 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm interested to hear of other  who have left the UK for a life in the mountains making a living based on their love of all things skiing.
Why you may ask? I've had itchy feet for a while now, fairly well paid proffesional type (engineer) get lots of paid holidays etc good job security in the current climate etc. Lately I've been contemplating a move to Canada, but worry it will be same daily grind with less holidays to hit the slopes and lately I've been thinking money isn't everything it's more about the life style. It may be pie in the sky but what is required say if wanted to go to Austria, France Italy and set up my own Chalet? What are the black and white figures? Can you make a decent living or is it usually a case of just making ends meet but you have plenty of time to ski?
I'm CASI 3 qualified instructor, and speak converstational French and German at best!Could maybe offer to show punters the resort etc.
So how achievable is the dream? I currently get to ski maybe 3-4 weeks a seaon so do I just accept that I have to put up with the daily grind and look forward to my trips?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Calgary? Any engineering skillz that will transfer to the oilsands industry? Ski every weekend and "work from chairlift" days.
Flexible consulting gigs (work hard in summer, bum in winter)?
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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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I hope you get some good and inspiring posts on this - I'm toying with the idea of something like this - and at 28 have the time to shape a career to see it happen.
Someone recently suggested IT consultancy can work quite nicely from the Alps, since time zones/delayed responses can often be no issue, and fitted around slope time... Would you be able to find work in your current field as a backup (or top up) plan? Obviously chalet work/life is seasonal so I guess having a "summer job" would work well?
An English speaking destination would be the "easiest" transition I imagine, but outside of Europe the lifestyle change would be significant.
What family do you have and where? Would you miss them? 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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If you were in the Alps you wouldn't need to miss family, really - be no more difficult than living at opposite end of the UK.
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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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fatbob, I'm a Nuclear/Chemical Engineer I believe the Canadians are big on nuclear energy although I think the industry is mostly concentrated in the east? Need to Google 'Map of Nulcear power stations in Canada'. I guess the engineering skills are pretty transferable, I'd be at homke doing anything but electronics.
JaMMi, I'm also 28 and soon to be married but we both feel the same, it's wether we go for it or settle down have a few kids etc! I've spent a couple of seasons in Banff and NZ-time of my life but for me not a long term sustainable life style-I used to tell myself you've had your fun, get a well paid job and enjoy holidays.
ETA
Pam W has hit the nail on the head, the Alps are a short flight away, Canada not so much. My own chalet would certainly be a draw for people to come to me anyhow. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Doesn't seem to be working for me that linkkewhoward, ?
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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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cad99uk, Cheers!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Hmm, getting ideas for an IT consultancy run from a slope-side chalet with a sideline business offering ski guides and mountain bike guiding days with accomodation to keep the funds and fun going in the quieter days.. 
That'd be great!
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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 know that there is a very strong engineering presence around Grenoble, especially nuclear flavoured with some major international players based around there. Some of the companies even have english speaking offices. The resorts of L2A and ADH are both only an hour our so drive away.
Grenoble is not the prettiest of places though.
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I thought about this too. My eventual solution was a home based consultancy business which allows the flexibility to work remotely (i.e. with internet access) and take large amounts of time off. I've managed to get to a point where I can take a whole month off to go skiing and do a little bit of work in the evenings to keep the business ticking over. Longer term I hope to extend this idea to working remotely for the whole ski season. I have no particular desire to live in the mountains over the summer months and in fact I prefer being in the UK outside of the ski season.
I think working for yourself is the only way to get the flexibility to take time off when it suits. Not many employers will tolerate holidays longer than a couple of weeks at a time.
Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much  on Thu 8-12-11 17:59; edited 1 time in total
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You know it makes sense.
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sd2010, Bit left field and has a bit of a bad rep re being the dirtbag version of Vegas but Reno has lots going for it IMV.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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Grizwald, I think it's worth a shot. Two seasons in, our chalet business is working out OK - better than expected, in fact. The real gain, eventually, may be in our property rather than from running the business, but we certainly get to live in a much nicer house than we did back in the UK, not to mention the skiing and all the rest of the mountain stuff you can do.
I wouldn't be tempted by what some are suggesting - live in a well placed city and do a real job Mon-Fri - as the best bit about being here is skiing whenever I want; weekends only would be second-best. The worst that can happen to delay my powder day is that someone is a bit slow eating breakfast, but there are ways to deal with that... For anyone doing this kind of thing who doesn't 'find time' to ski, they definitely don't want to enough. I think that's the case for a lot of people who previously thought they were really keen, so maybe that's something to think hard about before committing. We haven't become fair weather skiers yet, and I don't think we will. Nor do we find the skiing on our doorstep in any way limiting - I really wondered if I'd get itchy feet but find it's the reverse: why waste travel time when it's all here and you know where to find the best stuff?
In terms of money, we were surprised to find this part of Switzerland a lot cheaper than Aosta/Italy where we were initially looking. That was when the pound was worth nearly twice what it is now, but it's still possible to get the kind of return the banks look for out of this kind of business.
Based in Europe, I'd say the issues about leaving friends and family are practically nil - it's not that far, and you'll be moving to an amazing environment; besides, there will be people (= potential friends).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
is it usually a case of just making ends meet but you have plenty of time to ski?
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More or less. What's wrong with that?
Not sure right now is the best time to be sinking a lot of cash into Europe though. Possibly better wait until we're sure whether or not we have a currency, and if so which one. 
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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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7 years in Verbier. 3.X CHF to GBP when I started. 1.8CHF to GBP when I left. It's very possible to set up a profitable chalet company. Used to do 100+ days per season.
Moved to Canada 2.5 years ago. Less ski days but far better quality of life. PM if you have questions.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Come to Calgary.
What sort of engineer are you? I am geotech and OH is water/dirty water (consultants). Both our companies recruit from UK and have a fair few brits.
We each get 4 weeks leave a year and there is I think 3 more bank holidays, so we are on less holiday than UK but only just. Also at my company we get paid for all the hours we work, so have a long day at site? Get paid and extra few hours or Bank the time and take more time off. Very flexible re attitude to work here, treated like a grown up. Far less back stabby types. Far more relaxed; we find people work less than UK and have a better work-life balance. Far better career opportunities, far better salaries and bonuses than engineering in UK (assuming you are a civil engineer?) Why wouldn't you? Assuming you are a consulting civil you can probably get yourself a relocation deal; if you don't like it move 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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I worked in the catering industry for some time and one thing you should remember is that you are there to please all of the people all of the time. Whilst some people manage it those that change career and go into the business (and I include chalet/hotel/B&B) without any training can fail miserably as they do not understand what other people need/desire, just watch The Hotel Inspector for examples. For those who make it work, well done, for those who can't it will be very tough. Ironically I moved from catering to engineering (sort of). Then add in the in the foreign factors.
But I do wish you the best of luck.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I stand to be corrected but I doubt if there is money in the skiing. Perhaps it is OK if one is working a dead end job in UK. However if you are successful (or could become successful) and are working in the city enjoying 100k salary then you should be able to ski every year as far as the job permits.
Skiing may be different if you have to do it as a day job taking clients out like a grind.
It must to do with what you can do with the years when you are in your prime; go out to play or make a success out of yourself in what you are doing.
My point is depending how far you want with the skiing you can also enjoy skiing with a successful career. The writing on the wall is it is much harder to make a success out of skiing.
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Save up and move out for a season- see if you like it. Bf and I are 29 and 34, getting married in 2013 so I guess not too dissimilar from yourselves. We're not ready to move abroad permanently just yet, but neither did we fancy working in chalets full time so we saved up, rented an apartment and we're off.
Anyone can do anything with a bit of effort and planning
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There are different versions of the dream.
At 40 something we both quit work, sold our house and with the proceeds bought a very cheap building plot 40 mins from La Mongie and are now almost two years into a self build, having only had the outside shell of the house built for us. The main living room still has plasterboard walls and ceiling and a chipboard floor. We are yet to have elctricity connected!
We live on a tiny budget - all household 45euro a week. We don't buy things anymore (apart from platerboard, screws and horsemuck...) but as a consequence have season passes so can ski whenever we like and the rest of the time, walk, cycle, garden (which feeds us), take the motorbikes out, or just one if we can't afford fuel for both.
We have a stream of visitors and get back to the UK twice a year. We wouldn't have seen most people more often that that anyway and once a year is once too often for the in-laws.
Down sides? Loads - no budget to replace ten year old boots and skis, worry if the car/motorcycles break down. No cakes, biscuits, chocolate, books, CDs, new clothes, gadgets. And you just have to look at the current snow reports to see why buying here was so much cheaper than the Alps. But then I was gardening in shorts yesterday.
This is the dream for us and we have no regrets. Good luck (I'd go to Calgary, if I could  )
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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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We both moved to Geneva on corporate gigs. We have a small business in chamonix as well which provides accommodation (albeit at a effort cost) and justifies season pass.
We love Geneva, are in the mountains most weekends and have no regrets.
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I was skiing two weeks ago with a guy who is a doctor in Grenoble but just works Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, he skis the rest of the time.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| saikee wrote: |
| what you can do with the years when you are in your prime; go out to play or make a success out of yourself in what you are doing. |
The two are not mutually exclusive... Not everyone defines success in terms of salary. Indeed, having fun and getting enjoyment out of life more often than not whilst you are in your prime seems to me to be a pretty successful way of living. Who knows if you'll make it beyond your prime? There is only one thing guaranteed in life...
Stella it sounds like you really love being the French Tom and Barbara Good!
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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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Thanks for all those who've replied. Seems like a viable self ran chalet requires more capital than I'll have. We're going out to Canada (Vancouver and Vancouver Island areas) to visit family next year and get in a few weeks skiiing and it will be in the back of our minds to weigh things up as a possible move. This seems maybe like the most viable option at them moment. Hopefully hit Calgary and then on to the West coast.
gryphea, I'm a Nuclear Engineer but I guess it quite transferable into other areas, also have a MEng in Minerals Engineering and Contaminated Land Clearance. Quite frankly I get a stupid ammoutn of holidays currently which allows me allot of great holidays- 3 or 4 weeks skiing and other holidays in the summmer. Get 28.5 days leave, bank holidays and work 3 hours a week extra (un-piad) which gets another 13 days leave to take.
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Stella, that sounds like an interesting but hard life - thanks for telling us your story. maybe check back with an update every now and then? It would be good to hear how you're getting on.
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You know it makes sense.
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Grizwald, You are living the dream. Stay as you are is my advice.
I hope you won't take this the wrong way, but are your 'itchy feet' definitely only caused by work/skiing balance issues? Give that some thought perhaps? 
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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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You do get a lot of holidays. Here we get 11 bank holidays which I think is 3 more than UK. I can bank my time; like you do, but our standard working week is 40 hrs.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Just to give you the other side of the coin .....
If you were to move to the Alps, flying to Canada might not be so easy as from the UK. Interconnecting flights from European capitals could mean higher costs and longer journey times.
At the moment you can ski 3 to 4 weeks per year and fly to many destinations, living local = skiing the same resorts most of the time.
Living local to a ski resort (esp. without being fluent in the local language) could seriously affect your level of income. There are other things in life than skiing - you may compromise your ability to afford such things (e.g. Children).
It's hard to say what is right for you but I think the trick is to make your decision and not to bang yourself over the head thinking the other possibility was the right choice for the next 60 years.
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FAQ
No contest IMO.
