Staffing at Ski Resorts: '21/'22

[sibhusky]

I checked, this is what they say about housing, so it's clear they are not providing any. I'm guessing they haven't updated the verbiage in ten years.
---
Employee Housing
Settled in the Flathead Valley, Whitefish Mountain Resort is easily accessible from three different towns.

Whitefish is the closest (8 miles). Here you will find more of the resort atmosphere. Rent is typically going to be more expensive, but you have the trade-off of less commuting. The SNOW bus takes off from a variety of stops in Whitefish and is FREE!

Columbia Falls is the next closest coming in at 16 miles. Rent will be less expensive than Whitefish. Columbia Falls is considered a gateway into Glacier National Park and therefore is a good option in the summer.

Kalispell will ring in the longest commute, but it has more options than Whitefish or Columbia Falls as it is the biggest town in the Valley. Here you will find more access to amenities.

For more information on rentals, roommates wanted and real estate, check the classifieds in the local newspaper, The Daily Interlake, which can be found online at: www.dailyinterlake.com

Relocation, real estate and rental information can also be obtained by contacting the local Chamber of Commerce in each of these towns:
Whitefish 406-862-3501 (www.whitefishchamber.com),
Columbia Falls 406-892-2072 (www.columbiafallschamber.com)
Kalispell 406-758-2800 (www.kalispellchamber.com)

 

[Christy]

Covid might add a new element, but many of these summer seasonal service jobs are often college kids etc. which are hardly the population with kids or that are terribly frightened of Covid. Obviously that’s not the whole story here, but a curiosity to me anyway. Maybe it’s still a lack of visas for seasonal workers? I’m not sure where we are on that either.

I don't think most college or high school kids have these kind of seasonal jobs anymore. College kids get internships and high school kids are busy with travel sports or volunteer activities. When I was 16 I was scooping ice cream at Baskin Robbins. My 16 year old neighbor spent her summer involved with a youth outdoor leadership organization, training to lead mountain climbs among other things. Her 15 year old brother spent the summer criss-crossing the NW with his baseball team. I know they wanted to do these things but also, they and their parents feel that college has gotten competitive enough that they need to have summer activities that look good on a college application. The summer before Covid the neighbor girl (now in college) that used to watch our cat when we traveled got a summer internship at Apple that paid $40/hour.

The labor shortage has been coming down the pike for a while. Tellingly, you can Google labor shortage articles from 2019 and before, and there they are. I do a lot of people are downplaying the role of less immigration. Immigrants, legal or not, were doing an awful lot of the grunt work.

2019: https://www.q13fox.com/news/worker-shortage-leaves-restaurant-owners-scrambling-ahead-of-busy-season

2019: https://www.forbes.com/sites/columb...l-developers-deploy-robotics/?sh=2164c4471988

2018--this one mentions ski resorts: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...s-challenge-too-many-jobs-not-enough-workers/

Etc etc.

There's a lot out there from restaurant owners about their difficulties right now. When there are so many other options with benefits and regular scheduling, why would anyone choose less predictable or seasonal work?

The Restaurant Worker Shortage in Seattle Is Bad

How bad? One recruited a career writer who had never served tables before to help out.

www.seattlemet.com

“It’s really a soup of things. It’s not one reason,” says Anthony Anton, president and CEO of Washington Hospitality Association, calling it the worst worker shortage they’ve ever seen. Unemployment benefits can’t account for the 73,000-hospitality worker shortage in the state—only about 17,000 onetime service industry folks remain on the program. Anton suspects some workers decamped to the reliable hours of grocery jobs and that others left the state for places with fewer pandemic limitations. Boomer restaurant folk retired, and puny Generation X can’t make up the numbers.

My friend Brandon agrees: “People are thinking about whether they want this life.” The pandemic gave everyone time for contemplation, and the thrill of dining work comes yoked to late hours, physical labor, unpredictable scheduling. Two full decades and one half a pandemic have elapsed since Anthony Bourdain romanticized the freewheeling restaurant life in Kitchen Confidential.

“It was an issue before the pandemic happened,” says Brandon Pettit, who owns Capitol Hill’s Dino’s Tomato Pie as well as Delancey in Ballard—to his eye, Covid just drove traffic to the existing exit ramps. Fewer young people work through college, he says, and restricted immigration shrank the pool of kitchen staffers. The artists and musicians that historically sling beers and wait tables between gigs? As Seattle got more expensive, the city stopped looking like a deal compared to New York and Los Angeles—might as well pay high rent in a legendary art scene, Pettit reasons. And for every former busboy that left the Emerald City, he says, a California tech worker making six figures moved in, primed to spend money in dining rooms, not earn it.

 

[MissySki]

I don't think most college or high school kids have these kind of seasonal jobs anymore. College kids get internships and high school kids are busy with travel sports or volunteer activities. When I was 16 I was scooping ice cream at Baskin Robbins. My 16 year old neighbor spent her summer involved with a youth outdoor leadership organization, training to lead mountain climbs among other things. Her 15 year old brother spent the summer criss-crossing the NW with his baseball team. I know they wanted to do these things but also, they and their parents feel that college has gotten competitive enough that they need to have summer activities that look good on a college application. The summer before Covid the neighbor girl (now in college) that used to watch our cat when we traveled got a summer internship at Apple that paid $40/hour.

The labor shortage has been coming down the pike for a while. Tellingly, you can Google labor shortage articles from 2019 and before, and there they are.

2019: https://www.q13fox.com/news/worker-shortage-leaves-restaurant-owners-scrambling-ahead-of-busy-season

2019: https://www.forbes.com/sites/columb...l-developers-deploy-robotics/?sh=2164c4471988

2018--this one mentions ski resorts: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...s-challenge-too-many-jobs-not-enough-workers/

Etc etc.

There's a lot out there from restaurant owners about their difficulties right now. When there are so many other options with benefits and regular scheduling, why would anyone choose less predictable or seasonal work?

The Restaurant Worker Shortage in Seattle Is Bad

How bad? One recruited a career writer who had never served tables before to help out.

www.seattlemet.com

“It’s really a soup of things. It’s not one reason,” says Anthony Anton, president and CEO of Washington Hospitality Association, calling it the worst worker shortage they’ve ever seen. Unemployment benefits can’t account for the 73,000-hospitality worker shortage in the state—only about 17,000 onetime service industry folks remain on the program. Anton suspects some workers decamped to the reliable hours of grocery jobs and that others left the state for places with fewer pandemic limitations. Boomer restaurant folk retired, and puny Generation X can’t make up the numbers.

My friend Brandon agrees: “People are thinking about whether they want this life.” The pandemic gave everyone time for contemplation, and the thrill of dining work comes yoked to late hours, physical labor, unpredictable scheduling. Two full decades and one half a pandemic have elapsed since Anthony Bourdain romanticized the freewheeling restaurant life in Kitchen Confidential.

“It was an issue before the pandemic happened,” says Brandon Pettit, who owns Capitol Hill’s Dino’s Tomato Pie as well as Delancey in Ballard—to his eye, Covid just drove traffic to the existing exit ramps. Fewer young people work through college, he says, and restricted immigration shrank the pool of kitchen staffers. The artists and musicians that historically sling beers and wait tables between gigs? As Seattle got more expensive, the city stopped looking like a deal compared to New York and Los Angeles—might as well pay high rent in a legendary art scene, Pettit reasons. And for every former busboy that left the Emerald City, he says, a California tech worker making six figures moved in, primed to spend money in dining rooms, not earn it.

I went to a bunch of restaurants by the beach in RI this week, majority serving were definitely college aged women.

 

[Christy]

I checked, this is what they say about housing, so it's clear they are not providing any. I'm guessing they haven't updated the verbiage in ten years.

Well, good luck to Whitefish this winter then.

 

[Christy]

I went to a bunch of restaurants by the beach in RI this week, majority serving were definitely college aged women.

Okay, I mean, I'm not going to claim to know everything about every labor market, but it's one thing I do keep reading from employers--they just don't have that pool of student workers like they used to. Maybe there are some places where it's still a good option.

 

[sibhusky]

Well, good luck to Whitefish this winter then.

Fingers crossed that last winter's $+-$show causes the SKI survey to rank us about 10 slots lower AND the Colorado resorts aren't doing reservation skiing. Visitation was up 20% from the prior record at the same time as they were having Covid staffing issues. It was my worst season since first season pass in 1987.

 

[marzNC]

Okay, I mean, I'm not going to claim to know everything about every labor market, but it's one thing I do keep reading from employers--they just don't have that pool of student workers like they used to. Maybe there are some places where it's still a good option.

Last winter was a bit weird in Colorado from what I remember reading. There were a fair number of college-age folks who decided that a year of virtual classes wasn't worth it, so they took a gap year. That helped the Colorado resorts out in terms of filling the gap left when J-1 visas were banned.

Massanutten in Virginia had a lot of trouble hiring anyone for Summer 2020. They need a lot of staff for the waterpark, outdoor pools, and other outdoor activities like the Adventure Park. Few students (high school, college) wanted to work for just six weeks when the resort was able to re-open. They felt a big uncomfortable dealing with masking, and had money in the bank because they hadn't been able to go anywhere to spend it. At least that's what I heard from a senior manager.

 

[marzNC]

I just read in the SAM Magazine that out of the $20 million that Grand Targhee is spending on new construction in 2021, $6.5 million is for employee housing in Driggs that will have about 100 apartments. That will cover about 25% of the employees. Presumably there are full-time employees who live in the area and don't need housing.

 

[marzNC]

Mammoth has a website to help employees find housing. Seems to be sponsored by the town, not the resort.

Mammoth Workforce Housing Program

www.mammothworkforcehousing.org

 

[marzNC]

Here's an article from 2017 about the issue of housing for ski resort seasonal employees in the west.

March 2017

This Is What the Housing Crisis Means for Ski Towns

Can resort communities stop the housing crisis from running locals out of town?

www.powder.com

" . . .
Vail Resorts has pledged $30 million to workforce housing across their properties in Colorado, Utah, and California. In Jackson, Wyoming, where a 200-square-foot shanty goes for $600 a month, elected officials recently added a ballot measure calling for an extra penny of sales tax that would go toward affordable housing and transportation. The tax would bring in an estimated $11 million a year. Last January, Jackson passed a new policy to start issuing citations to landlords who rent out homes on Airbnb, desperately trying to keep housing available for permanent dwellers.
. . ."

 

[snoWYmonkey]

Jackson Hole resort is begging those of us who work for the area and have rooms to spare to rent them out to employees. I am doing both as I have an instructor and his essential RN worker spouse renting our basement with a separate entrance. Personally, I would not be sharing my home with others during a pandemic, while nursing my post aortic dissection husband back to health. Our whole county is really struggling more than it ever has with housing. Short terms rentals are not to blame as they are restricted to a few small parts of the county. Many second home owners are leaving as the community has changed and full timers are moving in, while remote workers are scooping up the very high rent apartments. Not sure how a landlord could rent out their place for less than the mortgage, insurance and taxes when the going studio price is in the 3/4 million dollars.

 

[Abbi]

I went to a bunch of restaurants by the beach in RI this week, majority serving were definitely college aged women.

Definitely college kids can keep the jobs in Matunuck as they are so close to school and where they live, predominantly off-campus. Tiverton is less accessible but not far from Roger Williams U. Or U Mass- Dartmouth.

 

[MissySki]

Definitely college kids can keep the jobs in Matunuck as they are so close to school and where they live, predominantly off-campus. Tiverton is less accessible but not far from Roger Williams U. Or U Mass- Dartmouth.

Yes, it was all young women at Matunuck for the waitstaff when we were there. Also Paddy’s at Misquamicut on the beach, but that’s a seasonal given and always that way too. The Boat House was more mature women, and I think that makes sense for the establishment and the time we were there. It’s not a seasonal location. They didn’t seem understaffed and were very busy for lunchtime on a Wednesday imo. Like packed. When we went in they asked if we had reservations and I said, “no, I honestly didn’t think of it for weekday lunch after Labor Day!”. Her response was that they are ALWAYS busy. They were able to fit us in without a wait though at a lovely table with huge open windows on the water side.

 

[marzNC]

Taos Ski Valley bought the Columbine Inn a few years ago specifically to use it for employee housing. There is very limited land at the TSV base for any more private development of any kind. Columbine is only a couple miles down the road from the base.

It was sad to lose it as a lodging option, but I was glad the couple who owned it were able to get out well before the pandemic. The wife noted when we talked on the phone that they moved to Taos for the skiing but had ended up too busy during the winter to make it to the slopes much.

 

[newboots]

(Apparently lifties like to party, who knew?)

It’s good to have a moment of fun in these grim discussions. Workers are short here in the Hudson Valley. I was quickly hired for both of my p/t, seasonal jobs this year. We still have openings at the ski shop. Almost every restaurant and store has help wanted signs.

I don’t fully understand all the factors, but one idea that is being floated is a change in some workers’ values after the pandemic. Service work is hard and low paying. As mentioned above, dealing with the public can be enraging at times. And many service workers feel used by their employers. Having some forced time off seems to be prompting some sort of pivot tin how workers assess their jobs.

 

[MissySki]

It’s good to have a moment of fun in these grim discussions. Workers are short here in the Hudson Valley. I was quickly hired for both of my p/t, seasonal jobs this year. We still have openings at the ski shop. Almost every restaurant and store has help wanted signs.

I don’t fully understand all the factors, but one idea that is being floated is a change in some workers’ values after the pandemic. Service work is hard and low paying. As mentioned above, dealing with the public can be enraging at times. And many service workers feel used by their employers. Having some forced time off seems to be prompting some sort of pivot tin how workers assess their jobs.

I wish there were more options close by for ski shops.. I think it’d be fun to work at a shop a couple of nights pet week. Though unsure my schedule wiuld be what they are looking for. I certainly don’t have weekends open.

 

[BackCountryGirl]

The housing issues at Sunday River have been really tough for many years; so much so that the mountain bought a former hotel and a hostel for liftie and snowmaker housing. I have been housing several of my and my daughter's colleagues for years--between gas costs from population centers where people work at full-time jobs and pitifully low resort wages--nobody could afford to work if they had to rent. It'll only get worse if there's a new surge of Covid. People will continue to come to small ski towns and work remotely, seeking to escape outbreaks in populates areas.

 

[MissySki]

The housing issues at Sunday River have been really tough for many years; so much so that the mountain bought a former hotel and a hostel for liftie and snowmaker housing. I have been housing several of my and my daughter's colleagues for years--between gas costs from population centers where people work at full-time jobs and pitifully low resort wages--nobody could afford to work if they had to rent. It'll only get worse if there's a new surge of Covid. People will continue to come to small ski towns and work remotely, seeking to escape outbreaks in populates areas.

I also saw a post on Facebook the other day with Shipyard management looking to rent a house or larger condo for their employees.

 

[elemmac]

Oh for sure, I think daycare is only part of a very complex issue (and if I had kids you bet I would pay for daycare) but I do think the bad behavior of the public has a big impact.

I've heard more than one person that was having trouble with daycare or schools constantly closing/re-opening due to small outbreaks. Having a very inconsistent home-life schedule does not fair well for having a job.

I really think the main reason for this type of shortage is simply that people didn't sit around and wait for their jobs to come back when places closed down. They went out and found new (and better) opportunity. With constant opening/closing/restrictions, the service industry is at a disadvantage. Anyone who found work that provided better pay, benefits, and work from home environment, is not going to be going back to the uncertainty of work and low pay.

 

[marzNC]

Even before the recent federal announcement about requiring larger businesses to require employees to be vaccinated, the ski resorts were already headed in that direction. With such staffing shortages, they really can't afford to have unvaccinated employees who have to be on sick leave recovering from COVID-19 for a week or more. While a vaccinated employee may still get a breakthrough case, that is much more likely to only mean being out sick for a few days. Perhaps with another day or two to assure they aren't contagious any more.

September 15, 2021

Aspen Skiing Company to Require Staff Vaccinations - Ski Area Management

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., Sept. 15, 2021—Aspen Skiing Company (SkiCo) will require all active employees to be fully vaccinated for Covid-19 by Nov. 15. The new policy is unrelated to President Joe Biden’s announcement less than a week ago that he plans to instruct the Occupational Safety and...

www.saminfo.com

"
SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., Sept. 15, 2021—Aspen Skiing Company (SkiCo) will require all active employees to be fully vaccinated for Covid-19 by Nov. 15. The new policy is unrelated to President Joe Biden’s announcement less than a week ago that he plans to instruct the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to require that all employers with more than 100 workers mandate either vaccinations or weekly Covid-19 testing for their workforce.

“We couldn't have pulled it together that quickly. It was something we were working on and discussing and debating for a while now, and the timing is coincidental with the announcement out of Washington,” SkiCo vice president of communications Jeff Hanle told the Aspen Times. “We already picked a date to disclose this and notify our employees and to move forward with it, and then the Biden announcement came.”

The policy says, “Exemptions will only be granted for medical reasons pursuant to the Americans with Disability Act and religious reasons pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.”

SkiCo joins Mt. Bohemia, Mich., and Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe, Nev., on the list of mountain resorts that will require staff to be fully vaccinated ahead of this winter. That list may grow exponentially once the details of President Biden’s policy are released.
. . ."