Wednesday, 23 July 2014

Moving to Whistler - Common questions

General Overview

Before I moved to here a friend of mine described Whistler as the Disneyland of the outdoors. Having moved here I have to agree. Its home to the biggest ski resort in North America and in many people’s eyes the best mountain bike park in the world. It has a lively nightlife and a great sense of community.  Whether you like chilling by the lake in the summer or shredding pow in the winter, Whistler offers something for everyone.

How difficult is it to find a job?

There are quite a few jobs here. You will probably find it difficult if not impossible to score a job relevant to your engineering or chemistry degree but there are plenty of jobs in hospitality. Arrive before the season starts, get your resume in order, arrived suited and booted to interviews and you should be fine. When people arrive for their first season they tend to take the first job they can get. Once you’re here for a while you realize there good jobs and bad jobs and you can look to change.

Wages in Whistler range anywhere from $10.25 to $18 per hour. Jobs that pay tips can pay even more but these are the most sought after jobs among season staff. Jobs for Whistler Blackcomb typically pay $10.25 for entry-level positions but you get good discounts from their retail stores and can get a spot in staff housing as well as a free ski pass. Working in the larger hotel pays better, $13+ an hour. Some hotels and other businesses will contribute money towards your ski pass.

After the mountain the Fairmont Chateua is the largest employer in town. They typically pay better and also provide discounted staff accommodation for their employees.


How difficult is it to find accommodation?
The short answer is difficult. It can be a challenge to find accommodation especially in October as you're looking at a November start to the lease. Leases starting October 1st are easier to come by. The best time to come is actually the summer as it’s easier to find a house.

In saying that most people will get accommodation sorted regardless of when they arrive, it just may not be the most desirable. From February on season staff will start to leave town, people get injured/fired, students return to school and others run out of money.

Finding a empty house, a 4 or 5 bed will be much more difficult than finding a room in a house. If you are coming with a group of friends be prepared to split up to find accommodation. 

Guide to finding a accommodation in Whistler.


What kind of work is there?
Most positions will be in hotels, restaurants and on the mountain. Typical jobs include lifty, food runner, cook, front desk agent, kitchen steward (dishwasher), housekeeping, etc.

For the winter jobs where you work at night are best as you get the most time on the mountain. Cook, server, houseperson or any bar jobs tend to have mainly evening hours. Avoid working for the mountain if you want to get a lot of skiing in as these jobs tend to be while the ski hill is open,.


How long is the season?
The season typically runs from Mid/Late November to Mid May.

What’s the terrain like?
The ski area is vast. It is the largest in North America. There is quiet a bit of easy terrain to learn on, a vast amount of intermediate pistes and once you find your ski legs there are lots of trees runs and steeper terrain to explore. The backcountry is also vast.

Does it get tracked out?
Yes, the resort gets tracked out quickly. For a ski enthusiast it’s probably the single greatest disadvantage of Whistler over other resorts in the interior of BC. You can get fresh lines but you have to be up early and be in that chairlift line when it opens. Once you get knowledge of the mountain and makes friends with a long term local you’ll learn how to get fresh lines. Come 1pm on a powder day most stuff will be tracked though.

What are lift lines like?
Mid week lift lines are usually not bad. Lines are well organized and no where near as chaotic as lift lines in Europe. Throngs of skiers and boarders arrive each Saturday from Vancouver and lift lines do get long, especially around Christmas time. If you’re here for the season you will probably end up working weekends so Saturday and Sunday are good days to have rest days from riding.
By March the resort gets a little quieter. In March 2014 we had some great powder days with very short lift lines.

What's the nightlife like?
The nightlife here is great. There are lots of bars, house parties and nightclubs. If you’re not a party animal that’s fine too, there are plenty of people who have been here a while who are done with the party scene and like to enjoy quieter nights out in the company of friends.

I’m coming for the winter season. When should I arrive in town?

This is the million-dollar question. Ideally you want to arrive in September so you can get in on early on accommodation. October is the best time to apply for jobs. Arriving in September will mean you should have accommodation by October and be ready to hit the village with Résumés.

The disadvantage of arriving in September is that there is less work at this time of year; it’s the beginning of the shoulder season. Have some savings put away to see you through.

You could arrive in October or November along with the hoards of others. You may save money but finding accommodation will be a total shit show and there is a good chance you will end up living far from the village paying high rent. That being said people do rock up at the end of October and score a nice place and find a food job.

You could also consider arriving in the summer. July and August are busy months in Whistler; plenty of jobs about and you can get your accommodation for the winter sorted before the winter season people arrive, plus you have the best mountain bike park in the work, great hiking, beautiful lakes and many others activities to enjoy while you’re here.

How much money should I have saved before I arrive?

This depends on whether you need to buy your own season pass. Ideally get a job with one of the larger hotels and they will buy the season pass for you and will deduct it from your wages so you don’t have to pay upfront. Assuming you can do this I would plan on having $3000 - $5000 saved to pay for 1 -2 months rent and bills before that first pay check.

Should I pay an overseas agency to help me find a job before I arrive?
No. This is money wasted. You will find a job just fine when you arrive here.

A guide to surviving Wistler