Student Snow Seekers: A Guide to an Unforgettable Ski Season
James Davies reminisces on his ski season and urges us students to get out to those snowy resorts while he’s at it.
Image Credit: James Davies
James Davies reminisces on his ski season and urges us students to get out to those snowy resorts while he’s at it.
The most common excuse I hear from those who are hesitant to venture beyond the (sometimes stifling) confines of this country to do a ski season is either “I can’t ski” or “I can’t afford it.” This article seeks to debunk these widely held assumptions and pose the question: “why the hell not?”
Let’s begin with the claim “I can’t ski.” Whilst this is a seemingly valid concern, one’s skiing ability is actually of little consequence. Upon arrival in the French ski town of Chamonix, nestled comfortably in the shadow of Mont-Blanc, I was somewhat surprised at the range of skiing abilities out on the slopes. I had succumbed to the very same misconceptions that I am attempting to debunk. Contrary to what one might expect, only a small minority were particularly skilled – a large chunk of those I worked with were beginners and still developing their confidence. A significant percentage were at an intermediate level, confident in their ability on pistes but still unwilling to go out of their comfort zone on other parts of the mountain. You would be surprised how many people go on a ski season with minimal prior experience, and come out the other side as skilled skiers or snowboarders.
A more apt name for a ski season would be a ‘work season’ with the chance to ski (although this might endanger the popularity of such an endeavour). You are going to a ski resort to work, in some capacity – unless, of course, you want to pursue the life of someone they call a ‘ski bum’. For now, though, let’s focus simply on getting you to the slopes.
You would be surprised how many people go on a ski season with minimal prior experience, and come out the other side as skilled skiers or snowboarders.
Doing a ski season is no different from any other point in your adult life in the sense that you will probably have to work to live. You’re likely to be working 4 or 5 days a week, and – depending on the nature of your work – will not have time, or will be too tired, to ski more than 4 days a week. Some may find comfort in the fact that during the entirety of our season in Whistler, Canada, a friend of mine went skiing on only one occasion.
This brings us neatly to our next misconception: “I can’t afford it.” There are a range of similarities between going to university and doing a ski season, but the key difference lies in the way it’s funded. Whilst a government loan would go a long way on season, you’ll likely be expected to fund the venture yourself. This is made much easier by the companies that you can work for, who will (for the most part) give you the job before you arrive and may even provide affordable staff accommodation. Seasonal jobs often also come with ‘local’ or ‘seasonaire’ discounts, and many employers will offer to pay for your ski pass – significantly reducing your outgoing costs.
Several ski resorts are currently in the midst of a housing crisis, so accommodation can be trickier to arrange. However, if you can find staff accommodation, or just start looking sooner rather than later, housing shouldn’t be a problem (as long as you don’t mind sleeping in a bunk bed for 6 months). Keep in mind that, as with any travel, there are some up-front costs to be aware of. You’ll need ski kit, warm clothing and flights. Although, compared to your average week-long ski holiday, you’ll be getting far more bang for your buck.
If, like me, you’re partial to the idea of spending 6 months living in a resort, skiing every week and being able to earn money whilst you’re at it, I would highly recommend doing a ski season. On arrival, you’ll quickly realise that living amongst the mountains and immersing yourself in the alpine lifestyle can be an eye-opening and life-changing experience.
This asset is unbelievable. The wonderful information exhibits the distributer’s earnestness. I’m stunned and anticipate more such astonishing sections.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on puravive review.
Regards
My family members all the time say that I am wasting my time here at net, but I know I am getting familiarity all the time by reading
thes fastidious articles or reviews.
I like the valuable information you provide in your articles.
I will bookmark your weblog and check again here
regularly. I am quite certain I will learn many new stuff right here!
Best of luck for the next!
I needed to thank you for this good read!! I definitely loved every little bit of it.
I have got you saved as a favorite to check out new things you post…
Spot on with this write-up, I truly believe that this website needs a lot more attention. I’ll
probably be returning to read through more, thanks
for the advice!
Hello my family member! I wish to say that this post is amazing, great
written and come with approximately all significant infos.
I’d like to look extra posts like this .
It’s not my first time to pay a quick visit this site, i am
visiting this web site dailly and take fastidious information from here everyday.
Having read this I believed it was really enlightening. I appreciate you taking the time and effort to put this information together.
I once again find myself spending a lot of time both reading and
posting comments. But so what, it was still worth it!
Piece of writing writing is also a excitement, if you
know then you can write otherwise it is complex to write.
Do you mind if I quote a few of your posts as long as I provide
credit and sources back to your website? My blog is in the very same area of interest as yours and my users would genuinely benefit from some of the information you provide here.
Please let me know if this ok with you. Appreciate it!
That’s fine! I’m glad you found the article useful. Do feel free to comment a link to any blog you’ve referenced us on.
Good day! This is my first visit to your blog!
We are a group of volunteers and starting a new initiative
in a community in the same niche. Your blog provided us valuable information to work on.
You have done a outstanding job!
Nice post. I learn something totally new and challenging on sites I stumbleupon every day.
It will always be useful to read articles from other writers and
practice a little something from their websites.
Does your site have a contact page? I’m having trouble locating it but, I’d like to send you an e-mail.
I’ve got some ideas for your blog you might be
interested in hearing. Either way, great site and
I look forward to seeing it grow over time.
This is a good tip especially to those fresh to the blogosphere.
Brief but very accurate info… Thanks for sharing this one.
A must read post!
Appreciation to my father who shared with me about this blog, this webpage is truly amazing.
Can you tell us more about this? I’d like to find out some additional information.
This blog was… how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found something which helped me.
Thanks a lot!
whoah this blog is fantastic i like studying
your articles. Keep up the good work! You understand, lots of
individuals are looking around for this info, you could aid them greatly.
What’s up all, here every one is sharing these kinds of experience, thus it’s nice to read this
blog, and I used to go to see this weblog all the time.
Wow, this piece of writing is nice, my younger sister is analyzing these things,
thus I am going to inform her.
Good day! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering
if you knew where I could find a captcha plugin for my comment form?
I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having problems finding one?
Thanks a lot!
I am regular reader, how are you everybody? This article posted at
this web page is in fact fastidious.
My brother recommended I might like this web site. He was totally right.
This post actually made my day. You cann’t imagine just how much time I had spent for
this information! Thanks!
Hello, I enjoy reading through your article. I wanted to write a little comment to support you.
Good day! Would you mind if I share your blog with my facebook group?
There’s a lot of folks that I think would really appreciate your
content. Please let me know. Thanks
Howdy just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The words in your article seem to be running off the screen in Safari.
I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to
do with internet browser compatibility but I thought I’d
post to let you know. The style and design look
great though! Hope you get the problem solved soon. Kudos
Incredible! This blog looks exactly like my old one! It’s on a entirely different subject but it has pretty much the
same page layout and design. Outstanding choice of colors!
What’s up, all is going well here and ofcourse every one is sharing information, that’s actually fine, keep up
writing.
Hello, its pleasant article concerning media print,
we all know media is a fantastic source of facts.
Hello there! This post could not be written any better!
Looking at this post reminds me of my previous roommate!
He constantly kept talking about this. I am going to forward this post to him.
Fairly certain he’ll have a good read. Thanks for sharing!
Peculiar article, exactly what I wanted to find.
My family members all the time say that I am wasting my
time here at web, but I know I am getting knowledge daily by
reading thes fastidious content.
Hi, Neat post. There is a problem along with your site in internet
explorer, may test this? IE still is the market chief and
a huge portion of people will miss your great writing because of this problem.
Also visit my homepage: jogo do tigre
I really like reading through an article that will make people think.
Also, many thanks for permitting me to comment!
my web blog: fortune tiger
What’s up colleagues, its impressive article on the topic of
cultureand fully defined, keep it up all the time.
Feel free to surf to my homepage fortune tiger
I quite like reading a post that can make men and women think.
Also, many thanks for allowing me to comment!
Hi there to all, how is everything, I think every one is getting more from this web page, and your views are pleasant designed for new users.
Nice replies in return of this issue with firm arguments and explaining everything about that.
This site was… how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I’ve found
something which helped me. Many thanks!
If you want to obtain a great deal from this article then you have to apply such methods to
your won web site.
Good day! Would you mind if I share your blog with my twitter
group? There’s a lot of folks that I think would really appreciate
your content. Please let me know. Cheers
I believe that is one of the so much significant info for me.
And i’m satisfied studying your article. But want
to remark on some basic issues, The site style is wonderful, the articles is really nice
: D. Just right activity, cheers
Great site you have here.. It’s hard to find good quality writing like yours these days.
I seriously appreciate individuals like you!
Take care!!
Thanks for finally writing about > Student Snow Seekers: A Guide to an Unforgettable Ski Season –
The Gryphon < Loved it!
Have you ever considered about including a little bit more
than just your articles? I mean, what you say is valuable and everything.
However imagine if you added some great graphics or video clips to give your posts more, “pop”!
Your content is excellent but with pics and clips, this site could
definitely be one of the very best in its niche.
Wonderful blog!
Thanks to my father who informed me regarding this website, this webpage is in fact
awesome.
Hello, I enjoy reading all of your article post. I like to write a little comment
to support you.
Heya i’m for the primary time here. I found
this board and I find It truly helpful & it helped me out a lot.
I’m hoping to provide something back and help
others such as you aided me.
After checking out a number of the blog posts on your web page, I really like your technique of blogging.
I bookmarked it to my bookmark website list and will be checking
back in the near future. Please visit my website as well and let me know how you feel.
Simply wish to say your article is as surprising. The
clearness on your submit is just excellent and that i could assume you’re knowledgeable in this subject.
Well with your permission let me to grasp your RSS feed to
keep up to date with approaching post. Thank you a million and please continue the rewarding work.
Generally I do not read article on blogs, but I wish to say that this write-up very pressured me to check out and do it!
Your writing style has been amazed me. Thanks, very nice article.
Great post but I was wanting to know if you could write
a litte more on this topic? I’d be very grateful if you could elaborate a little bit further.
Bless you!
I visited various web pages except the audio feature for audio
songs existing at this web site is truly fabulous.
Hello, I enjoy reading all of your article post. I wanted to write a little
comment to support you.
What’s up, I read your new stuff regularly.
Your writing style is awesome, keep it up!
I believe what you said made a great deal of sense.
However, think on this, suppose you were to create a killer headline?
I ain’t suggesting your content isn’t good., however what if you added a
title that makes people want more? I mean Student Snow Seekers: A Guide
to an Unforgettable Ski Season – The Gryphon is kinda plain. You ought to glance at Yahoo’s front page and see how they create news headlines to get people to
open the links. You might add a related video or a pic or two
to get readers interested about what you’ve written. In my opinion, it could make your posts a little bit more interesting.
Thanks for the feedback!
I delight in, lead to I discovered exactly what
I used to be taking a look for. You’ve ended my four day long hunt!
God Bless you man. Have a great day. Bye
Hi, I do believe this is an excellent site. I stumbledupon it 😉 I am going to come back yet again since i have
saved as a favorite it. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and continue
to help other people.
If some one wants to be updated with latest technologies then he must
be pay a quick visit this website and be up to date
every day.
I’m truly enjoying the design and layout of your website.
It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more
pleasant for me to come here and visit more often. Did
you hire out a developer to create your theme? Exceptional work!