Best resort In US to spend season

R

robertsheetz

Member
Yo, i'm 18 and I live in New Zealand, I'm coming to the US from end of Nov til end of Feb to ski , I've been told a bunch of different things about where I should go. I would get a job to pay my way, not sure on the mountain (park crew, ski instructor, snow maker, lifty?) or not, maybe restaurant? I am a US citizen with a passport so permission to work won't be a problem. I just need some advice on where a good place for me to go is as i've never skiied in the USA, and a good job to get, I want to be skiing as much as possible, obviously the place needs a killer park. At the moment I'm either thinking Mammoth or Park City, potentially Aspen or Breck, I got offered a part time ski instructing job in Aspen, but not sure if I want to take it as I've heard ski instructors tend to be over worked and under paid. A resort town with a sick night life would be ideal.

Any advice would be most appreciated! Thanks dudes!
 
Being under 21 is really going to hold you back when it comes to nightlife in a ski town, just saying.

As for resorts, don't do aspen. Park city, Mammoth, Breck/Key, Whistler all great choices. You're going to get a job that you're overworked and get shit pay, thats just how the world works.
 
I gonna disagree with you on this but thats because I love Aspen. Everything else ehv said is true.

Any where you go your gonna get paid shit, over worked, kicked out of clubs, wounder why you agreed to this shitty job. There a thousand other ski bums who are willing to take your place so just keep that in mind.

Best option for you probably: Find a ski town you want to ski/work. Get a night job. Find cheap place close to mnt to live. Buy pass. Ski in the day. work at night.

From working Aspen/snowmass the last three years (and proably a 4th) It's really well roundedn in the sense you can find whatever you want to ski. Want park? go Buttermilk or snowmass. Want glades? Go Aspen. Want Steep? go highands or snowmass. You get the idea.
 
go to cANADA in BC you will be legal drinking age and you can ski whis big white, silverstar,..
 
Do you have any experience working for ski resorts, hospitality or retail?

Do you plan on getting a vehicle while here?

Would you stay longer than Feb if they initially requested (march can be a big month depending on the resort).

Do you have a budget you need to stay within?

Do you have any other places you'd like to see while you're out here?

Do you want a party for a few months vibe or a ski hard with people that are way better than you vibe?

Do you want luxury, fur hat, black card carrying moms or half asian, snowboarding moms?

Do you want your transplants to be from the midwest or the east coast?

Do you want your tourists to wear cowboy hats or have newer outerwear than you do?

Do people telling you to slow down bother you?

Do you like American football?

Do mormon girls turn you on?

Please fill out survey for better results.
 
Do you have any experience working for ski resorts, hospitality or retail? I have loads of catering/ waitering experience, tray service, food, dinner, bar etc working in catering since I was 15. No ski resort and minimal retail experience

Do you plan on getting a vehicle while here? Depends on where I end up and if I feel the need for it.

Would you stay longer than Feb if they initially requested (march can be a big month depending on the resort).

No my University in NZ starts end of Feb so I have to be back by then.

Do you have a budget you need to stay within?

Will be going over with about 3 grand in my pocket, I have already booked flights

Do you have any other places you'd like to see while you're out here?

Not really, I've been to US before with my family, done all the touristy stuff, am more keen to focus my time and money on skiing

Do you want a party for a few months vibe or a ski hard with people that are way better than you vibe?

A bit of both, I want to progress a lot while I'm over there, but also have loads of fun and not feel too much pressure for my skiing

Do you want luxury, fur hat, black card carrying moms or half asian, snowboarding moms?

I couldnt care less about where I am, as long as I've got a flat pretty close to the mountain and a job to pay my way.

Do you want your transplants to be from the midwest or the east coast?

Not sure what this means, both

Do you want your tourists to wear cowboy hats or have newer outerwear than you do?

Don't care

Do people telling you to slow down bother you?

No, fact of life

Do you like American football?

Haven't really followed it

Do mormon girls turn you on?

Oh so much

Please fill out survey for better results.
 
Aspen is really not a bad place to be an instructor, I know a bunch of people who make over 30k a season there. You're obviously not going to make that your first year, but they really do treat you better than most resorts, and it's not a bad place to ski either, not the best, certainly, but definitely good.
 
Sorry, I wasn't trying to say aspen sucks, its a fun place. But, given the choice to go anywhere, aspen wouldnt be my #1 choice.
 
My dad was in your same position around 20 years ago and found work in tahoe and good skiing.
 
Killington has some really good places to go for apres after skiing. They typically open very early in November. I'm not sure about being an instructor there (it might give you a discounted pass?) but in early December, the mountain has a lot of great events like Rails 2 Riches, and their park crew is phenomenal. Not sure about other resorts and their night life on the east coast, but there might be more luck finding apres ski at resorts out west.
 
If you want terrain park and culture, gotta go with Park City or Breck. Although I'm sure Mammoth or a Tahoe resort would be great too.
 
Breck is really fun, I had a few friends who lived out there two winters ago so I spent a lot of time there. The parks are great there and it's pretty easy to find house parties if you're not 21 or the occasional bar that isn't carding if you look a little bit older. There's also free buses everywhere so you don't need a car. The only downside is that the mountains are pretty boring and flat compared to elsewhere.

Tahoe is also pretty cool and has good parks and better mountain skiing, but everything is pretty spread out and you need a car or friends with cars.
 
1bij.jpg
 
Not sure on park city....

Mammoth: I sold my car over a year ago. I only use public transport, even for going to LA/Reno. It's frequent (every 10 to 15 in the winter) and reliable as long as no one in front of it gets in a car accident.

There is also a gondola in one of the town centers (there are 2) that takes you to the mountain. I live a 4 min walk to the gondola, so I typically take that.

Rent costs... I pay $800 in the winter with utilities included for a 850 sq ft 1 bedroom.

Only difficult tasks for me are laundry and trash.
 
Park city has a free bus system, its very active in the winter including 1am and 2am late night buses that go around the town and busses every 10-15 to go anywhere from 6am-10pm
 
do yourself a favor and do not even entertain yourself with the idea of working for whistler if the only citizenship you have is american
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top