 Poster: A snowHead
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Ok so this has been asked loads of times I'm sure but how does one go about working a season?
My partner and I are both 33 and are at a stage where we want to do it but giving up our 9-5 jobs is a little scary. We could easily rent our house out which would cover the mortgage plus more which is good. So apart from the obvious and working as chalet host or in in a bar/restaurant what other work options are there?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Driver, less hours, more skiing?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Save money like crazy then don't work while away is the best bet. If possible negotiate a sabbatical from work - comes under personal development in my book. If you strike now you may be sufficient with 3 months notice for the coming season but probably with no plan 17/18 is more realistic, start soft positioning with your boss this winter with lots of "isn't it funny we don't seem to be that busy over winter" and "wouldn't it be good if we had people who could provide continuity all summer without holiday disruption?".
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I did my first season at 33 and would recommend chalet hosting, good way to have a ready made social group and a bit of support going into it.
Driver is definitely a good option, hours can be a bit hit and miss but tends to be decent pay and good time on the slope. Most other jobs require some experience or qualification (instructor, child care, ski technician). Some places have mobile boot fitting services (ski hire shops that come to the guests) which may be worth a look, you basically drive up the mountain and fit boots on transfer day then need to do a certain number of on calls during the week for emergency changes. The one I used to work with was called Rental Republic but there are more around in different resorts (Slide Candy I think).
My personal favourite was Rep. Light on cleaning and cooking and generally good fun when I did it. Plenty of ski time too.
There's also cleaning roles available in some places which are more ad hoc in their hours and probably wouldn't come with accomodation.
If I can plug my own website we've got jobs up for chalet couples and different jobs that might suit. Some of the chalet companies may be able to sort you with different jobs in the same resort (so handyman/driver and chalet host or Rep).
Good luck!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Dave of the Marmottes, I like this option. Thing is I'm off every 3 weeks in the mountains on ski trips already during the winter LMFAO.
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Dave is right. Spend a year working hard, saving and not going on extravagant (or any) holidays. Get a career break from work if you can. I did exactly this, spent a season in British Columbia, bought a car, did a month road trip from Vancouver to Alberta visiting as many resorts as I could and then ended up renting in Sparwood and driving to Fernie every day for the rest of the season.
My personal view is that staying a bit of a drive away from the resort itself (in Canada at least) meant we could get a much cheaper place to stay with only mild inconvenience of a drive to the ski hill each morning.
Also, stating the obvious but don't expect it to "feel" like a VERY long holiday. You'll fall in to a routine. Evenings were much like any back home, cooking, washing a bit of TV. You'll probably want to take a few days off (probably weekends or when the resort is busier), though I only took a handful of days off over four months.
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@dheason, Thanks for the info. I will certainly have a look at your site.
Accommodation is another thing obviously, avoiding the TO's then I assume its up to us to arrange our our place to stay. What is a "typical" cost on a weekly/monthly basis of this?
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@bigtuboflard, Yes absolutely agree with the routine thing. It's more a case of we just love being in the mountains and sliding about. We are not massive night life people so some "normality" would probably suit us. It's just planning it rather than going out on a wimp and hoping poo-poo will come together.
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Could be anything from €200 - €4,000 per month, prices vary wildly depending where you are and what sort of accommodation you're looking for
If price is an issue, stay out of resort - are you planning to drive over?
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Its still one of the best things I've ever done Chris, set yourself some targets, be it off piste skills or something, but yes, just being in the mountains for that length of time is wonderful. Are you set on Europe or considering further afield?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Consider what you really need to live on. I would expect to pay £3k or so - possibly less for an apartment in Nendaz for the season. So £1.5k each. You can then expect to spend about £1k each on a season pass. So before food and beer, your core costs are coming out at about £2.5k. You'll probably spend a little more than that putting WiFi in and things like that but £2.5k per person for core costs is a reasonable target. Food and beer will vary. If you want to hit the bars ever night, this option is not viable. If you are supermarket beer and netflix type people then the reverse is true.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| bigtuboflard wrote: |
Dave is right. Spend a year working hard, saving and not going on extravagant (or any) holidays. Get a career break from work if you can. I did exactly this, spent a season in British Columbia, bought a car, did a month road trip from Vancouver to Alberta visiting as many resorts as I could and then ended up renting in Sparwood and driving to Fernie every day for the rest of the season.
My personal view is that staying a bit of a drive away from the resort itself (in Canada at least) meant we could get a much cheaper place to stay with only mild inconvenience of a drive to the ski hill each morning.
Also, stating the obvious but don't expect it to "feel" like a VERY long holiday. You'll fall in to a routine. Evenings were much like any back home, cooking, washing a bit of TV. You'll probably want to take a few days off (probably weekends or when the resort is busier), though I only took a handful of days off over four months. |
All this is spot on. Don't be one of those people who go to do a season and then because of the luxury of being able to ski every day don't actually get on the hill at every opportunity either. It did feel like a holiday to me because being freed of the pressure of thinking about work and unlocking the brain is critical to me, in fact better than a holiday because I'm ususlaly still fitting in calls and doing emails on an average holiday. But you do need to treat skiing like your job, get up and get at it and go to work even on days when things are a bit shitty because that's where you really come on as a skier - mileage day after day on familiar terrain. I'd also budget for a mid-trip "holiday" i.e. road trip to some nearby places for a week.
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www.inter-agence.ch will give an indication of Swiss resort accom pricing. Moderate French required.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Dave of the Marmottes wrote: |
| But you do need to treat skiing like your job, get up and get at it and go to work even on days when things are a bit shitty because that's where you really come on as a skier - mileage day after day on familiar terrain. I'd also budget for a mid-trip "holiday" i.e. road trip to some nearby places for a week. |
Definitely, +1.
Set the alarm early every morning. Get up, have breakfast, load the car and get to the hill. Even if conditions aren't great you'll find something to do. I spent a day (trying) to build an igloo at some point. I did trips up to Sunshine and Castle Mountain whilst living in Sparwood/Fernie as Dave says, makes that trip feel like a "holiday".
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Quote: |
I would expect to pay £3k or so - possibly less for an apartment in Nendaz for the season. So £1.5k each. You can then expect to spend about £1k each on a season pass. So before food and beer, your core costs are coming out at about £2.5k.
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Which just goes to show that it's possible to do a season without it costing much more than an extravagant week.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Dave of the Marmottes, that would be seasonpassitis. I know it well.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@pam w, yeah. Admittedly this means not being Mr. Picky about a bunch of stuff but still...
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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What are the "handyman / driver jobs like for ski time?, My job for the past 15 years has been fitting bathrooms & kitchens as well as building and home repairs, there isn't much that I can't put right or get working until a full repair can be made.
I've driven to the mountains at least a dozen times in all sorts of conditions and have a van full of all the tools needed to keep a chalet together. I've also developed the ability to keep smiling even when when the client is being a PIA!
Would it be better to get a job with a specific tour operator or chalet company or just go independant and put my name around?. I expect the French would be quite hostile towards anyone doing such a thing.
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@tangowaggon, I can only speak for the company I worked for but slope time for a driver/handyman was good. Started work to get guests to the slopes (so 8-9.30 ish) then any outstanding issues which tended to be minimal, obviously the odd one but not too bad. Then back to work for 4ish for an hour or two, then turn up to a chalet in the evening for food and to help the host clean down after service. Transfer day was big maintenance stuff and getting the van washed down in the valley, one day off a week where someone else does the driving. The guy doing the job when I was in Meribel had been a host and then a maintenance man and it was his third season doing the job as he found it really easy.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@tangowaggon, +1 for what @dheason said, that was my exact experience of 2 seasons in meribel.
work was 90% driving 10% maintenance, was a complete doddle and same money as resort managers. normally skied 4 and 1/2 full days a week. changeover day was mainly driving (airport etc) Friday morning was supermarket/meetings, then ski in the afternoon then Mondays was generally maintenance and taking the chalet laundry to brides le bain.
try silverski holidays if you arethinking about it!!!!
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Rough plan for skiing
21 days straight to kick off - you need this to get ski fit and resilient
Couple of days off to recover and do admin (e.g. 1 day to prevaricate about doing tax return, 1 day to actually do it)
Aim to do a full month streak for February (because it's the easiest month to do a streak). This will also motivate you to get out early to beat the crowds on the worst half term weeks
Road trip early March because by then you'll have cabin fever
Enjoy the spring, learn the corn cycle and hit everything at the right time of day March-April
Join a pool for evening swimming and recovery.
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Get a loan or credit card and just hang out for 6 months.
Working in the Alps is low-pay and low-play. It sucks.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Whitegold, my first two seasons I partied like you wouldn't believe, skiied 5 days sometimes 6 a week, bought loads of good kit and came back with more money than I went out with.
Yep, it sucked. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
@Whitegold, my first two seasons I partied like you wouldn't believe, skiied 5 days sometimes 6 a week, bought loads of good kit and came back with more money than I went out with.
Yep, it sucked.
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@under a new name, like you I also had the time of my life on my first 2 seasons, partied 5/6 nights a week and came back with about £1500 cash in my pocket, and friends for life that I still see 20 years later!!!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I too came back with cash (enough to trot off to Spain for a month) and friends across the world.
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You know it makes sense.
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Don't forget that there's a lot more to working a season than work. Our son no.2 did his first last winter after graduating uni. He loved uni and had a great 3yrs socially. However, he said that his season was 'the best 5 months of his life'.  He came home with a G/F and made friends for life of many of his colleagues, they had a blast. He's off again soon with the same company and with a minor promotion.
Unless you're extremely gregarious or not bothered, I don't see how you'll build the social side going self financed.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Whitegold:-
'Get a loan or credit card and just hang out for 6 months.'
Then in your world, default on the loans as you have no income in which to re-pay them?
Very poor 'advice'
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Mollerski wrote: |
Unless you're extremely gregarious or not bothered, I don't see how you'll build the social side going self financed. |
Bear in mind the OP and his partner are 33 not 21 so not necessarily looking for new partners, shagging every other chalet boy/girl in town, getting wasted every night or swaggering around looking like Bill n Ted's dumber younger siblings.
There are different ways of doing a season, as the saying goes , You can work, ski and party but can can only do 2 of those well.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sun 18-09-16 18:55; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Dave of the Marmottes wrote: |
| Mollerski wrote: |
Unless you're extremely gregarious or not bothered, I don't see how you'll build the social side going self financed. |
Bear in mind the OP and his missus are 33 not 21 so not necessarily looking for new partners, shagging every other chalet boy/girl in town,. |
She might. 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Old Man Of Lech wrote: |
Whitegold:-
'Get a loan or credit card and just hang out for 6 months.'
Then in your world, default on the loans as you have no income in which to re-pay them?
Very poor 'advice' |
Dunno seems to have worked for Donald Trump.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| pam w wrote: |
| Which just goes to show that it's possible to do a season without it costing much more than an extravagant week. |
Which just goes to show i could live in the highlands of scotland much more cheaply than i could in central London... come on Pam, i understand and to some extent agree with your point made throughout the forum that France doesn't have to be expensive however this is a bridge too far...
I can pay my own mortgage for 3 months rather than having an extravagant week.. all it is about it where people want to put their money.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Quote: |
Unless you're extremely gregarious or not bothered, I don't see how you'll build the social side going self financed.
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It really depends what you want. I was 30 when I did my first season. The worker's social scene is dominated by people 10 years younger than I was and there is no way I would have fitted in to that. I found people to ski with on Snowheads. Most of them were normal.
It also depends what you want from the skiing. If you are expecting to spend 4-5 hrs a day punting round on piste then I can see the work thing having some appeal. If on the other hand you are looking to ski off piste much of the time then being able to get out the door unencumbered is a massive benefit. You only get a handful of really good days in any season.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
You only get a handful of really good days in any season.
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... And almost invariably I was working...
I had a ball while I spent most of my skiing time skiing quite slowly but it gave a great opportunity to really think about what I was doing and improve my technique. And, you know, skiing beats real work!
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Doh wrong thread
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Mon 19-09-16 18:49; edited 1 time in total
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Gorilla wrote:- 'I was 30 when I did my first season' Mere whipersnapper! I was 54 and still at it. That was 10 years ago. Off to do a season on Colorado in 2016/17----depending on US immigration. Awaiting appointment for interview re. visa. Keep fingers crossed.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Old Man Of Lech, I am 56 and now about to do my first season along with my wife who is 49. We will be chalet hosting in Les Coches (La Plagne), and are looking forward to it!
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RobinS:- That's great. I wish you all the luck in the world. As a host couple, I'm sure you two will soon have the chores mastered and be out there skiing. I think since I first started many TO's have come to realise the benefits of employing more mature people. They have a work ethic that is sometimes sadly lacking in some of our younger colleagues. Have a great season.
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FAQ
