The era of the all-play-and-no-work ski bum has passed. Life is too darn expensive, and everyone needs to make some cash. That said, it is still possible to surround yourself with your favorite sport {ahem! skiing!} while still earning enough to pay your rent. We’ve rounded up the top seven best jobs in the ski industry. Check ’em out and let us know your additions in the comments!
7. Rental Delivery Service
Who wants to spend the majority of their vacation waiting in line instead of skiing? Private ski rental delivery services are located across the country, offering in-hotel boot fitting services and personal delivery. As an employee, you get to handle skis and boots all day long without the chaos of a crowded rental store. The best part: there is still plenty of time afterwards for a few laps before happy hour.
PHOTO: Bo Landberger
6. Ski Photographer
If you can’t spend the day skiing, the next best option has to be snapping photos of skiers, right?
Most mountains employ ski photographers to hang out at the top of the lift to snap happy photos for vacation memories. Tourists and locals alike are psyched to be spending a day on the snow, so spirits and energy are aplenty. Bonus: you have to get back down the mountain somehow, right? Sounds like a built-in ski day to us!
PHOTO: Will Rochfort
5. Sweet Shop Employee
Picture this: fat snowflakes are lazily floating outside the window while the sweet aroma of baking cookies wafts under your nose from the kitchen in back. These days, ski resorts typically have a mini-village at the base of the mountain, offering plenty of bars, restaurants and—without fail—a sweet shop. Who doesn’t want to work with delightful baked goods while surrounding himself with happy skiers?
PHOTO: snowsummit.com
4. Ski Instructor
If you are a people person, being a ski instructor is a sweet gig. Not only do you get to spend your time outside on the slopes, but you also have the opportunity to share your love for skiing with others. And if your student turns out to be a black diamond ripper? You’re spending the day shredding….and getting paid for it.
PHOTO: Copper Mountain on Twitter
3. Social Media Manager for the Mountain
Social media is definitely “a thing” and resorts have noticed. These days, almost every mountain has someone to manage their social media accounts. This may include updating the ski website, chatting skiing with a Twitter follower, or posting live mountain photos on the Instagram account. Of course, someone has to actually ski the mountain to collect those photos, so…..rough life.
2. Ski Nanny
While this job sounds too good to be true, it is a real thing! Annie Mac has been a ski nanny for five years and absolutely loves it. “I search around until I can find a family that prioritizes skiing as much as I do. There are quite a few families that would rather their kids be out on the mountain than on their iPads. Happy to oblige!” Of course, this means your ski partner may be in elementary school, but that might be a good thing. “My powder day partner might be seven-years-old, but he never has somewhere else to be and is a total champ on the double blacks,” says Mac.
PHOTO: Northern Escape Heli-Skiing
1. Heli-Ski Guide
To be sure, it is risky to be a heli-ski guide in Alaska or Canada. But if you have the chops and the skills to be pull it off, it is definitely the best job in the ski industry. Big mountains, meadows of untracked powder, and gnarly spines are all included in the job description. Could there be a more rewarding day at work? We think not.
You have to take the full year into account. One of the better ones I have heard for the outdoor mountain personality is ski instructor by winter and forester by summer. Other off-season (meaning slow in ski season) jobs that can work are pool maintenance – just ask my friend who manages 90+ days on the hill without impacting his “day job”.
Awesome stuff. Uber driver has to be getting some traction in some regions…
What about Liftopia employee?