# Moving to Whistler



## Ears

Hey all;
Next year I'm planning on spending the winter in Whistler. Right now I'm in the midst of a work contract, so it's a no-go currently. I was wondering about people who've done this in Whistler, or similar towns.

How much money should I take? I'll be working while I'm there, but I'd like to have enough of a back-up in case things go sour, plus I'll be paying down student debt while living there.

What's the best way to find a place to live?
I'm down for living a crappy place, as long as it's central. Stuffing 10 people in a 4 bedroom to save rent? I'm cool with that, but how do you find the people/house willing to do that?


When to go? Combined with the previous 2 questions. I'll be done work in June. Should I move there well before the snow? The way I see it, I'll be able to avoid the rush for housing, get more opportunities for work/housing, and just get settled. 


Anyways, cheers, and thanks for any advice!


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## ThaDoctor

Moving to Whistler to pay off your student debt? haha thats a good joke.Id say go out with 3-4 grand minimium it adds up fast there and groceries are more expensive than most places in Canada. Best time to look for housing is spring/early summer. Whistlerproperty.com has a bunch of rentals during that time or look up pique newspaper.


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## SAddiction

Definiteyl have at least 2-3 grand to live on. Rent can be anywhere from $500-1500/month and yes, groceries are super expensive here.

Also check out craigslist for places to stay. If you move here during the summer, you'll find work easier and a place to live for cheaper. There's still tons to do here in the summer: downhill mtn bike, climb, hike, fish, lounge at the lakes, skate, etc.

The Pique also has an online version which has more places listed for housing.


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## Ears

Thanks for the advice guys.
I'll be making minimum payments on my loans whilst living there (300 a month roughly).

My current plan is to finish this contract, and get to whistler in August or so. I'll have around 4k to work with. Do most people find rooms after arriving there, or online before moving? I figure August is early enough to get a choice at some of the better places to live, even if they are expensive. I'd like to live as close to "downtown" as I can, but keep it under 1k per month if possible. I'll be working 30 or so hours a week as well.

Anything else I should think of or consider? 

Cheers!


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## Shocktroop531

save up as much money between now and then as you possibly can. then work as little as possible. you don't want to have to be stuck in the office on a pow day. if you're just doing one season, work as little as you possibly can to get by, and snowboard as much as you can.


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## Dano

If you are planning on working anyway, try to get something at the hill. Washing dishes, cleaning the lodges after close, anything (easier said than done I know). You'll get paid shit but they'll cover your season pass, it'll make your 4K go a lot further


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## ThaDoctor

Dano said:


> If you are planning on working anyway, try to get something at the hill. Washing dishes, cleaning the lodges after close, anything (easier said than done I know). You'll get paid shit but they'll cover your season pass, it'll make your 4K go a lot further


If you volunteer i think 40 hours your pass is free at whister search for it. NEVER work for the resort that means you'll be working all day when you could be riding leaving you two days a week to ride. Afternoon/Evening/Night jobs are the best. My buddy that lives in Whistler bartends from 3 PM till the evening during peek apres. Then comes back to work security some nights as the bar/restaurant doubles as a club after 9 PM. The owner of that place also owns 3-4 other bars/pubs/nightclubs in Whistler so never waits in line when he goes out. Mind you it took him 2 seasons of living out there to finally catch that gig.


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## Steery

Moving to Whistler is not as easy as it seems. A huge amount of people go home a month or so into the season because it is so hard to find work and a place to live. I would recommend getting here in late October or early November.

I am currently in Whistler and came over with 2 other mates from Australia. We thought it would be easy... it isn't. We have been here for a month, are living in a 5 bedroom house with 13 other people and 2 of us just got jobs.

You will want a lot more than 2 - 3 thousand when you come over here. Groceries are expensive, rent is expensive, there are very few jobs and a HUGE number of people looking for them (it's after christmas now and the vast majority of places refuse to take resumes as they have literally hundreds stacked up under the desks). I was lucky enough to score a job as a dishy at one of the big resturants (stable hours and good tips)

Basically... Get your season pass before you come. If you end up finding a job that does spirit passes you will get some money refunded on your initial pass purchase. You won't have a job for a while (unless you get one before you come which is extremely unlikely). Bring a lot more than 3 thousand because you will probably need it. Make a long booking at the hi-hostel in the Athletes Village to give you time to find a place to live. Be prepared to pay up to $1500/month in rent for a single bedroom in a house. 

Not trying to dissuade you, but I know a lot of people that have had to fly home because they have not been able to find a place to live or a job.

If you end up coming, you will love it. The mountains, powder and lifestyle are amazing.


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## Ears

Wow, that tough eh? 

I had been told that jobs were plentiful, it was just rent which was hard to come by. I'll have to save more than previously reckoned I guess.


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## Steery

I'm not gonna sugar coat it, its tough initially. Jobs are farr from plentiful, if you know a lot of people who like you enough to try and get you a job at their work, you probably won't have to much trouble. Without that, you are one among hundreds and you certainly won't stand out more than anyone else. 

I got my job because I walked in 5 minutes after the kitchen manager fired someone and he was the first person I talked to when I walked in. I can almost guarantee that someone else would have been in there within a couple of hours.


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## legallyillegal

moving to whistler to pay off debt haha why dont you sack up and get a job like the rest of the kids with $30k in student loan debt


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## DrnknZag

Whistler is not cheap, any way you look at it. I'm gonna say it's probably not the best idea. If you want to move to a resort/mountain on a budget and paying off student loans, pick a smaller, less popular place.

Are you from Canada? Of not, you'll probably gonna have to look into a work visa.


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## Ears

legallyillegal said:


> moving to whistler to pay off debt haha why dont you sack up and get a job like the rest of the kids with $30k in student loan debt


 I'm not sure where you're getting this "moving to whistler to pay off debt". Rather, I'll be paying off debt while living there. Making minimum payments. I just mentioned that as it's an added expense that most who are there don't have to deal with.


And yes, I'm from Canada


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## Tarzanman

Damn. Your story is so horrible that I don't even want to visit Whistler now!



Steery said:


> I'm not gonna sugar coat it, its tough initially. Jobs are farr from plentiful, if you know a lot of people who like you enough to try and get you a job at their work, you probably won't have to much trouble. Without that, you are one among hundreds and you certainly won't stand out more than anyone else.
> 
> I got my job because I walked in 5 minutes after the kitchen manager fired someone and he was the first person I talked to when I walked in. I can almost guarantee that someone else would have been in there within a couple of hours.


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## legallyillegal

if you want to make tons of money, move to fort mcmurray and work the oil sands

the only thing to spend money on there is meth and booze


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## quadcrazy

When you guys say that he should prepare about 1500/month for rent, is that including water and electricity?

Not tryin to budge in on your post, just curious.


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## Tarzanman

quadcrazy said:


> When you guys say that he should prepare about 1500/month for rent, is that including water and electricity?
> 
> Not tryin to budge in on your post, just curious.


That would depend on whether utilities are included. Most rental places do not include all utilities...

...but in response to your inquiry...another $100-$150 per month for utilities isn't going to matter much if you're dropping $1.5K a month in just rent. That is CRAZY if you're trying to be a snowboard bum.

$1.5K would pay for a 1 week snowboard outing (plane ticket included) to many very nice resorts. It would make more sense to work 2 weeks out of the month in a cheaper town and spend one week a month at Jackson, Denver, Salt Lake, etc...


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## roremc

legallyillegal said:


> moving to whistler to pay off debt haha why dont you sack up and get a job like the rest of the kids with $30k in student loan debt


Jealous much? 

Have you considered another town? Riding aside I hated the first 6 months I had in Banff. So friggin poor! I was a little older when than most when I got here so it was hard to go from a well paying job with a car to a job where I used similar skills and got $10 an hour. 

I have heard that life is tougher in Whistler than Banff so I don't think what has been said before has been exagertated.


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## Steery

You will pay on average around $1500 per month for a studio, around that for a 1 bedroom apartment and way more for anything with 2 bedrooms. You could possibly pay less for a room in a share house. I am sharing a single bedroom (which is pitifully small) with 2 other buddies from Adelaide, we are paying $475/month each and sleep on mattresses on the floor. Utilities are generally included in Whistler. However, if you have a place with included utilities and decide to over-crowd, your landlord will jump onto it very quickly.

Think of it this way, you will want enough money to maintain your lifestyle for at least 2 months as it could potentially be that long until you find both a place to live and a job. I recommend the HI-Hostel Whistler as temporary accommodation as it is very clean for a hostel and not overly expensive. Approximately $1000/month for a bed there. There is another hostel in Nesters or Alpine Meadows or something (one of the villages around Whistler) which is probably cheaper but is filthy.

I've done the hard work of finding a job and getting a place to stay, now thats over and done with I'm living the dream (working nights, riding every day) and not having to many issues sustaining my lifestyle.


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## Ears

Nice, glad some people can make it!

Any word on working/living in Squamish or Pemberton? I'd much rather live in whistler, but if it's as bad as everyone says it is....


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## PowderR

I've heard a lot of stories like Steery's. We are based in North Vancouver and I run my own ski tour op biz so we've been going up to Whistler a lot for the past few years. Staying in a hostel or other cheap digs while you look for somewhere longer term is good advice. There are some agencies that offer shared accommodation for seasonaires signing up before arrival in resort, but they charge a lot for what you get. I stumbled across this place that might do as a stop gap Cabin. No idea what it's like though and we're not linked to these guys in any way.

For a different experience, you could also consider living and working in Vancouver and enjoying Whistler on your days off. It's within 2 hours drive away. There's not much happening in Squamish and Pemberton work-wise.


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## Ears

I may have to do that. I'm sure something will come up work related.


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