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Living as a full time ski patroller

post #1 of 17
3/2/10 at 8:45am
Thread Starter 

Is it possible to make a living working as ski patrol full time? Are there year-round ski patrol positions and if so, what do you do in the summer?

Working as ski patrol would be a dream job to me but I don't know if I could take the pay cut and I wouldn't really like to have to look for a new job every summer while I wait for the next season to start.

Any full time ski patrollers here? How do you do it?

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post #2 of 17
3/2/10 at 12:04pm
The few guys I know who are full time instructors/patrollers all have some other business going.  Some of them do landscaping in the summer, some run construction businesses, one of them is a financial planner, two of them are farmers, some are fishing guides or sailing instructors, or golf pros.  AFAIK none of them get by on skiing and other recreation/sports jobs alone.

BK
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post #3 of 17
3/3/10 at 10:01am
I know of a few...
ski patrol in the winter, mountain bike patrol in the winter, eat lots of Ramen in the shoulder seasons.
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post #4 of 17
3/3/10 at 6:17pm
I know a lot of people who live the recreation lifestyle year around. The jobs run the gamut: ski patrol in NZ, climbing guides in AK, climbing rangers in the Tetons, river guides, mtb guides, etc. It takes work to get the proper certs.

I think the number one job for off season patrollers is wildland firefighter though.
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post #5 of 17
3/6/10 at 12:54pm
Earn some big money fast and what you wish for the rest of your life! 
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post #6 of 17
3/6/10 at 2:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zion zig zag View Post



I think the number one job for off season patrollers is wildland firefighter though.
 
Never ever out of shape. Your one tough guy humping mountains w/ a chainsaw in summer heat.
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post #7 of 17
3/6/10 at 4:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by apeyros View Post

Earn some big money fast and what you wish for the rest of your life! 

If a Guru has the "how" to earn big money fast down and enjoy the rest of life, I would love to escape my cubicle and live a more recreational lifestyle.  Sign me up for that program.  For now, I am still shackled to the cubicle.  Maybe I should figure out how to open a bank, and then get bailed out ...
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post #8 of 17
3/9/10 at 11:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by skidding View Post




If a Guru has the "how" to earn big money fast down and enjoy the rest of life, I would love to escape my cubicle and live a more recreational lifestyle.  Sign me up for that program.  For now, I am still shackled to the cubicle.  Maybe I should figure out how to open a bank, and then get bailed out ...

I work as a pro patroller in both Australia and California.

I escaped my cubicle in 2004. For over 20 years I worked in various office jobs. Mostly working as a government employee in Australia in middle management. The walls of my office started to close in on me and I had to get out. I had been a volunteer patroller in Australia for some time and decided to try full time.

I work as a pro patroller for about 9 months of the year depending on the length of the seasons. About five months in US and four months in Australia. I have a break of about 6 weeks between each season. Each year my US ski resort has to sponsor me for a US work visa. The reverse would have to happen for an American to work at an Australian resort.

I am definitely not in it for the money. I was financially secure when i left my office job and have no dependants. I have not been saving since I became a pro patroller.  I am earning about a third of what I used to earn but I am getting at least five times the job satisfaction. The wages for patrol in US are way to low for he responsibility of the job. I am not well paid in Australia but I earn about $4.00 an hour more than I earn here.

I have been doing this for six years now and loving it. I am just completing my tenth consecutive winter. I do not miss summer. I get a spring and fall between seasons. 
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post #9 of 17
3/10/10 at 8:42am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Easty View Post




I work as a pro patroller in both Australia and California.

I escaped my cubicle in 2004. For over 20 years I worked in various office jobs. Mostly working as a government employee in Australia in middle management. The walls of my office started to close in on me and I had to get out. I had been a volunteer patroller in Australia for some time and decided to try full time.

I work as a pro patroller for about 9 months of the year depending on the length of the seasons. About five months in US and four months in Australia. I have a break of about 6 weeks between each season. Each year my US ski resort has to sponsor me for a US work visa. The reverse would have to happen for an American to work at an Australian resort.

I am definitely not in it for the money. I was financially secure when i left my office job and have no dependants. I have not been saving since I became a pro patroller.  I am earning about a third of what I used to earn but I am getting at least five times the job satisfaction. The wages for patrol in US are way to low for he responsibility of the job. I am not well paid in Australia but I earn about $4.00 an hour more than I earn here.

I have been doing this for six years now and loving it. I am just completing my tenth consecutive winter. I do not miss summer. I get a spring and fall between seasons. 




 

This sounds great! I currently live in Canada working an office job making very decent money but my girlfriend is always talking about living in Australia. Going back and forth like this between seasons sounds like an awesome lifestyle as I'm sick of the cubicle.

Where in Australia are you working? I didn't know they had much skiing there.

How much did you have to save up from your office job to start living this lifestyle? Are you living off these savings or are you able to sustain yourself on what you make working as ski patrol?
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post #10 of 17
3/13/10 at 3:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jave View Post

Is it possible to make a living working as ski patrol full time?


unless you start with a trust fund ,pension,or sugar mamma,the answer is no
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post #11 of 17
3/15/10 at 9:31am
haha... you know the saying...
"whats the fastest way to make a small fortune in the ski business?"
"start with a large fortune."
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post #12 of 17
3/15/10 at 10:01am
As a former pro patroller I know that construction, river raft guiding, and fire fighting with the Forest Service are all popular summer jobs.  I was an Allied Van Lines truck driver and moving man. It is tough, particularly at smaller areas, when you cannot count on when your ski employment season will start or end, or how much you will be working.  If you work at a big resort you may be able to find summer work with them, but patrolling is almost always seasonal, which has its pros and cons.
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post #13 of 17
3/17/10 at 10:56am
It sure would be sweet to have a cabin in the mountains and a beach house.  Patrol in the winter months and lifeguard in the summer months. Anybody here ever pull that off?  If so you are my ultimate hero:-)
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post #14 of 17
3/25/10 at 7:41pm
I'm a pro patroller in the winter and a wildland firefighter in the summer.  I get by alright.  Lemme know if you have anymore questions.
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post #15 of 17
3/5/12 at 5:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lassenC2 View Post

I'm a pro patroller in the winter and a wildland firefighter in the summer.  I get by alright.  Lemme know if you have anymore questions.


This combination is something I have been considering working towards myself.  Ski Patrol has always been a dream job of mine, and although I have a degree in Construction Management I do not fancy living the office lifestyle especially when it means 70 hour weeks.  I am getting my Wilderness EMT Cert this coming fall, any suggestions on some other certifications to work towards in particular if I want to prepare for Wilderness Firefighting?  Also are you firefighting with the Forest Service or a different organization?  Whats the best way to get my foot in the door with that?

 

 

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post #16 of 17
3/5/12 at 7:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by EAsprts26 View Post

...I want to prepare for Wilderness Firefighting?  Also are you firefighting with the Forest Service or a different organization?  Whats the best way to get my foot in the door with that?
Start here:
http://www.wildlandfire.com/docs/faq.htm
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post #17 of 17
3/5/12 at 7:36pm
My family owns a farm in Nebraska and I am almost being forced to take over if I do not pursue with a business career. Would farming/patrolling work well. Time in Nebraska would be late march through October. It sounds about perfect for me. Only downfall would be family like if I had children someday. Any ideas on how that could work?
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