I wanna work in the ski industry, but with all due respect, I'm too highly educated (top 20 school in the US) to work in retail. I've contacted a shit ton of brands and enterprises for internship purposes and applied to countless opportunities. what's a good place to start? I have some time (college freshman) but want to start this summer so I can set a good footing into the industry I have a passion in.
How to get job in ski industry
- Thread starter lusch0
- Start date
kvan
Active member
You'd be amazed at all the connections you can make if you work at a shop, don't ever discredit a stepping stone job. Just because you're going for a degree it doesn't grant you automatic access to the "dream" job you're looking for regardless of what school you're going to. What degree are you going for just out of curiosity? Honestly it's all about who you know these days.
**This post was edited on Mar 4th 2023 at 6:19:22pm
**This post was edited on Mar 4th 2023 at 6:19:22pm
BradFiAusNzCoCa
Active member
Shops and smaller ski builders. Just send out a ton of emails honestly.
Schoess
Active member
I technically "work in the ski industry" as a part time side gig, but I just want to offer a bit of perspective...
For a long time I dreamed about working in skiing. I have made videos for awhile now and wanted to be doing something I love everyday. I tried it in the Midwest and explored a bunch of avenues as to how I might be able to make a career in skiing work. Long story short, I don't think as many people TRULY want to work in the ski industry as they say they do. Ski careers in general (not always) are more demanding and tend to pay less than the same job at a "normal company". It's very competitive to get those jobs as well and even then, what happens when the industry isn't dong so well? How safe is your job? Everyone has different career requirements, but for me I want to make good money, have a good work life balance, not dread going to work everyday and feel like I have good job security, even if the economy isn't doing so hot.
So now you may be wondering, what route did I go?
I work as a software engineer for a large healthcare company. I don't use my physical body to earn a living like a carpenter or machinist would so I can ski hard without the fear of getting hurt and being out of work. I have benefits, PTO, I work 100% from home and can move wherever in the world I want (I moved to SLC). My work life balance is awesome 98% of the time and my day to day job stress is normally very low. I enjoy what I do and have plenty of time to ski, exercise, cook and stay healthy, do shit with homies, go on trips etc. My wife and I make enough to be happy and we even bought a tiny house in SLC with no trust fund! \claim... Beyond that, I'm still as involved as ever with skiing. I make NS videos, I help out with some homies movies throughout the season, I support the ON3P team and make videos for them as well. Skiing is enough of a job for me to be fun and engaging with those projects, without becoming something I don't want to think about in my free time.
All that said, maybe you do want to work in the ski industry. Maybe you don't. But making your living in a goods, stable and enjoyable job outside of skiing may help you love and enjoy skiing without some of the stressors of working in the industry. There are many paths to take in life, Scott at ON3P has grinded for years to make the best skis on earth, some dudes like Khai Krepala go from pro skier to TM or marketing manager, passionate dudes like yourself could definitely end up working at a dope small company or maybe even a larger ski company wearing a few hats and kicking ass. I just want you to begin to think about life after school and your long-term goals, financially, family wise, skiing wise and how you want to be living when you're 30, 40, 50 or retired. Also feel free to hmu if you ever want to discuss shit like this more. There's a lot that could be discussed back and forth that would be constructive in helping make long term decisions.
For a long time I dreamed about working in skiing. I have made videos for awhile now and wanted to be doing something I love everyday. I tried it in the Midwest and explored a bunch of avenues as to how I might be able to make a career in skiing work. Long story short, I don't think as many people TRULY want to work in the ski industry as they say they do. Ski careers in general (not always) are more demanding and tend to pay less than the same job at a "normal company". It's very competitive to get those jobs as well and even then, what happens when the industry isn't dong so well? How safe is your job? Everyone has different career requirements, but for me I want to make good money, have a good work life balance, not dread going to work everyday and feel like I have good job security, even if the economy isn't doing so hot.
So now you may be wondering, what route did I go?
I work as a software engineer for a large healthcare company. I don't use my physical body to earn a living like a carpenter or machinist would so I can ski hard without the fear of getting hurt and being out of work. I have benefits, PTO, I work 100% from home and can move wherever in the world I want (I moved to SLC). My work life balance is awesome 98% of the time and my day to day job stress is normally very low. I enjoy what I do and have plenty of time to ski, exercise, cook and stay healthy, do shit with homies, go on trips etc. My wife and I make enough to be happy and we even bought a tiny house in SLC with no trust fund! \claim... Beyond that, I'm still as involved as ever with skiing. I make NS videos, I help out with some homies movies throughout the season, I support the ON3P team and make videos for them as well. Skiing is enough of a job for me to be fun and engaging with those projects, without becoming something I don't want to think about in my free time.
All that said, maybe you do want to work in the ski industry. Maybe you don't. But making your living in a goods, stable and enjoyable job outside of skiing may help you love and enjoy skiing without some of the stressors of working in the industry. There are many paths to take in life, Scott at ON3P has grinded for years to make the best skis on earth, some dudes like Khai Krepala go from pro skier to TM or marketing manager, passionate dudes like yourself could definitely end up working at a dope small company or maybe even a larger ski company wearing a few hats and kicking ass. I just want you to begin to think about life after school and your long-term goals, financially, family wise, skiing wise and how you want to be living when you're 30, 40, 50 or retired. Also feel free to hmu if you ever want to discuss shit like this more. There's a lot that could be discussed back and forth that would be constructive in helping make long term decisions.
I retract the top 20 school message, I didn’t intend it to be like demeaning or anything, I just feel like that gives me some technical validation per say if I were to go the engineering route, a degree from a top school in engineering would be validating versus not having one, just my two cents
thanks for the responses though, I think I’ve probably tried to email or get in touch with a shit ton of brands. I really wanna make this happen
thanks for the responses though, I think I’ve probably tried to email or get in touch with a shit ton of brands. I really wanna make this happen
AngryGramps
Member
Working in a ski shop/understanding the retail side of things will help a ton- it doesn't have to be YEARS in a shop but a season or two will make you the right connections. Loads of ski industry people do respect a competitive degree, but the jobs are SO sought after that you will likely have to take a bit of a pay cut/title cut over any other industry to break in. Remember, loads of people get into the ski industry as a "passion" career after they flame out of their first career choice so you are often competing with people that have lots of professional experience but very little industry-specific experience. for that reason alone, ski shop jobs are super helpful.
Also, don't underestimate the retail space. They make the ski industry happen- while it is exciting to be with a brand, buyers are one of the best-paid positions in the category and will often make more than the reps they are buying from and generally have more free time to ski. They also get the larger end of all those industry perks that make the world go around (free skis, free trips, etc). Most large-scale buyers are highly educated with some sales floor experience.
If you are a college freshman, just focus on meeting people and living a little. ski shops are fun. skiers are fun. you will make friends and that is where your jobs will come from. You will make enough money for beer and learn a lot if you are doing it right.
Don't forget to actually ski every now and then as well ;-) it doesn't get easier to get more days, I'll tell you that much. Especially if you plan on working in the industry.
Also, don't underestimate the retail space. They make the ski industry happen- while it is exciting to be with a brand, buyers are one of the best-paid positions in the category and will often make more than the reps they are buying from and generally have more free time to ski. They also get the larger end of all those industry perks that make the world go around (free skis, free trips, etc). Most large-scale buyers are highly educated with some sales floor experience.
If you are a college freshman, just focus on meeting people and living a little. ski shops are fun. skiers are fun. you will make friends and that is where your jobs will come from. You will make enough money for beer and learn a lot if you are doing it right.
Don't forget to actually ski every now and then as well ;-) it doesn't get easier to get more days, I'll tell you that much. Especially if you plan on working in the industry.
GayWolf420
Active member
Sales, Marketing, Retail, IT stuff, basically anything that helps support either shops or the resorts themselves. There is no such thing as a livable career working on the hill. You have better chances working behind the scenes.
Brule.
Active member
14515985:kvan said:
THIS.
Backstory for me: I have a bachelor’s in poli sci and a paralegal certificate. I was working for a real estate attorney and lost my job bc the market has been shit the past 3 months. I just started working in a shop recently and I’m absolutely loving what I’m doing. So far I’ve been working on the retail side and some tasks in the tuning department, but it’s making me truly understand the consumer base, as well as how people treat their equipment. I’m hoping to step it up a notch in the future and go towards working with bootfitting to truly understand what people want in a boot, as well as the fact I’m very fascinated with the direction ski boot technology is headed.
Hopefully this gives you some inspo, OP.
Krivanosan
New member
Getting into the ski industry sounds exciting! I totally get wanting to leverage your education and passion without starting at the bottom. When I was in college, I was in a similar spot. I found reaching out directly to smaller ski resorts or gear shops often led to more opportunities than big brands. One summer, I landed a gig at a local resort doing social media and events—started as an intern and got more involved over time. It might take a few tries, but stay persistent!
Krivanosan
New member
One summer, I landed a gig at a local resort doing social media and events—started as an intern and got more involved over time. It might take a few tries, but stay persistent! Also, consider checking out hrd corp claimable courses for skills that could stand out.