Ski area workers - how much do you get paid?

milk_man

milk_man

Active member
Looking into this for curiosities sake and to gather information to possibly be used by a ski area. If you work at a ski area I would like to know:

-what is your position?

-what is your hourly wage?

-do you get paid a different rate on weekends?

-if you are snowmaking etc, do you work nights or days?

-what ski area do you work at?

Any input is helpful. Thanks!
 
-Liftie

-Euro12,32 ($13,72)

-Yeah, increase on sundays. I get a euro or two extra/h

-N/A

-Can't tell you, this is classified information
 
Liftie

Minimum Wage (9.75)

No

Snowmaking at our hill works nights primarily

Kissing Bridge, NY
 
Instructor, Photographer, and Sales Associate in Ski Shop

$10.10/hour (for instructing thats hours spent in lessons, not just free skiing on days I'm scheduled to work)

Slight bonus for requested privates, if you are PSIA certified, or if it is last minute/holiday.

Snowmaking works both days and nights, since they are trying to work in specific windows of time and temps.

Ski Sundown
 
-what is your position? trail crew/snow farming

-what is your hourly wage? 13$

-do you get paid a different rate on weekends? no

-if you are snowmaking etc, do you work nights or days?

-what ski area do you work at? sunshine village banff
 
-rental worker

-11ish euro/hour

-yup, on sundays we get double payment (almost everyone who works on sundays in finland gets it)

-i work at levi ski resort
 
Past positions: lifty, event specialist, snowcat driver. Current: livein caretaker

15hr, 15hr, 17hr, 13hr in order of job.

No.

Snow makers on our hill work both (3 shifts actually) and night guys get hazard pay for night work.

Aspen ski Company.
 
-what is your position?

Instructor

-what is your hourly wage?

$13.80?? +tips

-do you get paid a different rate on weekends?

Nah

-what ski area do you work at?

SV
 
-what is your position? park

-what is your hourly wage? $13.00

-do you get paid a different rate on weekends? nope

-if you are snowmaking etc, do you work nights or days? yes. working park, me and the other full time guy would switch nights and days every week. day guy would be on from 10am to 5pm and night guy would be on from 4pm till usually 11:30pm or sometimes later if there is a build happening.

-what ski area do you work at? Rabbit Hill.
 
Ski instructor

8.50 an hour that i taught, also had to work 5 days a week to keep my season pass, so I essentially ended up being required to be at my mountain for around 400 hours this winter and I barely made 450$ and it was a 30 min drive each way, (10/10) would not reccomend honestly the shittiest job I've ever had, on the days I had off they forced me to sign in and work if they needed people, (sorry op kinda went on a rant)

our snowmakers work when needed, generally night but since I'm on the ice coast, if we needed snow and temps were right they would make in day

Tussey Mountain
 
CSIA Level 1 ski instructor

Most recently made 16.50/hour working in Alberta. Was available full time, but got anywhere from 4-30 hours a week.Supplemented hours by working lifts, food and beverage and park shaping. at 13.50/hour

As a park manager in Canada's far East:

14.50/hour, anywhere from 20-60 hours a week
 
Patrol

12.50 at one hill and 16 at my current

payment is the same all week long

no snowmaking at my last job, the new one is nights

Sunshine Village and Canada Olympic Park
 
-what is your position? Rentals

-what is your hourly wage? $7.85 (newbies are 7.25) with 50% off food while on the clock

-do you get paid a different rate on weekends? no

-what ski area do you work at? Perfect North

Not in it for the money nor is it my main source of income, just thoroughly enjoy the work and atmosphere

Interesting thread OP.
 
You park crew guys get 13 an hour?? What the fuck

I got 9.75 the last two years. Fuck new york
 
Park crew/designer/builder, snowmaker, cat driver, liftie.

$12.50

No different wages except for holidays and overtime.

Daytime snow maker (7-7)

Hidden valley highlands.
 
cooking pizzas at the ratskeller in government camp on hood (owned by ski bowl so free passes and shit) 12.50 plus tips, tho i just quit and moved to bend
 
13821207:skiP.E.I. said:
CSIA Level 1 ski instructor

Most recently made 16.50/hour working in Alberta. Was available full time, but got anywhere from 4-30 hours a week.Supplemented hours by working lifts, food and beverage and park shaping. at 13.50/hour

As a park manager in Canada's far East:

14.50/hour, anywhere from 20-60 hours a week
Click to expand...

As a level 1 instructor you were making $16.50? Lol, a lot of lift mechanics don't make that, that's crazy.
 
park crew grunt

13/hr+1.50/hr retention bonus

no

mostly daytime

scumshine villas

but I just started maintenance for the summer and I'm making almost $3 more

it's not an industry that you work in to make money. people pay a lot of money to go on ski trips, but if you work at the mountain you get to live their dream every day. it's not baller money but if you're not a fucking moron it's easy to break even.
 
13821745:casual said:
As a level 1 instructor you were making $16.50? Lol, a lot of lift mechanics don't make that, that's crazy.
Click to expand...

Well I was considered "Level 1 plus" because I have a lot of experience and ski at a much higher level. Also where i was working, the instructors get a good wage because sometimes there are only a few shifts in a pay period, even for full time instructors. Minimum wage in Alberta is 13.50/hour I think too.

I actually was paid a little better than that instructing in PEI, because the ski hill here is a provincial park, paying government wages.
 
13820452:DavidCarlsson said:
-Liftie

-Euro12,32 ($13,72)

-Yeah, increase on sundays. I get a euro or two extra/h

-N/A

-Can't tell you, this is classified information
Click to expand...

What the fuck. You show me your pay stub right now, i quit my job and i come work for you
 
I've tried out a little bit of everything. The jobs have all been in Finland and i got the same pay on weekends.

Ski instructor - 16-22€ hour depending on ski area.

Liftie/rental shop - 10-11€ hour

park building and maintenance - 11€ hour or voluntary work

Ski restaurant - 10-11€ hour

Snowmaking was mostly during nights, sometimes during days aswell when it was the beginning of the season
 
13821745:casual said:
As a level 1 instructor you were making $16.50? Lol, a lot of lift mechanics don't make that, that's crazy.
Click to expand...

Pretty standard across the board that instructors make more than lift mechanics, pisses us right off but goes to show where ski areas think the money deserves to go. ski school is a profit machine, fuck all of us who have a mad specific skill set and work year round busting ass to keep shitty lifts turning...

-what is your position? level II lift mechanic

-what is your hourly wage? $15.50/hr

-do you get paid a different rate on weekends? negative, I work weds-sat all year long, pay never changes based on season or day of the week.

-if you are snowmaking etc, do you work nights or days? our snowmakers have day shift and night shift guys, only two of them stay on for summer to do maintenance on compressors and water lines etc, most of the crew works as soon as fall hits and its cold enough and get laid off around mid december, still get a free season pass though and a lot of them segway into grooming once snowmaking season ends.

-what ski area do you work at? big sky, montana
 
-Snowboard/ski instructor (Anwärter)

- I think a bit over €10, not really specified (€1350 per month if you work 6 full days a week)

- Sunday is a normal working day; festive days (easter, boxing day, newyears etc) double pay, saturday is normally your day off so if you do work and it's your seventh day of working in a row you also get paid double I think

-Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis, Austria
 
I am a park builder and park manager in Norway, Myrkdalen.

My pay works out to about 23 euros an hour, however I do get holiday pay as well which is a one time yearly payment of about 2000 euros.

I work any hour of the day. The pay is very good, but I am also expected to work any hour with very short notice, so not much of a social life really.
 
Job: park stuff

Wage: hopefully enough to party

Same rate on weekends

Working day crew mostly

At the moment working at Afriski

Most places pay the same rate on weekends in the states. Sometimes grave shift with get a better hourly wage.
 
13822079:Daph said:
Pretty standard across the board that instructors make more than lift mechanics, pisses us right off but goes to show where ski areas think the money deserves to go. ski school is a profit machine, fuck all of us who have a mad specific skill set and work year round busting ass to keep shitty lifts turning...

-what is your position? level II lift mechanic

-what is your hourly wage? $15.50/hr

Absolutely agree that lift mechanics make less than half of what you should.

Your dollar is a good bit more valuable though and groceries and fuel are much cheaper in the States.
Click to expand...
 
-what is your position?

Park Crew/Assistant Manager

-what is your hourly wage?

$10/hr for digger, increase in pay each year. $15/hr for assistant manager

-do you get paid a different rate on weekends?

Nope

-if you are snowmaking etc, do you work nights or days?

As part of the mountain operations team, I did work some snowmaking (my rate didn't change), I worked days (my normal hours were 6am-2pm weekdays, 5am-2pm weekends). But, we have snowmaking around the clock when necessary.

-what ski area do you work at?

Ski Sundown

Note - this was all 2 years ago, and my position was very individualized because of my particular skills.
 
Asst. Hill operations manager

16.50 per hour plus 6.4% bonus of remaining budget

I work night and day snow making depends on the time of year and build the t park
 
Snowmaking

13 hr

I worked 2nd and 1st shift 6am/2pm and 2pm-10pm

If you don't mind getting soaking wet in below freezing weather, and working at the same time.
 
13822079:Daph said:
Pretty standard across the board that instructors make more than lift mechanics, pisses us right off but goes to show where ski areas think the money deserves to go. ski school is a profit machine, fuck all of us who have a mad specific skill set and work year round busting ass to keep shitty lifts turning...

-what is your position? level II lift mechanic

-what is your hourly wage? $15.50/hr

-do you get paid a different rate on weekends? negative, I work weds-sat all year long, pay never changes based on season or day of the week.

-if you are snowmaking etc, do you work nights or days? our snowmakers have day shift and night shift guys, only two of them stay on for summer to do maintenance on compressors and water lines etc, most of the crew works as soon as fall hits and its cold enough and get laid off around mid december, still get a free season pass though and a lot of them segway into grooming once snowmaking season ends.

-what ski area do you work at? big sky, montana
Click to expand...

What sort of special training do you need? At $15.50 you're making about what a car mechanic makes starting out (maybe a hair less). That's just how your line of work is valued, not just lift mechanics. If you want more then do something more specialized that takes more training like airplanes. The market probably values instructors more skill being able to ski well enough to teach is more of a niche skill. I do think lift mechanic should make more though
 
13821782:GORILLAWALLACE said:
park crew grunt

13/hr+1.50/hr retention bonus

no

mostly daytime

scumshine villas

but I just started maintenance for the summer and I'm making almost $3 more

it's not an industry that you work in to make money. people pay a lot of money to go on ski trips, but if you work at the mountain you get to live their dream every day. it's not baller money but if you're not a fucking moron it's easy to break even.
Click to expand...

ya i aswell worked on sunshine park crew with this idiot. And ya it was fairly good money for how much skiing you get in. You get too ski all day for work and it doesnt get any better than that!
 
Ski Instructor

Minimum ($10)

No different rate on weekend

n/a

Mount Snow

--- Only work a max of ~6 hours a day - but get a SHIT TON of ride time since I only work weekends. Worked as this position for two mountains and both provided a bunch of freeride time. Also half the lessons I get, I just spend riding around the mountain with the kids/adults so It's super chill - only the beginner lessons are super intense usually.
 
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