 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm really keen to work a season in a resort next year and wanted to find out info from anyone thinking about the same.
This is me:-
1. Only got 3 weeks skiing & 1 boarding under my belt but loved every minute of it that i have done.
2. See no 1. - don't have enough experience to work in ski/boarding job but want to have as much time as possible to improve. Earning money not important but would be nice to cover costs, but not necessary to fully cover them.
3. Not sure where to go. Just want as long as possible.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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http://www.natives.co.uk
Lots of good advice on there and plenty of contacts too. If earning your keep isn't the be all and end all of it you should be in a good position to be able to pick and choose work (and possibly even where) during the course of the season.
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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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hels_t, for as long as possible, look to the glaciated areas or high. France wise, Vd'I, Tignes, Les 2 Alpes, Chamonix. Be aware though, at least in the first two, that you won't be the only brit in the village.
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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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Go work in a chalet! By the time you get in a routine (which is what you all want) you should be out by 10am and not back in til 6-7ish!
I know a few people who repped felt a bit "left out" as all the chalet people seemed to know each other/ be together all the time. If you work in a bar, you'll have to WORK- damn hard and depending on hours might not get as much time to ski!
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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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NOTE TO SELF - Buy Kronenburg shares
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Im not going back next season- thinking either St Anton or ANDORRA! wahoo!
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Depends a lot on how old you are and what sort of thing you enjoy doing really. Repping can be great if you are quite independent and you are happy to manage your own time. Most of the bigger companies probably won't want to employ you as a rep if you are under 21 as they tend to look for people with a bit of experience. If you are organised as a rep you will have a lot more free time than if you work in a chalet - if not however, you could be in for a long winter....It is also very helpful (although not always essential) to be able to speak some of the language of the country that you are going to go to if you are going to rep - it will make your life much easier. If you are quite flexible in where you want to go you will find that a lot of the larger companies probably won't even tell you (bar the country in general) where they are going to send you. That can be quite exciting but also means that during the training they can start to see who gets on with who and where you might actually be most suited.
Chalet work can be fantastic - if you can cook you will really be onto a winner as someone will snap you up! The hours can be great if you can make them work for you. There is a lot of unglamourous toilet scrubbing to be done and you will be up earlier every morning to do breakfast. If you can handle that then the up side of it all is that once you have finished in the chalet (normally around mid morning) the day is yours. You'll also probably find that you are out in the evening early enough to go for a few drinks after work. The really great thing about working in a chalet is that you can also meet some fantastic people - as a rep people tend to come and see you if they have a problem or something to complain about, but in a chalet you spend a lot more time with your guests which if you have a good group in can be really fun.
It can be hard work what ever you end up doing but you will love it!
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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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Have a look at www.natives.co.uk (but take a lot of what you read in the chatroom with a pinch of salt). Also try Free Radicals, Alprecruit and J2ski. You can post a cv with each of these and they send your details to employers. Natives also has a list of companies to which you can apply direct - this is a better bet than relying on their job search service, which I've found to be a bit rubbish, frankly.
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hels_t, If paying your way isn't the no 1 priority then you could think of "bumming" and doing airport transfers on a saturday. Most of the companies look for transfer reps - not much money, but probably enough to eat on. If you can pay for your accommodation and liftpass etc. then that would be worth conisdering. If you have a reasonable car there are lots of people wanting "unnoficial" taxis or airport transfers as well. Everyone will jump in here about insurance, but not having someone in resort willing to do airport runs is a real pain!
If you're finding your own accommodation then you would need to be on the case early in the autumn (before November) to be sure of finding anywhere. Can you speak other languages? That surely helps, and if you decide where, then you could do a crash course in the meantime (of course if you work for a british TO, an ability to speak the native language is totally surplus to requirements!) Hope this helps. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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If you want to go further afield than the EU, try http://www.bunac.org.uk who help you organise visas etc for working in Canada, US, New Zealand to name but a few. I myself am going to Canada with BUnac on a student visa. I don't know if there are any non-student visas left though. The chat section on Natives is good for reading on others experiences. I wish you the best of luck.
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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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A bit more about me then...
I'm 32 and have been working as an IT contractor for the last few years. I don't want to be stuck in this kind of work for ever though. The work pays the bills and has given me the opportunity to travel in South America a couple of times (no skiing unfortunately, but would fancy it in Argentina/Chile) in the last 3 years. I'm trying to sell my house at the moment and once that is gone I will have no ties whatsoever, so it seems like perfect timing for doing a season. The world is my oyster and all that......
What am I hoping to get from it? First, a season for which I can get out and ski lots. Also, see how it goes and could possibly be interested in doing something more permanent, possibly buying a place in a resort or making it a regular thing - who knows? i was speaking to my accountant the other day and he said some of his clients manage to contract part the year and do stuff in resorts in the winter.
Although the idea of bumming it initially sounds great I think I would like to be doing something work wise for some structure and so it is more sustainable financially.
My language skills are quite limited at the moment but that is something I would definitely want to work on. My school French is worse than my Spanish picked up during 5 months total in South America. I like travelling and am pretty independant - I enjoyed travelling for 3 months solo more than 2 with a partner (you meet so many more people when travelling alone).
At the moment I guess the only real problem I could have is if the house doesn't sell - in that case I can either let it out or drop the price.
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hels_t,
I've worked a season and bummed a season (last season). The latter is the option if you want to get some snowtime in. Please ask if you require more info on the pros & cons of the two options.
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You know it makes sense.
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hels_t you're going into this with a significant advantage to most newbie seasonaires i.e. money and life experience - being 2 of THE most under-rated but vital elements to a sucessful commerical season on the slopes.......
Let's face it, if you're planning to buy a chalet, then your purpose of experiencing a season isn't to "do" a season as a seasonaire (i.e. a grafter who works in someone else's chalet).
99% of seasonaires are broke when they arrive, live on bug all during the season, and will be pretty much broke again when they leave. They are in resort for as long as the snow, primarily to ski and drink, and unfortunately this means finding short-term employment to fund it. They're not scoping out long-term business opportunities, which is really at the back of your mind.
But yes, if you've never spent much time working in the hospitality industry (let alone at management level in a seasonal holiday resort), then finding work as a seasonaire in a chalet is the only way to find out whether it's something you want to do on a more serious basis.
Just remember when you get there, to network like mad with the local chalet owners/operators to find out whether it's something you're suited to and can really cope with - the lifestyle of a seasonaire is very different to that of chalet owners. You'll get a skewed perspective than if you rely solely on seasonaire experiences.
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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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hels_t, can you work remotely via the internet? That seems to be the ideal solution, especially if you can afford to work part-time during the winter months. Whenever I've chatted to TO resort staff they seem to have relatively little time for skiing, and not much flexibility to take advantage of good snow conditions.
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Poster: A snowHead
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hels_t, So the house didn't sell then 
I'm in the middle of selling two and buying one................it's a friggin nightmare so I have mucho sympathy.
Why not rent it out and subsidise your season with the income.
32!!!!!!!!! never..............
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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hels_t, I bummed a season in Megeve in 2005 and it was great; if you don't need to work don't! Given we didn't have to worry about working we could ski as much as we liked - though be aware that if you happen to end up with space for guests to sleep then you'll have lots of people wanting to visit! Looking back, we probably had slightly too many guests, they were all great, but a little more time to ourselves would have been nice. The best thing, for me, about doing a season was skiing in so many different snow conditions (it really puts your technique to the test!) and, of course, being there for all the powder days.
My longer term plans are likely to be similar to yours, I'm an IT contractor who wants to run away to the mountains and work remotely when I feel like it... Still, that's a thought for next season, I have 2 months in Argentina training with Peak Leaders to get my BASI 3 first and I'm currently not planning anything until I get back!
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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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hels_t, Working remotely seems a good idea to me. If you get a decent place to live you can get the phone line on - my ADSL connection is just through that - quite cheap too.
I would discourage you from working for a TO if you don't have to - they expect you to be 19, live like a pig in a cupboard and pay you peanuts! Good experience, but not really for anyone over 25!! Resort managers almost never get to ski as they have too much work, so really give this some thought all round.
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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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Kenzie, Len Holgate, I keep changing my mind on if bumming it is a good thing to do or not. Yes it would be great not to have any commitment to working for someone else and would be great to have the freedom to ski whenever I want. I'm sure I could very rapidly get my way through a lot of cash though... Having said that maybe I'm so used to working that I'm programmed to do it. I have got used to being able to live the lifestyle to which I am accustomed but am also perfectly capable of pulling my belt in a bit.
easiski, rob@rar.org.uk, I need to look into remote working a bit more. In the current contracts I do its not really been an option but maybe need to set myself up on something that will allow this more.
I can see there are pros & cons of my age. Yes I've got more life experience and am reasonably savvy when it comes to finding and making opportunities. On the other side I have been used to having my own home and earning a decent wage. But then again have happily lived out of a rucksack and in cramped hostels.
Slowplough, no house not sold yet, I've had offers made and withdrawn and a few timewasters, but,hey that's all part of it, I won't be getting too excited until the moneys in the bank. Might well, then buy a flat to let out over here in a location that could also be useful for me (like a bit more useful than the middle of Somerset) and a bit more suitable for renting out (house is over 100 yrs old with wild garden).
Did I say I'm 32, that must be a mistake!!!!
Len Holgate, what kind of IT work do you do? Is it feasable for you to work remotely? Have a great time in Argentina - its a fantastic country, I only saw a little bit but would love to go back.
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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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my son just spent a season in Val D'Isere and having decided to jump ship from the TO he went out with, before the first guests arrived, he had to shell out a LOT for a small apartment for the season. He found a great flatmate, a British BASI 1 ski instructor. Both of them were fairly skint and agreed that they would share one room from time to time and rent out the other to make some extra cash. That was a successful approach. They advertised on the local "small ads" board and had plenty of takers, and it did help defray expenses. One night they had a call from two desperate lads who had arrived in town with no accommodation, at 10pm in a blizzard. They were already full but squeezed them in somewhere, rather than leave them to die of exposure. If you got a decent place and had a spare room you could probably do quite well, on a thoroughly informal basis, and make the enterprise more affordable. I think the rent of my son's place, which was very small but really well located in the centre, was about £3000 for the season, payable up front in advance (and borrowed from mother.... now repaid). He worked as a chef - freelance - he is very good and got some excellent jobs, but found it hard work at first, making contacts from scratch, especially in the quiet January weeks. But he had a great time and after spending a lot of time on the slopes with his flatmate and other ski instructors his standard of ski-ing and boarding, good before, is now fantastic. He had a great winter.
Look out for early deals on season ski passes - sometimes much cheaper if bought before, say, end November.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Bloody contractors... 
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hels_t, It cost us around 20k for the 4 months for two of us, but we didn't do any bugetting, and Megeve isn't cheap (the 20k included the 7k rental and most of the purchasing we did for the trip, including new skis, etc.).
Not having to work might give you the chance to work at stuff that you fancy whilst you're there... Or not...
Re IT work, I'm a C++, investment banking, server side, programmer.... I have some non investment banking clients and so yes it's feasable to work from anywhere but right now I can't maintain my current lifestyle by doing so. Luckilly (perhaps) my current lifestyle has been flushed down the toilet so I have the opportunity to reinvent myself...
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hels_t, it doesn't have to cost a lot. my rent for a season was EUR300 per month (25sq m studio to myself) and i didn't spend a huge amount on food/booze (on the basis that i could eat and drink very well in London - I was there to ski). By far the biggest outgoing was a car that kept breaking down 
Bumming it has the great advantage that you can do what you like when you like. So I could go to Italy or Switzerland for a week of ski mountaineering, or pop home for a wedding without having to ask anyone. I think that freedom was far more valuable than whatever pittance a tour op would have paid me
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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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Cor, thanks everyone, you're full of useful information. I keep changing my mind on what will be best for me...good job I've got a bit of time.
Most people's experiences seem to be in France. Anyone got any opinions on other countries. Is it just that there are more opportunies in France, that its closer?
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hels_t, I'm thinking/planning on bumming it for a season in Verbier next year.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Kramer, Was it sticking a pin in the map, or has Verbier got a specific draw?.
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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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hi Kramer, are you definitely going for the bumming it option? Why Verbier? Definietely keep me posted on how your plans are going and I'll do likewise. Have you got much back in UK that you need to sort out before you can go or can you just knock off the last patient and do the off?
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can you just knock off the last patient and do the off?
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After changing their will of course
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You know it makes sense.
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Frosty the Snowman, it's a pin in a map, and maybe subject to change, dependent on funding arrangements.
hels_t, everyone seems to come out and say that if you can afford to bum it then it's probably the best fun option. At the moment I'm self employed with no obligations in the UK, so I can pretty much come and go as I please (hence the five weeks skiing this season), in addition I hope to have some private work set up that I can do over t'internet which will help with funding whilst I'm out there. Worst comes to the worst, I'll probably just take out a personal loan.
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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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| Frosty the Snowman wrote: |
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can you just knock off the last patient and do the off?
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After changing their will of course |
What so they leave him their last packet of Embassey No 1?
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Frosty the Snowman wrote: |
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can you just knock off the last patient and do the off?
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After changing their will of course |
You'll just feel a small prick.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Kramer, How did you get my wife's number?
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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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hels_t, I went for the bumming it option - chance to ski as much as I liked. I chose VT because of the long season coupled with a large skiing area. Met loads of nice people - very easy to get known around the place if you get there very early, before the place fills up. I enjoyed myself so much I had to do it twice .
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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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yep, the most difficult bit about bumming a season is the sad day when you come home 
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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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I wondered, do we have a definition of 'Bumming'?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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BernardC, in this context not working (or at least not having regular work) I would say
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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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I want to have a two bedroomed apartment to myself, so that I can have friends out to visit.
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FAQ
Time went so fast - every minute was used productively and I really can't imagine having any time free for work!
