA (Summer Camp Jobs & Work and Travel Abroad with CCUSA), who are organising my VISA and kind of guiding me through the process... But I was told we'd have to definitely start looking for jobs ASAP to make sure we could be employed.

Not sure about the effects of recession making jobs unavailable though, I was only told it would be more difficult than previous years but still achievable...

...Maybe it's because we're all such strapping aussie blokes haha 


Anyway still looking for snow resort suggestions, especially since it'd be for 3 months


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## Milo303 (Apr 6, 2009)

Curious what would make you think Vail isn't boarder friendly? TONS of people ride Vail ( =

I would personally recommend working either Vail or Breck... Both have the hottest "cities" in Summit County if you ask me. So when you're not working, or riding, you can easily go out and live a little.

Another good thing about Summit County in Colorado is that theres a free shuttle bus that runs allllll the time from city to city. So if you can't drive, which I'm assuming you can't, you may want to take that into consideration.

Also, keep me informed if you do come up, I would love to show ya around our beautiful state.


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## DiscoStu (Jul 2, 2009)

chupacabraman said:


> How come it's so damn easy for people from outside North America to come work in Canada/US but Canadians/Americans have so much difficulty working in each others country?


It's not that simple (I'm Australian) - unless you're a student or less than 12 months out of uni, its hard as f*** to get a job in the U.S without being sponsored. Canada is a diff story. Canada/Aus changed their visa agreement a couple of years ago so you can get a two-year working visa, as many times as you like, until you're 30, so it's easy as piss to get a gig there. Think it's the same for NZers (could be wrong?)

On the plus side for Canadians, they can come to Aus on the same agreement. Cept, of course, our snowfields suck. Not so much of a win for you guys :laugh:


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## Guest (Aug 18, 2009)

Yip same for NZ... was easy to get a visa for canada and a job though a holiday program. US of A looked alot harder though


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## Guest (Aug 18, 2009)

Yeah I'm a University student, which is why i'm able to go through the program at the moment.. hooray! 

Haha, but to address the Vail question (why I think it's not snowboarder friendly) I was browsing through these threads on this forum and there was a story about how Vail was really coming down hard on snowboarders? 

Although that said, if Vail is one of the best places to ride I'll definitely apply and try to get a spot up there?

So it's Vail and Breck which I should be aiming for then I guess? Telluride not really as good in comparison?


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## Milo303 (Apr 6, 2009)

Well, I can say that if your doing something you shouldn't be at any resort in CO you risk the chance of getting in trouble.

Everytime I ride at Vail I'm always out of bounds and such. I suppose someday I will get in trouble for it.... The only other thing I can think of is getting busted for going to fast in a slow zone, in really when your around a tight area with a bunch of little kids, I suppose you should slow down ( =


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## Guest (Aug 18, 2009)

Yeah i've applied for Vail and Breck, sent an email to Telluride? 

Not sure about any other places? Was thinking of applying to Aspen but I'm not too sure...

Also does anyone know if its okay to have mates sleep in the employee housing accommodation (given that you have your own unit/apartment) or even rented accommodation?


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Terrain wise I think Telluride is going to be better. They have actual challenging steeps. A remote location, and less crowds. Plus it's a real ski town. 

Vail inbounds doesn't really have that. Fantastic tree runs, big wide open bowls, fun cruisers yes, but Vail is not steep. You can get steeps there but that's out of bounds using the East Vail Gate. Which means you need to know how to travel safely in avalanche terrain, have the gear, and a partner in case it goes south and you need to do a rescue. Two years ago two people died back there in avalanches and both were dug up quickly. So it's serious biz. Not very many safe ways out of there if the conditions are dangerous. 

Beaver Creek is just down the road and Summit county resorts are 15-30 minutes away depending on which resort you want to hit. At Telluride, that ski area is really all you get. Silverton is probably close enough for a day trip, but it's a couple of hour drive at least.

Aspen is the party town and with great mountains. Ajax, Snowmass, and Highlands are all great hills. Best scene this side of Whistler. The problem is that it's mega expensive to live there. I know people who rented a one room apartment and one of the beds was in a closet.


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## DiscoStu (Jul 2, 2009)

pulse said:


> Also does anyone know if its okay to have mates sleep in the employee housing accommodation (given that you have your own unit/apartment) or even rented accommodation?


Haven't done it in the U.S but where we were in Canananada you could generally get away with it unless it's a staff housing complex on hill where they do regular inspections. If you've got your own rental place you'd be sweet


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## Guest (Aug 26, 2009)

So the only resort I've gotten a positive response from so far (most haven't replied and the ones that have replied have been generic "we're not hiring international this year due to economical conditions")is Winter Park, just wondering if anyone had an opinion or experienced the resort?

What kind of terrain/nightlife is it? And if you happen to know, what kind of pricing (food etc) would it be around?

The last question should really be for USA in general as this'll be the first time I've ever gone to the states


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## DiscoStu (Jul 2, 2009)

food's about the same as Aus, except fast food. It's wickedly cheap and and significantly larger servings.
Awesome.
Oh, and the doughnuts... man, the doughnuts are a thing of beauty
Most stuff is priced similarly, once you factor in the exchange rate etc


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## Guest (Aug 26, 2009)

Sounds bloody awesome, really hoping I get a spot now at one of the 'better' snow resorts that I applied for. 
Definitely picking up another board when I get there, you guys have snow gear so much cheaper than what we have it here 

I'll keep my experiences updated here in regards to finding work at a snow resort so that others can hopefully find answers if they want.


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## Guest (Sep 5, 2009)

So thought I'd just chuck in an update for anyone else who needed information on working in a snow resort in the US.

I applied for about a dozen places, with most places not hiring international applicants unless they can work the whole season (fair enough though I'm a Uni student so sucks for me). 

Ended up getting a job at Sun Valley (friends with ohnavi who made a thread here as well) and hopefully barring complications will be up at Ketchum by early December. 

We'll both be working as Lift Operators, so give us a shout out if you're up there (my names Alan, his is Ivan) I assume we'll be wearing name tags of some sort.

Oh and does anyone know if employees can buy cheap passes/get discounts for friends?


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## legallyillegal (Oct 6, 2008)

I hope you're looking forward to standing at the bottom of a chair all day on every powder day.


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## Guest (Sep 5, 2009)

Ahahaha keeping it positive and looking forward to the days that I can ride, hanging with friends overseas (once again anyone know if I can buy cheap passes for mates?) and some new gear


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