The 8 Best Jobs You Can Have at a Ski Resort

Every young skier has dreamed of moving to a ski town for a season or two before or after college, and one of the easiest ways to make this work is by working at the ski resort. Employees almost always get a free ski pass, and many jobs come with ski breaks, so you can actually go enjoy the mountain. Housing and deep gear discounts can also be a perk of working at a ski area.

However, not all ski area jobs are created equal, and the best one for you might depend on your personality, knowledge, and whether you’re really only planning to stick around for one season or not. Here are some of the best jobs you can get at a ski area.

1. Tune Shop

If you’re not particularly excited about chatting with customers or ski resort guests, but still want to be immersed in ski culture, the tune shop could be the place for you. Tune shops are a ski bum haven, the sweet smells of burning ski wax and PTEX often strong enough to overpower the smell of your base layers when you roll into work after a few laps.

Often, the free booze flows plentifully due to all the people who assume bringing it to you will mean they don’t have to pay to get their skis tuned. If you’re one of those people who just love tuning skis and tinkering, the free ski pass and usually chill environment are just a bonus.

2. Retail

If you’re a chatty-Cathy who also loves knowing the ins and outs of all the latest ski gear (and can explain it in a way that makes sense to your average tourist), consider working in a retail shop. Working in retail at a ski shop is like one big window shopping experience, except you usually get a pretty big discount on the things you see.

Brand reps will come do clinics with retail employees at ski shops throughout the winter, so you can really nerd out on all the latest ski tech, and usually they bring some free swag with them too. Some shops even do commission-based sales, so if you’re a real pro at selling folks full-priced items from the most expensive brands, you can even earn a little extra cash to help with your ski town rent.

3. Rentals

Rentals are like the sweet spot between retail and the tune shop. You definitely get plenty of customer interaction, but those interactions are usually only as long as it takes to rent them their gear. Getting to know your shop’s rental gear well is kind of a requirement and can scratch the itch for gear heads who love learning and teaching folks about ski tech. If you’re more hands-on but don’t quite have tune shop skills yet, rentals can also be a gateway into learning more about how to set up ski bindings and do basic maintenance.

Related: Renting Skis This Winter? Here Are 6 Tips for a Smooth Experience From an Ex-Rental Employee

4. Ski Patrol

Ski patrolling isn’t for the faint of heart and probably not a job you want to (or will be able to) just jump into for a season or two. Patrollers must be highly skilled skiers, hold a current OEC (Outdoor Emergency Care) or EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) certification at a minimum, possess avalanche training and rescue knowledge, and often have a basic understanding of rope work. They’re on the mountain the earliest and stay out the latest every day, no matter how bad the conditions.

However, if you do have what it takes, patrollers get to ski the deepest days first, throw explosives, hang with and train avalanche dogs, and see all the ins and outs of a ski area. Patrol units often end up being tight-knit crews, which, among the hardships of the job and generally living in a ski town, is both essential to have and a major bonus.

Related: What Is Ski Patrol? A Guide to Their Training and Duties

5. Mountain Host

Depending on the ski area, mountain hosting can be a volunteer position, but you’ll still get a ski pass out of it. However, if it’s the ski pass you’re really in it for, it’s a pretty fun, easy job. Mountain hosts pretty much get to hang out at the base, chat with people, help folks find things, and ski on their breaks. I’ve never met a mountain host in a bad mood or one who didn’t like their job.

6. Ski Instructor

Being a ski instructor can have lots of perks outside of just a free ski pass, and you don’t always need a ton of experience to become one. For one, you spend most of your day on skis- whether or not that’s on fun terrain or the bunny hill kind of depends on how much experience you have and what group you end up teaching. Ski instructing can also mean being able to cut lift lines and get on the mountain early.

Working alongside experienced instructors and towards certifications like PSIA can be a fantastic way to improve your own skiing as well. Tips can be fantastic, especially during the holidays and for private lessons, and with the right kind of client, you’re basically getting paid to just go skiing all day.

7. Competition Coach

Coaching can be another good one for those who want to be on the snow all day and enjoy teaching ski skills. If you have racing, freestyle, or freeride experience, coaching is a more specialized way to teach skiing, and you often get to work with some pretty talented kids. Coaches also usually get discounts on gear and to travel to other ski areas for competitions and races.

8. Snowmaking

Snowmaking is another job not for the faint of heart. Snowmaking shifts are usually from 12 pm-12 am or 12 am-12 pm, depending on the mountain. Snowmakers work in the coldest colds and deep in the elements, and the wacky schedules mean a weird work/life balance. However, most resorts’ snowmaking season is only a couple of months at the beginning of the season, and then you get a ski pass for the rest of the year. So if your fall and early winter are looking empty and you want to grind out a couple of months of hard work in exchange for a ski pass and some extra money, look into snowmaking.

Related: The 8 Ski Resorts With the Best Snowmaking Capabilities

This story was originally reported by Powder on Nov 22, 2025, where it first appeared in the Ski Resorts section. Add Powder as a Preferred Source by clicking here.