Work in the rokies?

October 4, 2008 9:20 AM

I'd like to work in the rockies does anyone have info about that?

I am a student from Quebec who will have his undergraduate degree in December. I talked with a friend and we have heard that it is possible to work in hostels or in ski centers in the rockies in Alberta or British Columbia. How does it work, can we get lodging for free? Are the wages good? Any tips? We would like to work there from febuary to march give or take. We will travel to and from there by car if it makes any difference.

posted by a007r to work & money (4 answers total)

Are you sure you mean hostels rather than hotels? I've lived in BC and Alberta all my life and I think you mean hotels. There are tons of ads on job sites for hotels in Banff and Jasper and I don't know what the ski towns are, but you will find job postings for those too. Maybe someone with direct experience of these jobs will answer your question, though.
posted by Listener at 12:05 PM on October 4, 2008

(HI pimping)
Hostel Careers is a website that lists job postings for HI hostels in the West.

I believe that with HI you will have your lodging deducted from your pay. From what I understand, this is standard with most of the ski town hotels and hostels.

Wages aren't too bad depending and you'll get lots of hill time on your days off.
posted by comiddle at 12:22 PM on October 4, 2008

There are plenty of jobs in the Rockies and in Whistler, but you'll have to apply as soon as possible for the winter season. The biggest challenge is going to be finding housing. There. Is. None.
posted by KokuRyu at 12:25 PM on October 4, 2008

If you want to be right in the middle of the Rockies, Lake Louise is probably your best bet. Housing is provided there by your employer, but of course the cost is deducted from your wages. There are a lot of Quebecois and Quebecoise in Lake Louise and Banff, which are both in Banff national park, but both towns are very touristy. There isn't much to do in Lake Louise.

If you want more of a local experience, then there are a lot of other towns in the Rockies and the Purcells/Columbias (the next mountain range over). You can look at Fernie, Kimberley, Golden, and Revelstoke, which all are ski towns. I would avoid Panorama (near Invermere) because it is very expensive to live in Invermere. Work at ski hills tends to be pretty poorly paid (i.e. $8-$9 per hour) unless you are certified to teach skiing, but you can probably do better in as a waiter/waitress.

You can also consider working at a cat skiing or heli skiing camp. The pay tends to be a bit better and housing is provided (and deducted from your wage), but, of course, you are generally out of town.

You might have a bit of trouble finding good work for such a short period though. The busiest time of year in the ski business (and all related tourist businesses) is around Christmas and New Year's.

I live in the area, so feel free to email me if you want more information. You should also ask around amongst your friends: there are a lot of Quebecois and Quebecoise working in the area and you probably know someone who knows someone who works or has worked here.
posted by ssg at 2:01 PM on October 4, 2008