With winter fast approaching our thoughts and plans lead to the winter season. Summers dwindling, we’ve had our fair share of vitamin D and we’re starting to crave winter and all that comes with it.
For many, winter means it’s time to get to the mountains – dreams of cruising down runs on your skis, partying in your thermals at apres bars and cosying up by the fire in a chalet fill our minds.
The mountains, skiing and all that comes with it really is an obsession and the best way to satisfy this is to embark on a ski season.
Not sure what job you can do whilst working in a ski resort? Below is an overview of the different ski season roles available in ski resorts in Europe.
*Please bear in mind responsibilities can differ between companies and this is a general guide.
Chalet Host
The ‘front of house’ of a chalet. Responsible for ensuring guests are well looked after during their stay. From serving breakfast & drinks to cleaning rooms, making beds, topping up stock, serving dinner and pouring wine. General chit-chat is encouraged and showing a genuine interest in how the guest’s days always go down well. Sometimes hosts are also required to cook meals.
Chalet Chef/ Cook
The star of the show. Levels of chefs vary vastly between chalets and this all depends on the company you work for and where they rank their chalets. You can be an entry-level chef or Michelin star chef to secure this role. The entry levels usually require a cookery course to be taken beforehand and some companies even have their own cookery course before the season starts. The chalet chef is usually required to make cooked breakfast, a cake for afternoon tea and a 3 or 4-course (or more) meal 5 or 6 nights of the week.
Chalet Couple
A wonderful combination of chef and host, typically one of you will cook and one of you will host! It’s a great way to experience working with your significant other.
Resort Rep
You will be the main point of contact for the guests whilst on holiday. Responsible for helping arrange lift passes, ski hire, lessons, restaurant bookings and more. You will be accompanying guests on airport transfers and acting as the problem solver should any arise.
Chalet Manager
You will oversee the full running of the chalet or chalets, supporting the team and keeping guests happy. This role is perfect for someone who has worked ski seasons before, understands the nature of a ski holiday, has experience in management and someone who is friendly and caring as well as extremely organised.
Resort Manager
The big boss in the resort. Responsible for all the accommodation, staff, and guests for your company. The role requires overseeing all operations, including transfers, ski extras, stock ordering, deliveries and much more. You will manage the full team, some of which will be their first time living away from home, so you need to be an exceptional leader. You will also be the face of the company to the guests so chalet visits and attending airport transfers are highly likely.
Nanny
The parents’ saviour! Responsible for looking after the children whilst the adults ski. This could range from babies to older children who need childcare whilst not in ski school. You will communicate with the child’s parents about how the week will look and it varies from child to child.
Chauffeur/ Driver
Driver roles can vary, from driving guests around the resort on a day-to-day basis to airport transfers and more. Drivers for chalet companies are often responsible for driving the clients to and from the lifts as well as driving chefs to the supermarkets and moving stock around. A driver could also be responsible for airport transfers and ad-hoc driving duties. It’s important you have a clean licence, are a safe and responsible driver and have had experience driving in the snow.
Hotel roles
There are a number of roles available in hotels, from housekeeping, reception, chef, waiter – the list goes on. Anyone with hospitality experience would be great for these roles.
