Working out west, employee housing. Which mountain to choose

zylstra

zylstra

Active member
Yo

Im looking into moving out west next year and trying to narrow down my choices of where to go. Im looking for a place that has cheap employee housing, a good work exchange program, and sick, gnarly, badass as possible skiing. People with experience doing something like this, please help me out. Any information is much appreciated.

thjanks
 
i did my internship at Keystone and had a blast. it doesn't snow there, but it's Summit County; and Vail/Beave aren't too far away.
 
alta is one of the only resorts that will feed, house (slopeside) , and treat their employees rather decently.
 
what kind of skiing do you want to do? more park? or more backcountry?

dont go to summit county, period. snow pack there is fucking weak. they get ~340in a year if they're lucky, and its super light wind blown shit. sure the parks are the best, but if your moving to the mountains to do "mountain skiing" summit county is the worst. if your set on CO, go to vail/beaver creek, winter park, or crested butte. (any of those three places have legit parks and are sick on a pow day)

if park, go to utah.

if backcountry go to squaw. truckee/north lake tahoe is a cool area.

the cool thing about utah and the tahoe area is that there's any type of skiing you could ever want within an hour/hour 1/2 from anywhere that you'd live.

you could also do something sweet like mt. baker, ive heard nothing but good things from a couple buddies who've lived there
 
Tahoe is a super cool area. Endless BC and slack terrain + a super chill town. If you have the choice don't work for Squaw though. Alpine would be my pick between a good balance of skiing, workplace, and social life.
 
Not sure what you mean by work exchange... I would suggest a job on the mountain.. apply as a liftie? you'll get more time on your skis that way. You want to work for the mountain so you get a pass. Apply at as many places as possible, you may get job offers at more than one.. then you can pick where you want to go. I wouldnt suggest just picking one resort and hoping for a job. If you get called back or a job offer then you can start worrying about housing. Rent for employee housing can really go from one extreme to the other. Its all about what town your living in and how much money you've got. If your going to be a liftie dont plan on living in luxury.

Go for it though.. you wont regret it. This past season was my first as a liftie and I loved every minute of it... except for the hungover days. Those arent very fun. But, you will have a great time.. you spend every day on the mountain and on your skis. Its a great experience. DO IT!!!

I applied at probably 10 resorts, got 3 job offers. Then decide where you wanna go. I also went this solo.. dont be afraid to pack your shit and take off. You'll make so many friends in the first week on the mountain that it wont matter you moved by yourself.

good luck dude
 
cb. it might be tough to get a job but its so worth it the scene is sick...there parks ok and the shredding is GNAR
 
big sky is rad sick gnar.the employee housing is cheap (and only a 6 minute walk from the lifts).and. your landlord would be an NS-er
 
also, the meals are better than what i was expecting and you dont have to put a deposit on your lift ticket like the p-dog workers do or goldminers. everyone there is awesome, and the three main bosses are awesome hilarious guys. highly recommend working there.
 
Big sky would be way sick. the terrain is dope and everyone i know that works there is super chill. you might also check into moonlight, im not sure about their housing but the lifties make bank and you could get the lone peak pass for super cheap.
 
alta if you want free employee housing. i suggest just finding a room somewhere in cottonwood heights/somewhere else nearby and getting a job at any of the cottonwood canyon resorts (alta,bird,brighton,solitude)
 
thanks for the input...yes, just up and moving out there for the season with no prior experience is something im more looking forward to than afraid of. And by work exchange i guess i just meant job, lodging, skiing at a single resort...
 
Worked at Deer Valley(stupid rich ski only) in park city. Bit different from what others will tell you where to work but here i go
The money was amazing along with the day to day benefits. Just from ask co-workers...they said its considerably more $ then the 2 other pc resorts. But its just what i heard. Just stupid shit like free sushi at lunch or other baller ass food( duck etc) they would have at staff cafe. Facilities are nice as shit to work in. Employee housing was cheap and not to shabby....just like a motel.
Some terrain is pretty fun at DV. Takes forever to get tracked out because they love there groomers.
Daly Cutes at Deer Valley
dalyChutes.jpg


The "bad " part...they dont have a park. You get passes back and forth between the local mountains for free so after work many days I jumped on the free public transportation and rode 5 min to PC or The Canyons for park. On that note, in Park City,Utah..public transportation is free...which is killer if your doing employee housing and flying out(no car). And its a really good transit system well...you really dont need a vehicle once your in Park City. Of course meet people & tag along for rides too.
So take advantage of the yuppy side of skiing for pay/living arrangements.....then dip over to PC/Canyons to do your skiing.
 
I will vouge for deer valley being a pretty sweet place to ski. Thats because everyone that goes there goes to vacation and not ski. I haven't worked there but I can only assume the above poster is 100percent correct as far as money is concerned.
 
Big Sky is super chill, just spent my first winter there and am heading back for sure...lived in employee housing for the first month or so, I think it was 7.50 a day, and ended up getting a condo for pretty cheap for the rest of the season. There is so much terrain there and never lift lines, check it out
 
just put in an app for cat crew where ever you decide to move. If you would much rather sit on your ass from 4-12 pm and listen to music than stand around watching people ski all day. You do not need training or a license to operate a snow cat. Just keep calling the cat crew supervisor back once a week for as long as it takes. Every mtn has employee housing and none of them are free. If you want a long season, Cali is the only way to go. Mamm doesn't close for another few months.
 
you are a reTARd for thinking that

you need a drivers license. and experience, they're not going to let some dude off the street drive a $350,000 piece of machinery .
 
Tahoe has affordable housing in general and definitaly affordable employee housing. Northstar has an apartment complex at the end of the entrance for employee and other living (its seriously within a mile from the mountain), and like someone said in this thread earlier, Tahoe has good BC and good Parks. I enjoy it still after living here 18 years
 
You can dip into the trees anywhere within 3 days of a dump and hit fresh. I was a first year instructor and taught 3 year olds one at time(no prior experience..hired via there website..i was 21). I got tips in the triple digits for teaching pizza/french fry. Hours pay was off the chart. Heard rumors that the senior old men instructors make triple digits in a winter season. Granted they got the huge corporate groups that could already ski(the once a year yuppies)...so they pretty much just showed them the mountain. You have 10 rich men as your " instruction group" for the week. At the end of the week, each guy tips you $100. You just made a grand in tips in a week for skiing. Saw them take in a grand cash with my own eyes one Friday. Sometimes....its just worth the bullshit. Sundance Film Fest...all the good events that happen in/around salt lake all year are also sick.
The bad: GOtta shave everyday, have to wear there uniforms and they have to fit properly(i got sent back to resize haha). There stiff...you arent late and you dont miss work...they could fill your job in a heart beat. Generally, everyone will be older then you and look down at you...even as you blow by them carving gates switch.....there impecable form on groomers makes them feel superior haha.
End of my rant....typed alot but I really think kids need to see the opportunities out there..especially if your from the east. If you can load your shit into a bag and buy a plane ticket to the resort...you'll have a good job and cheap housing on or around a ski resort. Did i mention I am trying to get back out there asap? Shoulda never came home that summer!!!

 
Well, I've been a lead snow cat operator at Mammoth for the last 9 years so i'd say i'm qualified to comment. You will never get a cat job, but anyone else that wants one just needs to apply. For off road equipment, you do not need a license. They hire rookies every year. So, if any of you want the best tip of your life, apply for a cat gig. Swing shift, 4pm - 12pm. Good luck.
 
Wait holy shit really? I never thought into looking into snowcat operators. I'm moving up to mammoth mid December for as long as I can, and have been looking for jobs. Any other info / tips for landing a job? Any info would be super appreciated :)
 
Great Spot!!!! Hey, I am looking to rent my lower level of my home in E. Sandy. Great location. About 10 min to base of Little Cottonwood Canyon. Quiet neighborhood with mountain views. Walking distance to shops and 90th bus. House has: Brand new floors and brand new full bathroom, WiFi, cable, w/d, large living rooms, fireplaces, and a great backyard for bar-b-quing. Please feel free to call anytime for more details, fill out an app. and come check it out. 1 room I will rent for $470, 1 room I will rent for $430, or I will rent the whole level to 1 person of $790
 
If you don't have any experience it's really more about convincing the manager that you're not a complete idiot, haha. I'm actually planning on coming out to mammoth to groom next season. Is employee housing worth it or would it be better to find my own place?
 
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