 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I worked a short summer for the lift company, currently being paid unemployment benefit. This is only possible if you're with a French employer and work a certain number of hours. If in the same position next year, I'll be more on the ball and try for interseason work servicing apartments - missed it this year.
Other people temp in the UK or work on boats, campsites, wherever, for people like Sunsail, Canvas Holidays, PGL etc etc..Thise with enough cash go and ski New Zealand.
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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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how do all you snowHead seasonnaires who don't have "proper jobs" survive from season to season these days?
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well, for my part, I use my pension, plus the income from renting out a room in our house in the UK. Simple!
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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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I use my proper job (or the taxes thereon) to pay for others unemployment benefit.....
Uh oh incoming...
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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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Yep the Defence budget is less than half the social benefits budget
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Our busy period is the autumn and spring... leaving plenty of free time during the winter!!
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Good on you all:blush: !! Keep 'em coming!!
Is there anyone who (gulp...) hasn't managed to survive at least a season??
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cfc5mu0, not mine, you don't. 
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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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mountainaddict, If I'm 'out for the season' I ski during the day and do the admin for my business in the afternoon\evening via the Internet. It help's if you have understanding staff back in the UK, but it would be possible to run some business from the Alps if you get set up correctly.
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Freelance Engineering in the off season.
I know of Dentists & other Professionals who only work 4-6 months a year.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I skied on a course once with a young IT contractor who seemed to have life very well organised and got out to the mountains a lot.
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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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2 mates and i develope property from may to mid/late september....buy three possibly four smallish houses in this time frame, renovate them (nothing major, lay flooring, tiles, paint/dec etc) sell them on as soon as, and this gives us enough to live for the year, pay our mortgages and ski the season....easy peasy.....
okbye
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You know it makes sense.
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mountainaddict, what is your usual day job?
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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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A few years bag I managed about 100 days skiing in year while doing a 'normal' (though not 9-5) job. I skied every weekend, used virtually all my holiday skiing as well as any days in lieu I accumalted. I could only manage it as I lived in Grenoble, was single and had no other commitments. I also worked in the mountains about 30 minutes from a small ski resort, so could also going skiing during my lunch break; though I didn't bother much, except the odd Firday if it was a powder day.
Life has now caught up on me in the form of a girlfriend and young daughter, so cannot manage anything like that anymore. Did prety well last season though as we were forced to work part-time due to the financial crisis.
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Poster: A snowHead
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mountainaddict, ain't gonna happen is it! I'd like to hear that too. I don't have a normall 9 to 5 job but I don't get to ski that much either . . .
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If you dont mind physical work try working for a landscape company,they normally take on march time and let you go by november 
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I started my own business! Snowboarding in the winter, mountain biking in the summer. (Almost) got my IML now as well, so I'm hoping to get into doing some expeditions in the spring & autumn.
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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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Your best bet is self-employment with a business that can be run mainly via the Internet. I know a couple who have a successful insurance company of some sort - it's all done over the Internet and they have a part-time secretary who works from home so that they can mess around in the snow all Winter, and do the odd couple of hours work in the evenings.
Not a bad life, but they had to set it up and get it going before they could live a life of leisure!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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stevomcd, I think your way looks the most idealistic/attractive (for me at least!). Has it worked out OK? Can you survive or do you spend all your time catering for your guests with little time for yourselves? Do you see this as a medium term thing (few years at most) or do you envisage doing it forever!! Could you see yourself back in the UK?
I worry that doing what you love doing can sometimes kill the love. So that the thing becomes a job and not a passion. I know it'll be different for different people, but I guess if you run a Chalet in the mountains there are still plenty of "non ski" related tasks which you have to do each and every day. I just worry these would always get in the way and make you hate the thing you used to love doing.
We moved "out of the rat race" 8 years ago, and while we have many benefits from what we've done there are times when I just wonder about 9-5, about working in a company, with a pension, with a big team . . . then I remember what it was like . . . but every now and again it crops up!!
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johnnyh, you won't know about any of that until you try it. Suggest you get a chalet job for a season and find out whether or not you like it.
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johnnyh, as Lizzard, says, you've got to try it! We get a pretty reasonable balance of time. In the winter, I can snowboard 6 days a week if I want to. Mostly just go up for a couple of hours, but if it's a powder day I can generally juggle things so that I can just drop it all and go ride! It's long days and, if you spend every spare minute snowboarding, you do feel like you never get a break.
Summers are different in an odd kind of way. I'm a fully-qualified bike guide and we run mountain biking holidays, so between riding all day with guests and helping out in the kitchen in the evening, I'm really with guests all-day, every-day but the summers somehow feel more relaxed. Probably because I get to ride my bike on some of the best singletrack in the world all day long and call it work!
We want to stay out here and do this for as long as we can make it work financially. We're in our second year now and money-wise things are starting to look pretty OK (although you'll never get rich doing this). Realistically, if you want to make any serious money at this game, you have to expand to the point where you're running at least 2-3 chalets, which means moving away from spending time with your guests and doing more of an office/management job. Still beats sitting at a desk though! We might get away without having to go down that road as having a really successful summer business as well does give us an advantage over a lot of similar businesses who only trade for 4-5months of the year.
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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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Lizzard, easier said than done I'm afraid - children in school, wife in a job she likes, business in the UK to run. But maybe when the children have left home we'll move out to somewhere and give it a go.
stevomcd, sounds good and sounds as though you have struck the right balance. I think being able to adapt to the seasonal differences is the way forward. Otherwise you'll have to work like mad in the winter to pay for the summer. Which probably means you won't do so much personal stuff in the winter as every hour will be about keeping your heads above water. Where I am the businesses close for the winter but in the summer everyone's working as hard as they can to build up some financial reserves for the winter when the place closes down.
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FAQ
seasonnaires who don't have "proper jobs" survive from season to season these days? Are there traditional any ski bums left who don't have chalet boy/girl, reps type jobs? What do you do in the summer 
. Just waiting for the response that says "I know someone with a normal 9-5 office job who skis 100 days a year by 
....
