# working at resort



## bakesale (Nov 28, 2008)

Yep i've done it. After I graded from HS I moved out to Panorama in the BC kootneays. It was an experience of a lifetime and i'd recommend it to anyone. Living in Staff Accom is kind of like living in a college dorm. Chances are you'll be in a house or condo with 8-10 other people, privacy is rare and drinking is often. Snowboarders are the messiest people i know and most of the people there are used to having their mom clean their room, so don't expect much in terms of excellent living conditions unless you find a few people you trust to rent out a house with. Thats the best option but its hard to move straight into a house with others unless you know your way around the resort. Me I lived in Staff Accom for two months, it drove me insane because i'm used to a big quiet house thats always spotless. So i found a condo to rent. If you are into it there will always be a party every night and staff members frequently have casual sex (club bed). 

What will kill you though is if there is a pow day and you can't get off work. The snow will be within minutes of you but you still won't be able to ride it until you are off. That part drove me nuts.

I met my girlfriend at Pano and then we decided to move to Whistler, which is another crazy experience all together. But I was experienced enough to get hired on as a supervisor at one of the board shops so I could take off whenever I wanted because I kinda ran the place. Whistler is crazy expensive but its even more fun, the parties are bigger and there are even more girls to sleep with. 

Some tips:
Save up $2000 minimum to cover your expenses for the first two months (rent, damage deposit)
Move out in early to mid October, its easier to find a good place
Make sure you have a job before you move
If you aren't working for the company that runs the hill make sure a Pass is part of employment
Keep your nose clean and always wear a raincoat


----------



## Guest (Dec 15, 2008)

don't know about colorado...but I did this in Louise/Banff for two years.
by far the greatest exp of my life. and everything the post above me just said is 1000% accurate.


----------



## Guest (Dec 16, 2008)

cool thanks guys. yeah im planning on making sure i have a job there before i move. i got a lot of resorts to choose from and 4 years with my current job, so ill be able to get one


----------



## Guest (Dec 16, 2008)

i'm working at kelly canyon ski resort building and maintaining the board park. hells yes rails, rails, rails


----------



## Guest (Dec 16, 2008)

First things first. DO IT. I did the Colorado thing, it was easily the best decision I've made in my life.

Summit County in CO is an ideal place to live and board. Silverthorne, Frisco, Breckenridge, any of those towns are great. Any shop you work at will give you a season pass to all the mountains (Keystone, A-Basin, Breck with some days at Vail and the Beav). Copper however is separate but lots of shops have day passes you can snag if you want.

Few other suggestions to add on to Bakes which are all pretty solid.

From my experience, try and get a job at a shop rather than directly at the mountain for a few reasons. 1. Location - Getting in and out of jammed parking lots at the mountain every day suck. Live 10-15 minutes away then every time you leave your house you're not in a traffic jam. 2. Price - Living 15-20 mins away the price drops WAY down. 3. Other mountains - If you live and work right in Breck and can take the bus to the lifts you'll never go to Keystone or A-Basin and you'll miss out on other awesome mountains.

Like Bake said, bring some cash with you cus moving in and such gets pricey.

Jobs do fill up in Oct and such, but YOU WILL NOT FIND WORK UNTIL THE MOUNTAINS OPEN! If you move out there in Oct in hopes for getting a job, chances are that job doesn't start til early/mid Nov so you'll have zero income for a whole month. If you can save $1000 (spending and emergency is a good idea too) then you can hike and bike and do tons of cool stuff in Oct/Nov before you start working. Oh yeah, and if you can bring some cash with you when you start working you'll get sick deals on all types of equipment through pro-form.

I worked at a shop that was in the base of a hotel. Worked from 7am-11am, 11-3pm off to go boarding, errands, sleep, hot tub, whatever, then work 3-7/8 to close it down. Best schedule in the world.

Also, get ready for the best year of your life. I hit the mountain over 100 times and didn't pay a dime, that's somewhere between $7000 to $10,000 worth of free boarding.


----------



## Guest (Dec 17, 2008)

im going with the fam in the spring. so im going to check out some places. in the summer ill make a trip back and see if i can secure a job at some place. maybe set a date on when i can move up. im not planning on having a car, thats why i wanna live on the mountain or as close as i can. traffic wont be a problem. id like to work at a shop, but i dont know jack about snowboarding. ive been once, i know im going to love it though, i love all board sports. ill catch on quick. moving away to a mountain just sounds sick to me


----------



## Guest (Dec 17, 2008)

Honestly, you don't need to know squat about anything to get a job out there haha. If you work at a rental shop, which is what I meant by shop sorry for the confusion, they teach you how to size people up, tune skis and boards, etc. There's usually 2 or 3 people at any given shop that are long time locals or natives and if you have a customer that REALLY wants to talk "shop" then they can step in, but besides that it's not a big deal. You pick it all up as you go and the really serious skiers/boarders usually bring their own gear so you're usually renting to a family on vacation that could care less as to what's strapped to their feet as long as it doesn't hurt.

Summit County is great because there is a really good bus system. If you're not going to have a car then I suggest Frisco or Breck, if you're still thinking Colorado. Frisco is about a 10-15 min bus ride to Breck and a little longer to Keystone. Living in Breck may be ideal for you without a car, but it's a little pricier. 

Going out before to check out the area is a good idea. As for looking for a job early, contact Vail Resorts (they own Breck, Keystone, Abasin, Vail, Beav) and they can place you with a job and even the staff accomodations/housing a lot earlier than your typical job can. SkiJob1 Check that out. Send an email in the spring, tell em your situation, they'll hook you up.

Good luck with getting out there. Everyone I know who has done it has said it's the best thing they've ever done in their lives, myself included.


----------



## Guest (Dec 17, 2008)

i live in colorado i applied for these jobs in the off season to 

no luck.

does anyone have any advice on how to get hired??

i filled out applications in masses online but never heard back from anyone.


----------



## mal67 (Sep 1, 2008)

Sick-Gnar said:


> i live in colorado i applied for these jobs in the off season to
> 
> no luck.
> 
> ...


I'd give them a week after filling it out and then I'd call them.


----------



## Guest (Dec 17, 2008)

I was persistent with everyone. I brought a resume in around mid Oct. Most of them said they weren't finalizing the hiring til early to mid Nov but I just kept hounding them. I might have lied and told one place that someone else made me an offer already so it would be nice to know if they wanted me or not. Turned out a lot of the people I interviewed with were originally from Boston so once they heard my accent I was hired.

Besides that, check the Summit Daily. There's always some sort of jobs out there and almost everywhere gives you free passes. A few jobs usually pop up around xmas too because a lot of people leave for different reasons. Hmmm. Don't know what else. I think the resort jobs fill up a lot faster than private companies.


----------



## Guest (Dec 17, 2008)

nice!!!!! ill be checking right after christmas then. id love to work up there. maybe at eldora so i could stay in boulder. woot woot!!


----------

