General
Overview
Before I moved to here a friend of mine
described Whistler as the Disneyland of the outdoors. Having moved here I have
to agree. Its home to the biggest ski resort in North America and in many people’s
eyes the best mountain bike park in the world. It has a lively nightlife and a great
sense of community. Whether you
like chilling by the lake in the summer or shredding pow in the winter,
Whistler offers something for everyone.
How
difficult is it to find a job?
There
are quite a few jobs here. You will probably find it difficult if not
impossible to score a job relevant to your engineering or chemistry degree but
there are plenty of jobs in hospitality. Arrive before the season starts, get
your resume in order, arrived suited and booted to interviews and you should be
fine. When people arrive for their first season they tend to take the first job
they can get. Once you’re here for a while you realize there good jobs and bad
jobs and you can look to change.
Wages
in Whistler range anywhere from $10.25 to $18 per hour. Jobs that pay tips can
pay even more but these are the most sought after jobs among season staff. Jobs
for Whistler Blackcomb typically pay $10.25 for entry-level positions but you
get good discounts from their retail stores and can get a spot in staff housing
as well as a free ski pass. Working in the larger hotel pays better, $13+ an
hour. Some hotels and other businesses will contribute money towards your ski
pass.
After
the mountain the Fairmont Chateua is the largest employer in town. They
typically pay better and also provide discounted staff accommodation for their
employees.
How
difficult is it to find accommodation?
The
short answer is difficult. It can be a challenge to find accommodation
especially in October as you're looking at a November start to the lease. Leases
starting October 1st are easier to come by. The best time to come is actually
the summer as it’s easier to find a house.
In
saying that most people will get accommodation sorted regardless of when they
arrive, it just may not be the most desirable. From February on season staff
will start to leave town, people get injured/fired, students return to school
and others run out of money.
Finding a empty house, a 4 or 5 bed will be much more difficult than finding a room in a house. If you are coming with a group of friends be prepared to split up to find accommodation.
Guide
to finding a accommodation in Whistler.
What
kind of work is there?
Most positions will be in hotels, restaurants
and on the mountain. Typical jobs include lifty, food runner, cook, front desk
agent, kitchen steward (dishwasher), housekeeping, etc.
For the winter jobs where you work at night are
best as you get the most time on the mountain. Cook, server, houseperson or any
bar jobs tend to have mainly evening hours. Avoid working for the mountain if
you want to get a lot of skiing in as these jobs tend to be while the ski hill
is open,.
How
long is the season?
The season typically runs from Mid/Late
November to Mid May.
What’s
the terrain like?
The ski area is vast. It is the largest in
North America. There is quiet a bit of easy terrain to learn on, a vast amount
of intermediate pistes and once you find your ski legs there are lots of trees runs
and steeper terrain to explore. The backcountry is also vast.
Does
it get tracked out?
Yes, the resort gets tracked out quickly. For a
ski enthusiast it’s probably the single greatest disadvantage of Whistler over
other resorts in the interior of BC. You can get fresh lines but you have to be
up early and be in that chairlift line when it opens. Once you get knowledge of
the mountain and makes friends with a long term local you’ll learn how to get
fresh lines. Come 1pm on a powder day most stuff will be tracked though.
What are lift lines like?
Mid week lift lines are usually not bad. Lines
are well organized and no where near as chaotic as lift lines in Europe.
Throngs of skiers and boarders arrive each Saturday from Vancouver and lift
lines do get long, especially around Christmas time. If you’re here for the
season you will probably end up working weekends so Saturday and Sunday are good
days to have rest days from riding.
By March the resort gets a little quieter. In
March 2014 we had some great powder days with very short lift lines.
What's
the nightlife like?
The nightlife here is great. There are lots of
bars, house parties and nightclubs. If you’re not a party animal that’s fine
too, there are plenty of people who have been here a while who are done with
the party scene and like to enjoy quieter nights out in the company of friends.
I’m
coming for the winter season. When should I arrive in town?
This is the million-dollar question. Ideally
you want to arrive in September so you can get in on early on accommodation.
October is the best time to apply for jobs. Arriving in September will mean you
should have accommodation by October and be ready to hit the village with
Résumés.
The disadvantage of arriving in September is
that there is less work at this time of year; it’s the beginning of the
shoulder season. Have some savings put away to see you through.
You could arrive in October or November along
with the hoards of others. You may save money but finding accommodation will be
a total shit show and there is a good chance you will end up living far from
the village paying high rent. That being said people do rock up at the end of October
and score a nice place and find a food job.
You could also consider arriving in the summer.
July and August are busy months in Whistler; plenty of jobs about and you can
get your accommodation for the winter sorted before the winter season people
arrive, plus you have the best mountain bike park in the work, great hiking,
beautiful lakes and many others activities to enjoy while you’re here.
How
much money should I have saved before I arrive?
This depends on whether you need to buy your
own season pass. Ideally get a job with one of the larger hotels and they will
buy the season pass for you and will deduct it from your wages so you don’t
have to pay upfront. Assuming you can do this I would plan on having $3000 -
$5000 saved to pay for 1 -2 months rent and bills before that first pay check.
Should I pay an overseas agency to help me find a job before I arrive?
No. This is money wasted. You will find a job just fine when you arrive here.
A
guide to surviving Wistler
