The Magazine of The Sierra Club
Earlier this year, we highlighted some of the most adventurous jobs out there that coupled exploration with environmental advocacy. Now, as the snowpack grows by the foot and the temperature gauge on the thermometer drops, winter gigs are in season and on the rise, attracting winter lovers seeking the season's coolest jobs.
Want to make a living off of skiing, snowshoeing, teaching survival skills, promoting naturalism, or working at the front desk of a frozen hotel? Check out our choices of some of the best winter seasonal jobs out there, tailor-made for the adventure-minded job seeker.
Ski Patrol Imagine putting in 40 hours a week on boots and bindings, skis or a snowboard, on the slopes of a Tahoe, Park City, or Aspen ski resort, carving through the most lucious powder in North America. For ski patrolers at commercial resorts, this skier's fantasy is a daily reality. Although skiing as a full time job demands plenty of physical fitness and a dedicated love for skiing, the downsides to the job might include blistered feet and a raspy voice (undoubtedly from yelling at kids to slow down on the bunnyhills). However, nothing beats carving through fresh powder and patroling the slopes--all the while keeping skiers and snowboarders safe on the slopes.
Requirements: EMS certification, physical fitness, competence in skiing or snowboarding
Avalanche Safety instructor The best part of being an avalanche instructor: teaching backcountry exhibitionists the ways of the mountain so they'll not only survive an avalanche, but also avoid triggering them. After all, more than 90 percent of deadly avalanches occur as a result of human triggers high up on the slopes. Avalanche safety instructors give indespensible knowledge to their students, covering the basic "Do's and Don'ts."
Requirements: AIARE instructor training courses, experience in backcountry snow environments, teaching experience
Winter Naturalist Working in a winter wonderland, winter naturalists like ones employed at Aspen Center for Environmental Studies take tour groups through snowlogged wilderness areas, Like Hallam Lake Nature Preserve, on snowshoes and cross country skis. The idea behind this sweet winter gig: teaching others about the fragile and breathtaking beauty of a winter ecosystem when backcountry skiing.
Requirements Intermediate skiing ability, B.S. in natural sciencess, First Aid and CPR training, and a passion for the natural environment
Ice Hotel worker Ice Hotels are not only new ways to experience travel — they're also, given by the name, constructed almost entirely out of ice for sustainability purposes. Hotel de Glace in Quebec City is one such ice hotel that has to be booked up to a year in advance. Yet this French Canadian hotel isn't the only one of its kind. If working abroad is more appealing, then check out other swanky ice hotels in Norway, Sweden, Romania and Japan.
Requirements Experience in hospitality work, and a high tolerance for cold
J. Scott Donahue is an editorial intern at Sierra. He was a freshman in Mr. Hancock's English class when he first read Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. Now, he's currently working on a graduate thesis composed of travel essays. Topics include substitute teaching kindergartners in Nepal, drinking rice beer with a Tibetan porter, and running a marathon from Everest Base Camp.
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4 Action Packed Jobs for the Adventurer