Snowcat/resort mechanic

DungeonMaster

DungeonMaster

Member
Anyone here ever been or know a Snowcat mechanic at a resort? I'm curious about it and I'd like some answers. It's hard to find stuff on it. Biggest source I could find were the 'I Fix Park City' videos..

/images/flash_video_placeholder.png

 
I could link you up with my old buddy Spiezz - who is the head of Grooming at Blue Mountain. We used to build beautiful features together.

 
I'm sure it varies, but do they work solely on snowcats, or do they get to work on all the resort vehicles? Also curious about how they go about training. Prerequisite or on the jobish? I found some job listings for this position but they didn't really go over this stuff and they don't explain the position very well. In the I fix park city videos they imply that they fix the snowmobiles and possibly the trucks also.
 
If he can answer questions about the behind the scenes work, patch him through! I know I'd love driving cats but the mechanical side would compliment my hobbies more.
 
Dan Nyuland, Schweitzer's park manager, his info should be on their website or a quick google search may work, knows everything there is to know about groomers, park building, etc.
 
im with ski patrol so it's a part of mountain ops. here's what i know:Groomers mostly go home during the day. they groom all night. if they do stay on the mountain, I haven't seen them working or doing anything "mechanical"

mechanics is an entirely different branch where i work. mechanics are exactly what the title suggests, they fix stuff, from lifts to snowmobiles to broken chainsaws. i guess they work on the snowcats during the day unless something else comes up. to be honest, i don't really have too many details. if you asked me something, i can try to answer it. no guarentees, haha... hope this could help at least a little bit.
 
I know that at Sunday River the mechanics that fix the cats are in charge of all other equipment as well. Their position is essentially mountain operations mechanic. So when any equipment needs to be repaired it gets brought to them. It could be snowcats, snowmobiles, wheelers, and sometimes even the shuttle buses or plow trucks.
 
I'm mostly on the other side of the equation breaking the equipment. I do the welding at the resort so I help the VM dudes whenever they need something done.

699435.jpeg

699436.jpeg

699435.jpeg
 
I'm a snowcat operator, and have known many mechanics. The biggest thing your going to need is patience. TONS and TONS of patience. You also have to love fixing broken things. I know it sounds weird, but there are so many mechanics that just hate to fix things and will always blame you for everything that happens (even if its usual wear and tear).

Basically our Bison X cats break, or break down every week. You will get into everything, from troubleshooting cats on the hill at 3 in the morning to full tear downs and rebuilds in the summer. Everything from basic hydraulics ( replacing broken rams, pumps, hoses), to trouble shooting computers/electronic issues. The only thing that seems to hold up is the engines. Its not like a bulldozer or an excavator.....the wear and tear on these machines are just so much more.

It has to be a labor of love because you don't really make that much money doing it, and you are way more stressed then a shop mechanic or mobile service. Also the german machines break down just as much as the Prinos.
 
It really depends on the mountain. Different mountains break up what machines mechanics work on differently. At most cat mechanics also work on snowmobiles and other mountain vehicles. There are also different mechanics for different work on snowcats. There are often track specific guys. This is rather unskilled and repetitive. Its a good way to get your foot in the door. This only happens in the summer though. In NZ most of the operators do their own mechanical work.
 
Where I'm at, the VM guys (2) work on everything with a spark plug and any implements that attach to one of those things.

-Snowcats

-On Road vehicles - shuttles vans, people carriers, plow trucks, trailers

-Off Road vehicles - snowmobiles, ATVs, skid steers, golf carts

-Standalone equipment - Generators, water pumps, etc.

-Lawn/Maintenance equipment - Lawn mowers, leaf blowers, weed whackers, wood chippers, etc.

At a resort like this, these are some things you should be skilled in and be responsible for:

Diesel & Gas motors, 2 stroke, 4 stroke, Hydraulics troubleshooting & repair, experience with diagnostic tools, DOT laws & regs, DEP regs (fueling, waste oil disposal), OSHA regs, experience with general shop equipment (lifts, cranes, presses, etc). Also, having your inspection licenses if the state requires them helps if you're working with on-road vehicles.
 
It definitely varies a ton by mountain. I know some big mountains have a mechanic assigned to each cat (they can obviously help others with problems if they have time or are needed), and then there are a handful of other mechanics that work on the rest of the vehicles at the mountain (again, obvious trading and work share can happen). While other smaller mountains have 1 or 2 mechanics that fix EVERYTHING (sometimes things that aren't even vehicles/machinery....I know our mechanics sometimes works on the lifts or even problems with kitchen equipment or lodge fixes). It really depends on the mountain and their needs/desires.
 
Depends on mountain.

At the mountain I work at there are 3 mechanics, and one is the head groomer, so if something breaks during the night he fixes it. If it can't be fixed at night it waits till the day and the other two fix it. They also work on EVERY other vehicle on the mountain. Most of the full time maintenance guys seem to be jacks of all trades and do a lot of different things including running equipment.
 
I was the mechanic at a catskiing operation for 6 years and because it was a small operation, I was fixing everything.. snowcats, trucks, busses, sleds, hell- even toilets. So for sure it depends on the size of operation to know what you are getting into. It was a good experience working there though because I was put in so many different situations to get the machines back up and running.. usually you are able to work i the comfort of the shop with all of your tools close by. More often than not there would be a cat at the very top of the mountain with a track ripped off, bent axle, blown hose, out of fuel, you name it. It really makes you think creatively how to make the repair efficiently so the machine can go back to work. Nonetheless its a job where you have to enjoy being in harsh environments while getting completely filthy. It is pretty rewarding getting the machines rolling again after a breakdown.

I've since moved on to cat operating for Whistler-Blackcomb, and given the size of this operation, they have state of the art facilities with many cross-qualified mechanics. There are 2 alpine shops, one valley shop, and anywhere from 10-20 mechanics on duty each day. They have welders, small engine mechanics, auto mechanics, heavy duty mechanics, and lots of apprentices. Pretty cool to see what is in these shops, they really know how to get shit done quickly.

I would say if you want to get a wide range of experience go to a smaller operation, when you get old and crusty move to a larger operation where you have cranes and hoists to do most of the hard work for you.
 
Do they hire seperate lift maintenance guys? I would assume most of the bigger lifts would require an electrician with good knowledge of drives and controls
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top