The clock strikes 8.15 AM. It is still dark outside. Large, white snowflakes land softly outside the ice covered window. You get out of bed, tired from last night’s shift at the bar. It’s a powder day. You smile to your self and hurry out to the kitchen. After a quick breakfast you pack you avalanche backpack. Beacon? Check. Probe? Check. Shovel? Check. Two sandwiches and a water bottle also get to come along. A minute or two later you stand at the front door dressed from top to toe in ski gear. As you exit the house you know it will be another epic day in paradise”
Have you ever dreamt about doing a ski season? You are not alone. Every year thousands of skiers, snowboarders, mountain lovers and winter enthusiasts make their way to ski resorts spread out across the globe to pursue their dream of having snow covered mountains in the backyard. Many of them are returning to a place they once fell in love with. In fact, once you get bitten by the ski bum lifestyle it is hard not to come back. That is the charm of the life of a seasonaire: it never gets old. It is like an ever-green adventure lying open for anyone who has got the will, determination and doer-mentality to embark on the journey. Are you still in doubt? Here is a list of the five best reasons you should make this winter your first ski season.
1. Ski powder. Unsurprisingly, shredding fresh snow ends up at the top of the list. The promise of untracked pow is just too much to resist for most ski seasonaires. If you feel like floating on pillows of white gold sounds like a good idea then a winter in a ski resort is probably a good idea.
2. Aprés ski. Day parties are the best, that is a fact. Adding snow covered mountaintops, clear blue skies, boot dancing on tables and old rock n’ roll classics on full blast to the set-up makes the aprés ski the ultimate day party format. The best thing about the aprés ski is that it requires skiing (or snowboarding) to be legit. This means you can calorie-compensate for every beer you are about to enjoy n the afternoon. Great, right?
3. Friendship. What better way is there to make new friends than to share an adventure on the mountain? To do a ski season means meeting people from all over the world that share your passion. To sweat and laugh together in extreme circumstances lays a solid foundation for life long relationships with people that you probably never would have talked to otherwise.
4. Work experience. A ski season offers unique opportunities for professional development. Regardless if you are coming straight out of school or if you have several years of working experience there is great potential in ski resort jobs. There is usually a great variety of jobs offered each winter and if you have the right attitude there is nothing that should stop you from getting the position you want.
5. Get away. Are you sick and tired of the concrete jungle you probably live in? Do you need a break from the daily routines you once looked forward to but now despise? If so, the mountains are calling and you should probably go. It is still unheard of that someone regrets doing a ski season. To live in the mountains, breathe fresh air, make new friends, get work experience, party in ski gear and ski endless amounts of powder seems to be quite an effective medicine for boredom. Take your chance and get our there too!