How to do a ski season
- TCK
- May 15
- 4 min read
We are often asked how do you ‘do’ a ski, or snowboard, season? Which can be a tricky question, as there are so many different ways! Getting started in the industry can seem daunting, especially as it can seem to be quite niche, and isn’t necessarily in the spotlight for people to easily understand how it works.
Perhaps the easiest way to break it down is to consider these three main questions:
What kind of work do you want to do?
Where do you want to go?
How determined are you?
What kind of work do you want to do
There are many different roles in a ski resort and it’s best to try and find something that matches your skills and personality, especially for more of a guarantee of success! Hospitality is at the heart of many jobs, although with different focuses in different roles. Where might you be most likely to succeed, given your skills and experience?
Chalet hosts and chefs work in chalets, providing catering, hosting and housekeeping to guests. Breakfast, afternoon tea, and a four course evening meal (including canapés) will regularly be offered in catered chalets. The level of service will vary, depending on the foundation of care each company promises, or which package a guest has selected. Hosts may need to be an impressive triple threat: cooking delicious and well presented meals; cleaning to a high level; and engaging guests with a combination of excellent interpersonal skills and setting the atmosphere just right in the chalet.
Ski technicians work in ski/snowboard rental shops. Here you’ll need to be able to offer customer service, while adapting rental equipment to different customers. A knowledge of skis, snowboards and being on the snow is pretty key here, although most employers will offer training on arrival.
Maintenance roles essentially do what they say on the tin! If something is broken, it’ll need fixing, and the maintenance folk get a wide range of problems to solve. Experience is an absolute necessity in this, although different companies will have different specific needs.
Drivers usually do what you might expect: transport guests to and from the slopes, rental shops, restaurants etc. However, there are employers who also require drivers to assist the chalet team with providing in-chalet customer service.
Where do you want to go?
As you might expect, each ski resort has its own unique aspect. Just as you choose where to live at home, think about where you could be happiest in the mountains. No matter where you end up getting a job offer though, you’ll be guaranteed breathtaking views and a very different way of life to the UK. Many people who work seasons end up doing more than one, to make the most of their time in these amazing places.
Many people who want to do a ski season will have already been to some resorts on holiday, and have a preference based on happy memories made there. However, it’s more common than you may think for first time seasonnaires to be starting from scratch. There’s no better way to learn or improve than on real slopes!
If you are a first time skier/snowboarder, research how tough the terrain is before committing to a location. You won’t have as much fun if you’re a beginner skier trying to muscle down steep slopes everyday. Although, you’d definitely improve more quickly!
However, perhaps you’ve been around the block a bit and you want to spend as much time as possible on the snow. In this case, look for a varied or large ski area, often across connecting locations. The off-piste or snow-park infrastructure may be better in certain towns, and some will host world championship races or competitions, which are always exciting to see.
Après is a central part of ski culture, and often a real high point for seasonnaires. Just as at home, there are certainly party towns. If a good party is important for you, check out a town’s reputation for lively pubs, clubs and bars. Family focussed resorts will still have great restaurants and bars, but with an earlier closing time.
How determined are you?
Like many other industries, winter season jobs are highly competitive! To maximise your chances of being successful, you will need to apply to a range of different companies in various resorts. Depending on your skill set, you could also consider more than one type of role. This will all mean that you will need to be organised and up to date with how each application develops and whether you may need to follow up on them.
Rejection can be hard to deal with, and may feel like a setback, but it is an inevitability. It may mean that you’re not quite right for that particular company but you should keep your head up and look at the other options! The more determined you are, the better your chances of securing a season.
Where should you be looking for job postings? Many companies will have career pages on their websites, through which you can apply to them directly. Also look at websites like skijobs.com for listings of roles. This can be especially useful to consider resorts or roles you may not have thought of previously.
