Seasonal work vs weekend warrior?

[Belgiangirl]

Since we had such a blast last winter, my boyfriend and I are seriously considering doing seasonal work in a resort next winter to really get a feel for the mountains and ski even more. However, reading up on forums and job offers etc., I can't help but wonder, is there really enough time left to fully enjoy your skiing? Any Divas who would like to share their experiences and how much they actually ended up skiing while working a winter at a resort?

I've been having some second thoughts and I don't know how much of it is just cold feet. We'd also have to miss out on a few skiing trips with friends I think, since taking time off from a seasonal job doesn't really sound like something you can do. Another option could be to buy a cheap van, isolate it well and take as many long weekends as possible. That would mean less hassle financially (we could both keep our jobs and probably still go ski every other weekend for at least 3 days + at least 2 weeks of skiing with friends) but it might get very tiring soon. How do you ladies make it work and fit as many skiing days as possible into your daily life? Would love to hear your stories!

 

[racetiger]

Im just lucky enough to work a half hours drive from where I regularly ski and 3 to 4 hours drive from several other places. I wouldnt be able to ski much otherwise Next season I plan to check out those others.

 

[ski diva]

I work part time at the ice rink at a ski area, but that's the key: part time. I work all day Sundays and Monday nights, and in exchange, I get a free lift pass, a nice number of discount tickets, and other resort benefits (I get paid, too, but it ain't much), which leaves me plenty of time to ski. (I got in 87 days this year.)

For a few years I worked in a ski shop three (full) days a week. That left me the rest of the week to ski, but I hated it. Then again, different strokes for different folks. You might be able to find work in a shop at night. That could be an option, too.

As for full time work, it depends on what you do. If you're an instructor, well, yeah, you'll get to ski, since that's your job! But there are non-skiing options, too: ticket sales, which generally take place in the morning. So that gives you time to ski, once the ticket windows close. Restaurant or hotel work, which are often at night, can leave your days free, too. And I know some people who've worked in the fitness center or handling phones for resort reservations; both can be done at night. But there are a lot of full time jobs that don't leave that much time for skiing. Since these are jobs that involve taking care of people who are there to ski, you have to be on the job when the lifts are running.

Whether you work part or full time, forget about taking off during holiday weeks. If anything, you have to put in more time. Just keep that in mind.

Clearly, there are options. It just depends on what you want to do, how much you want to work, and the time of day you're willing to work. Good luck!

 

[MrsPlow]

I've done a few seasons now and have opted to save up over the summer to spend as much time skiing and enjoying the winter as possible. I can highly recommend the skibum life of not having to miss out on a powder day because you've got to work, although I realised I'm very lucky to be in this position.

Other option, which I've also done a couple of times, is to wrangle 8 to 10 weeks off from work as a sort sabbatical (a skibattical if you will). If you're not 100% sure about committing to a whole winter away, that can be a good option, provided you can find some suitably priced accommodation. It's long enough to make it very different to a normal ski holiday.

 

[Belgiangirl]

Thanks for your replies! Working part time at a ski shop sounds like heaven to me
We've had a long conversation about this topic last night and decided we're gonna try to take as many days off during the season but keep our jobs at home. Living in a ski resort on two part time salaries sounds like way too many sleepless nights, stressing about our finances. And I guess we'd also have to be lucky to be able to work the same days and have the same days off.

We're still working out how we'll plan things and how many days of skiing we can realistically fit in. The advantage we do have now is we can try out different ski areas - the resorts in the French, Swiss and Austrian Alps are all roughly a 8-10hr drive away. There's two smaller areas about 4-5hrs away so that's nice to switch things up.

 

[Jilly]

I have a seasonal rental at a resort in Canada. It's a 4 1/2 hr drive, but it's some of the best skiing in eastern Canada. So I'm a weekend warrior. I try to make it up every other weekend and make it a long weekend. Either going up Thursday or staying over Sunday night. What I like about the seasonal rental is that you can leave everything there. I only bring home stuff if it needs to be washed or it's street clothes. Skis, boots, suits, helmet, gloves all stay there. Even food. There is a freezer above the fridge....not unusual for NA, but for Europe yes. I leave condiments etc too.

Down side is only skiing one place for the season. But it's a really good place to ski.

 

[VickiK]

I wouldn't mind doing that at Mammoth.

 

[SallyCat]

Fwiw I currently have a part-time job at a resort's fitness center from 6-10 pm. It allows me all day to do some freelance work and also mountain bike a lot. The downside is that it's pretty boring. This is a summer job, just through Labor Day and I'm kind of glad for that. But working in a ski shop, if I got to do some tuning, I think would be tolerable.