Park shaper job

JibbaTheHutt

JibbaTheHutt

Active member
ok, so i know there has been a thread on this somewhere but i have searchbared the shit out of it and cannot find anything.....so pretty much i am planning ahead abit but the season after next i am going to do my first full season and was thinking about trying to get a park shaper job.... what do you have to do to get one???? obviously be a good rider but what else?

 
Contact the different areas that your thinking of working at and find out what they expect from a Park shaper, where are you looking to do this anyway, UK, Europe or America ?
 
Not necessarily. As a ride-on-the-clock job that involves a pretty cool side of the sport, there's a lot of competition at some hills. Pretty much everyone who isn't a supervisor or management at Stevens wants to be on park crew or ski patrol.

I certainly wouldn't have gotten my park crew spot without knowing the people doing the hiring; my guess is that it runs this way most of the time. So get your foot in the door.

Park crews have a reputation for being lazy, and there's certainly an element of that. But if you work hard, follow directions, make it known that you're interested, and care about the outcome of your work, you'll find yourself with some great opportunities. Basically, don't be a bro.

Though I haven't much experience, my guess is that the middle-level areas/resorts are the best places to start work on a park crew. That way, you get some influence in park design, which is the real fun part, and there's at least some semblance of budget to do cool things.

It's hard to find something as satisfying, as a park skier, as raking out and then hitting something that you designed.

Best of luck with your search.
 
at my local mtn you have to be able to hit almost every jib/ jump.good at planing the park design ( rail/jump placemen, good lines)thats basically itoh and you have to be chill
 
at my local mtn you have to be able to hit almost every jib/ jump.good at planing the park design ( rail/jump placemen, good lines)thats basically itoh and you have to be chill
 
i ve done it in les 2 alpes for a whole summer, you just show up and if they saw you hit the big jump you re good.

:D
 
I work park crew at my local mountain.......this is the best answer you will get. And it helps if you kill it, have a competition resume, or have contacts in the industry. Good luck, it's one of the best jobs in the world.
 
Be prepared to work a lot! My mountain turns down a lot of park crew applicants because all they want to do is snowboard all day and get high.
 
I'm guessing that you're looking for a job in Europe, because that's the only place where the term "park shaper" is used.

In contrast to what someone said above, being a good rider does not have much to do with being a good shaper, although it certainly helps. You should know how every kind of feature should be shaped, and preferably be able to ride it yourself to make sure that what you build actually works the way you wanted it to.

More important than this, though, is the physical and mental strength needed to perform manual labor for long periods of time, in all imaginable weather conditions, usually for a wage that's laughable.

I won't lie, being a shaper is a fucking great job, but it's not all fun and games, and if you're not interested in hard work, especially when everyone else around you is having fun (like shoveling out the park on a pow day), then it's not for you.

All that said, QParks is a good option to check out if it's your first season and you don't have any connections. Without experience or connections, it's really hard to land a job in the park.
 
This is what I basically look for when im hiring a new crew member, just the nuts and bolts...

· Snowboard or ski with advanced ability

· Test features within riding/jumping ability

· Ability to ride 80% of features in the terrain parks

· Frequent lifting weights of 50lbs +

· Ability to handle any department needs at any time.

· Self starter with the ability to work with others

· Demonstrates the ability to communicate effectively in oral and written form

· Present a positive, mature, professional and positive attitude

If you can meet all these and show up to work, have a good attitude, and have some mountain experience ( not just skiing somewhere either like a season of work at a mountain.) I like hiring lifties because they learn how to rake and can interact with guests well...

 
I worked for them for 2 days till I got hurt at the start of the season. they are rad to work for and they build really nice parks, but I think for your first year you can only be from the old European countries. at least it said that when I applied.
 
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