# What Are the Best Mountains in America to Spend a Winter At?



## Guest (May 27, 2008)

I would have to agree with Snow on Colorado the place is riders mecca specially if you go towards Breck, Loveland, A-basin or Keystone. The social life there is great and I am sure if you look early enough you could get a good job to sustain yourself through the winter. 

Utah is a bit sketchy with the damn liquor laws that the Mormon church has in the state the social life if not the best over there. At night you have to be a member to a bar in order to get in and restaurants are only allowed to serve beer and wine. On the other hand you have what is supposed to be the best snow in the planet with some sick terrain to go with it. Snowbird looks like a good choice to work and ride at, with over 400" of snow a season you could probably find pow stashes everwhere in that mountain.

Tahoe is nice but I should be skeptical of going there for a full season, the reason is because I am not sure that I would like to risk my time there with the snow conditions. They get weeks of sun and conditions can get a on the hard packed side until they get another mega storm to better out the conditions. But they do have some amazing terrain to explore.

There are other choices, in the ice coast you could consider Jay Peak they get more than 300" of snow a season and the terrain is sick. The only issue is that the resort is isolated so this might affect your long term stay. 

If you want places a bit more isolated try doing some research about Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, those states have some insane terrain to explore, good snow and of what I hear a good vibe to go with it.

Hope this helps


----------



## donm3ga (Apr 5, 2008)

I love Mammoth.


----------



## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Salt Lake City area is the best Metro close area to resorts. Snowbird actually gets over 500" annually. 600" is not unheard of. So yeah, it snows a lot in the Cottonwoods. Liquor laws really do suck there, though the Mormon girls going through their "dirty" phase could make up for that for you.

Aspen is a fantastic ski town. Probably the best in the US, it's also very, very expensive. Still lot's of people make it work.

Summit County Colorado is decent enough with plenty of resorts.

Tahoe rocks, but unfortunately the last few years have had too many rocks. When that place is on though, watch out.

You might also look at the Bozeman Montana area. Big Sky, Bridger Bowl, Moonlight. Great stuff there.

Jackson Hole. Really just one resort, but then again, it's Jackson Freakin' Hole, that's all you need.


----------



## nzboardlife (Mar 25, 2008)

I am also looking into this, i plan on taking my third year of civil at UCLA, probably look for a job at the mountains for the following year


----------



## KIKNIT (May 19, 2008)

nzboardlife said:


> I am also looking into this, i plan on taking my third year of civil at UCLA, probably look for a job at the mountains for the following year


Im also from New Zealand, so any extra advice would be doubly appreciated as we may possibly end up going through the same avenues.

Also thanks to everyone that has replied so far, its a great help.


----------



## Guest (Jun 2, 2008)

as far as having a lot of resorts to pick from I would agree but until you go to alaska you wont be fully satisfied imho.


----------



## daysailer1 (Nov 9, 2007)

Many things to think about.

First off - the resorts are putting up their hiring notices right now. If you are wanting H2B or J1 visa, you need to apply *<NOW>*. USA residents have a little more slack.

What kind of job do you want? on-mountain, off-mountain? 

If you want ski school you are probably going to have to have a credential to be sponsored.

What kind of perks are you looking for? free pass? free pass + free passes to other resorts, discounted employee housing?, free lessons?, 

What size resort do you want to work for? There's Mom & Pop and then there's the mega-resort where you actually can get a job that pays the bills. 

All types have been mentioned so far.


I can only speak for Colorado places.

The territory at A-Basin and Loveland is great but expect the pay to be at the extreme low end of the pay scale on-mountain. No housing, They are day ski areas only, at A-Basin there is a free shuttle to the rest of Summit County. Loveland does have an employee shuttle that runs once in the AM and once in the PM. People who come to these areas don't tend to tip well or at all.

Copper Mtn has employee housing, employee cafe, night-life but is away from the other Summit County ski areas. The pay is a little lower than Winter Park. People tip here.

Winter Park is similar to Copper except the nightlife is minimal. Some employee housing but is only available to full-timers and goes quick. People tip here. 

Not sure about all the bene's for Breck and Keystone but they are Vail Resorts areas. There is definitely lots of nightlife in Breck and there is the free shuttle system. People tip here.

Vail Resorts/Beaver Creek is one of the top spots. Some employee housing, and the nightlife. Very expensive place. Pay is probably one of the top in the state for ski school if you have high level of credentials. Lots of jobs but not sure about visa sponsorships for off-mountain jobs. People who vacation here tend to tip very well and you will find you need that income.

Aspen - depends again. some employee housing-it goes quick. Very expensive. You will probably need two jobs. Ski school requires a minimum of Cert 2, they prefer Cert 3. Nightlife is abundant. People tip very well here and you'll need that income.

Not sure about Telluride. Again expensive place. Check their website.

Hope this gave useful information or focus.


----------



## daysailer1 (Nov 9, 2007)

*Some more info*

Check these sites out and you can see what looks good for you. skijob1 is Vail Resorts website -Breckenridge, Keystone, Vail, Beaver Creek.

https://www.snowbird.com/employment/international.html
SkiJob1
Copper Mountain - International
Winter Park - International Info
Steamboat Employment - Official Steamboat Ski & Resort Website
Aspensnowmass.com / Company Information / Employment Opportunities / Visa Information


----------



## KIKNIT (May 19, 2008)

Cheers Daysailer, this type of info is exactly what I'm looking for and is very helpful.

I'll probably put together a post featuring information, companies to use etc once I finalise my itenary.


----------



## daysailer1 (Nov 9, 2007)

There are companines in NZ and AUS who do recruit for J1 positions. Some I've heard are not so reputable.


H2B visas are a tricky thing these days and are a big concern for ski resorts. Used to the skiing area visas were separate than other visas due to a special five year legislation. It expired last year and now they are all thrown together. Many pro's in NZ and AUS didn't get their visas and thus their jobs last season. Many areas were short-handed for instructors - this included big name mega-resorts. My area wasn't affected as some others as they had already gotten their applications in on-time. This year the full effect of the visa situation is going to come about. Everyone's sort of curious as to what's going to happen. There won't be enough visas for all the imported labor they've been using.


----------



## daysailer1 (Nov 9, 2007)

Just thought of this one too. It should give you an idea of what to expect at the top resorts.
Vail & Beaver Creek Ski & Ride Schools


----------



## Guest (Jun 15, 2008)

mammoth has a lot of kiwi's just go there. I am going to in two years. or maybe Tahoe I don't know yet. Mammoth is super chill though, just don't feed their bears.


----------



## Guest (Jun 18, 2008)

Mammoth Mountain in California has the best snow and a cute little community around it that would be a great place for anyone to spend a summer at!


----------



## nzboardlife (Mar 25, 2008)

yeah my mates sister is at mammoth, anyone got any info on its surrondings? employee housing? nightlife? free pass if ya work there?


----------

