Beginner’s Guide To A Ski Season In Canada
There are 291 different ski resorts in Canada, which makes it a perfect place to experience the winter season.
With temperatures regularly reaching a chilling -30 Degrees Celsius, there is never a shortage of snow in the world’s 2nd largest country.
The winter season in Canada typically runs from Late October through to Early May, giving you plenty of time to perfect your carving and box jumps. Or in our case, plenty of time to master those pesky green runs.
Ski resorts are accessible all over Canada but the best skiing conditions can be found in Alberta and British Columbia - the Rocky Mountains provide an incredible playground for snow sports.
Working a Ski Season in Canada
Having worked a ski season in Canada, we were fortunate enough to spend all of our free time at Lake Louise Ski Resort, and it was an absolute blast. Working a ski season as a couple was a fantastic way to spend a year in Canada; we know you’ll love it too!
We have created this beginner’s guide to working a ski season in Canada so you can see how it can be done for yourself. We will go through the types of jobs you can work during your ski season and how to find them. We will then look into the practical side of working a ski season in Canada including how to apply for your visa.
Working a ski season in Canada is an excellent example of gap year ideas for couples, and we couldn’t be more grateful to have experienced a proper Canadian winter; it was one of the best years of our lives!
Disclaimer - this blog post contains affiliate links where we can earn a commission if you make a purchase through them (at no extra cost to you).
Most Popular Ski Resorts in Canada
We’ll start out with the basics - where do you want to be based in Canada?
There are several factors to consider when choosing which ski resort you would like to be based at. Some factors to consider are how expensive the general area is, the quality of snow, the length of ski season and how close the resort is to a major city. Remember that the average cost of living in Canada varies by province, so be sure to do your research beforehand.
Here are 10 of Canada's most popular ski resorts, both for their skiing conditions and overall ski season experience.
Lake Louise - the best ski season resort in Canada (we’re not biased)
Panorama - mountain resort and alpine village
Sunshine Village - right at the heart of Banff National Park
Whistler Blackcomb - largest ski resort in North America
Big White - highest mountain in the Okanagan
Kicking Horse - champagne powder capital of Canada
Marmot Basin - unparalleled skiing in Jasper National Park
Revelstoke - features the longest descent in North America
Sun Peaks - 4270 acres of skiable terrain (2nd largest in Canada)
Fernie - alpine resort in the Elk Valley area, British Columbia
This list is by no means exhaustive, it is just a brief snippet of the most popular resorts in Canada to work a ski season.
Sunrise at Lake Louise Ski Resort
Most Popular Ski Season Jobs in Canada
When you think of ski season jobs, immediate thoughts typically lead towards ski or snowboard instructors, but these aren’t the limit to your options.
Ski Season jobs often fall within two categories - jobs based on the mountain and jobs in the towns around the ski resorts. Underneath, we have highlighted a few examples of the jobs you could secure while working a ski season in Canada:
Ski Season Jobs on the Mountain
Ski/Snowboard Instructor
Kids Club/Daycare Supervisor
Ski Lift Attendant
Sales Roles
Gondola Operator
Snow-maker
Guest Services
Shuttle Bus Driver
Ski Season Jobs in Resort Towns
Retail Roles
Waitressing
Bar Work
Cleaning/Maintenance
Roles within Hotels - Front desk; concierge; room attendants etc.
Cooks
Stewarding/Dishwashing
How to find a Ski Season Job in Canada
When you’re thinking of how to find ski season jobs, you essentially have 2 options - securing a job before you arrive or waiting until you get to the ski resort.
Remember that if you want to find ski season jobs as a couple, it will be a little trickier as you will have to do double the work.
Securing a Ski Season job before you arrive in Canada:
This option can be pretty time-consuming for Canada, as many ski season jobs require you to either be in the country at the time of application or at least have a valid working holiday visa. Something that isn’t possible until you get into the country.
This isn’t to say that securing a job before you arrive in Canada isn’t doable, though. Suppose you’re applying for a specific position requiring relevant qualifications or training (Line cooks, Instructors, etc.). In that case, many businesses will make exceptions on the guarantee that you will be in the country for a specific date.
The best tactic for this option is to search online for ski resorts in Canada and, from there, see whether there are any available jobs at the ski resort directly or in the towns nearby.
You then have to go through the relevant application processes online before hopefully hearing back for an interview.
Again, it is worth noting that this tactic is trickier for those who are searching for a job that doesn’t require any specific qualifications - those who are applying when already in Canada are likely to get preference for these roles.
The benefit of applying for a role before you arrive in Canada, however, is that you will already have the security of a job before you travel and will more than likely know your accommodation status as a result.
An alternative way to fund your Ski Season in Canada is to work online and earn a living wage. Eventually, you may even decide to start a travel blog like this one. Starting a travel blog is just one of the ways to make travelling your career.
Our Best Tip: If you want to guarantee a ski season job before arriving in Canada, then we recommend applying through Global Work & Travel - they will be there every step of the way to help you find a job, secure your visa and sort out accommodation for when you first arrive in the country. You can learn more about the Canadian Working Holiday Visa Programme here.
Tip: it is best to have some sort of assurance or guarantee that can prove to your potential employer when you’re going to be arriving in the country. A booked plane ticket or your working holiday visa acceptance letter should do the trick.
Perks of the job in Lake Louise
Getting a Ski Season job once you arrive in Canada:
This is the option that most people tend to take when working a ski season in Canada. Canadian Ski Resorts and their nearby towns rely on seasonal workers to look after the influx of visitors and tourists each winter and are therefore well catered for seasonal positions.
Once you arrive in Canada and have made your way to the area where you want to work, you are going to have to start searching for jobs.
The easiest way to do this is to go for a walk around the local area and look for job advertisements in windows of cafes, stores, hotels, etc. Take a photo of all the advertisements you see, and return to your accommodation where you will work on your CV/Resumé.
You can now adapt your CV for those specific roles, giving your application a greater chance of success. You then have to go through the process of handing in your CV to the businesses you identified and wait for a response. It’s just as simple as applying for a job at home.
Don’t forget to check online for any available positions in your area, as many will be posted online but not in store-fronts.
The downside to this approach is that you will have to spend more money on accommodation while you are in the middle of the job-hunting process.
If you intend to pick up work wherever and accept the first job offer you receive, then this shouldn’t be a very long process. However, if you want to search for a specific role during your ski season, you may have a significantly lengthier wait before securing a job.
Take us for example - we set ourselves the goal of securing a job that provided accommodation (so we could avoid the hassle of finding our own) and preferably a role that involved working with children in some capacity. It took us 4 weeks of staying in a hostel before we were able to find a suitable job with both of those requirements - we were offered other jobs in the meantime but turned them down in favour of something more to our liking.
If we had been sticking to a strict budget, we would have been able to secure a job within a few days of arriving in Canada and start working immediately. As it happened, we had a few savings left over after our 6-week backpacking trip through South America and were able to be a little more selective with our job choice.
Advice: many hostels in Canadian Ski Resort towns will offer weekly, or even monthly, rates that are specifically designed for seasonal workers. Typically the rates are there for people that cannot secure their own accommodation and end up staying for the entire season, but you can take advantage of these rates while you’re searching for jobs.
Job Hiring Fairs - great way to find a Ski Season Job in Canada
Another great thing about Canadian ski resorts and towns is that many host ‘job hiring fairs’ where lots of employers will group together to host a hiring fair for all of the available seasonal positions.
This benefits the employers as they can gather all of the working holiday visa crew together in one place, and it benefits you, as a working holiday visa holder, as you can see up to hundreds of different positions available all in one place.
The premise is rather straightforward - you turn up to the job hiring fair with plenty of CVs to hand out, visit the stalls on offer and ask for an interview on the spot.
Turning up to a stall and saying, ‘I’ve seen this job advertisement online, I think I’d be suited for the role because…’ is much better than walking up to a stall and asking, ‘So, what jobs do you have on offer?’
Employers are going to favour applicants who have done their homework and look prepared.
Banff Ski Hiring Fair - how we found our job
Tip: if you’re going to attend a job hiring fair, research who is going to be at the fair and what positions they have available before you arrive.
Where to stay during your ski season in Canada?
As a general rule, most jobs on the mountain will come with staff accommodation included, whereas typically, most jobs in resort towns will not offer staff accommodation.
There are, of course, exceptions to this rule. For example, while at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, we were offered staff accommodation despite not working on the mountain. Yet, if we had accepted our original job offers at Mount Norquay in Banff, we wouldn’t have been offered accommodation despite working directly for Norquay ski hill.
For most people, finding a job that offers accommodation is the dream scenario as it means you have to organise one less thing. At times, this can result in your wage being significantly lower, but for the majority of the time, the accommodation costs will only be a small proportion of your overall wage.
If you are not fortunate enough to secure a role that offers staff accommodation, then rented housing is likely to be your best option.
For this option, it’s best to get yourself onto the relevant Facebook groups to have the best chance of finding accommodation. To find these groups, type ‘*Your Town* rented accommodation *Your ski season year*’ into the search bar, and the results will show relevant groups.
Alternative accommodation options for your Canadian Ski Season:
As mentioned previously, staying in a hostel for the entire winter season in Canada is possible. This is an expensive option, and for most, it is only usually temporary while searching for an alternative, but it is still doable.
If you’re slightly braver than us, you could live in a campervan for the season. Remember that temperatures can hit -40C in the Canadian Winter, though, so you’d probably need a modern, well-equipped van for this to be a long-term venture.
Couch-surfing is also a possibility. We haven’t personally explored this option when travelling, but many friends highly recommend it.
Acquiring Winter Gear for your Ski Season in Canada
You may be an experienced skier and have all the necessary gear and equipment you need for the ski season, but you may also be a complete novice to winter sports and have yet to see a pair of skis in your life. In the latter of these two scenarios, you will need to find quite a lot of winter gear before you can start hitting the slopes.
In some cases, you may be able to acquire all of the relevant gear in your home country and bring it to Canada with you.
In countries where snow sports are popular (France, Italy, USA, etc.), this is certainly a viable option, but for countries that aren’t set up for snow sports, this can be pretty expensive.
The plus side of this approach is that you can ask around the local area for the best equipment and conditions the ski hill is likely to have.
A ski resort prone to being very icy will need a different equipment set-up to a resort that is famed for its powder.
The plus side of this approach is that you can ask around in the local area for what is the best equipment and what conditions the ski hill is likely to have. A ski resort prone to being very icy will need a different equipment set-up to a resort that is famed for its powder.
Going into ski shops and purchasing all your brand-new gear is one way of getting all your winter gear. You will look amazing in all of that season’s newest gear, but it will be costly. Take, for example, an average snowboard set-up. You would need to buy a snowboard, bindings, boots, gloves, helmet, thermals, goggles, jacket, pants, insulated socks, and face-covering/balaclava.
Unless you have explicitly budgeted to buy brand-new gear, then it’s best to stick to the Facebook marketplace and Buy and Sell events at the ski resorts. Here, you will be able to find ex-rental equipment for a fraction of the cost, as well as a plethora of second-hand gear that people want to ship off before returning home.
Remember, just because it’s second-hand doesn’t mean it’s any less quality. Somebody may have only used their goggles for 15 days on the hill last season - that would make them still basically brand new.
Lake Louise Ski Hill in the summer
Extra Tips for your first Canadian Ski Season
Canadian Winters are seriously cold - be prepared for temperatures below -30 degrees Celsius. Spring skiing in just a t-shirt isn’t a thing in Canada!
Many ski resorts in Canada are within National Parks - so everything will be expensive! If you can, try to organise a grocery shop outside of the national park every few weeks or so to save some money.
Local discounts are popular in Canada - remember to always ask whether places offer local discounts when buying coffee, groceries, etc. - more than likely, they will.
You’re going for the winter but be prepared for wanting to stay for the summer. Most Canadian ski resorts transform into hiking and biking playgrounds in the summer, and you’re going to want to stick around.
Canadian Visa Process: How to apply for a Working Holiday Visa
To work a ski season in Canada, you will need to apply for a working holiday visa through the International Experience Canada (IEC) scheme. It is an online visa process that, if you are accepted, allows you to work freely in Canada for up to 24 months.
Underneath is a brief outline of the application process for a working holiday visa, but here is an updated, more in-depth guide on applying for the IEC Working Holiday Visa Canada.
Note: the process may look slightly different depending on what country you are a citizen of, so be sure to check the eligibility criteria carefully.
Checking your eligibility
Your country must be part of the IEC scheme to apply for a working holiday visa, and you must also fit the eligibility criteria to apply.
Submitting your profile to the ‘Working Holiday Visa Pool’
Once you are sure you are eligible for the IEC programme, you can continue to create an IEC profile to be submitted into the ‘working holiday visa pool’.
Once in the pool, you must wait until you receive an email accepting you into the IEC program. Each country that participates in the IEC scheme will have a dedicated number of applicants that can be accepted each season so this wait is dependent on the number of people applying from your country.
At selected dates throughout the season, the IEC welcomes participants from the pool onto the programme - known as ‘rounds of invitation’. You can submit your profiles to the pool at any time during the season, as long as it is before the last round of invitations for your country.
Waiting to be accepted onto the program
You need to wait for an invitation to apply to start a work permit application.
Note: Submitting an IEC profile to the pool does not mean you have applied for a working holiday visa. Only once you are invited onto the program from the pool can you then submit your work permit application.
Submitting the application and paying the fees
Once you receive your invitation to apply (ITA), you will be asked to fill out the relevant application form and pay your visa fees. You will also need to provide supporting documents alongside your application form.
Some candidates may also need to provide a medical examination from a registered doctor - you will be able to find out if this is the case for you by checking the eligibility criteria before applying to the working holiday visa pool. You need to provide the medical examination report before you submit your application.
Biometrics and Medical Examination
In most cases, you will be asked to provide your fingerprint information so Canada has a record of your biometrics before you arrive in the country.
If this is the case, after you have submitted your application and paid your fees, you will receive a Biometric Instruction Letter (BIL) that will walk you through how to provide your biometrics. You have 30 days after receiving the letter to provide your biometrics (though this can easily be extended).
Once you have successfully submitted a complete, valid application, you have to wait to receive a Port of Entry (POE) letter. You then bring this letter to Canada and show it to a border services officer at the port of entry (airport, land border, etc.), and then you will be granted your working holiday visa.
Health Insurance Requirements for your Canadian Visa
You do not need to have valid health insurance for Canada while you are applying for your visa; however, before you arrive in Canada, you will need to have valid health insurance for the entire duration of your ski season.
This means that if you intend to stay in the country for 24 months, you must have valid health insurance for the entire 24 months.
You will only be granted a visa length based on the amount of time you have valid health insurance - meaning, if you have health insurance for your first 4 months in Canada, you will be granted a working holiday visa for 4 months, and there is no way of extending this.
Your Canadian Ski Season is going to be full of views like this…
Canadian Social Insurance Number (SIN) information
The Canadian Social Insurance Number is a 9-digit number that you need to have to work in Canada, or have access to government programs or benefits.
Temporary residents of Canada (i.e. those on a working holiday visa) have to obtain their SIN in person at a Service Canada office. You can only do this once you have a physical copy of your working permit in Canada.
Applying for your SIN should be one of the first tasks you complete after arriving in Canada - you cannot secure a job with it.
Opening a Canadian Bank Account
Opening a bank account in Canada is a very straightforward process and should also be one of the first tasks you complete when arriving in the country.
To open a bank account, you will need a copy of your passport and a physical copy of your working holiday visa. Alongside this, you will also need a ‘billing address’ - for temporary workers still searching for a job, many banks will accept the hostel/hotel you’re currently staying in as a form of address. CIBC certainly do, but this may vary from bank to bank.
Once you accept a job, the business will likely ask you to send them a ‘void cheque’ so that they can create a payroll deposit to your account. To acquire one of these, go into the bank and ask them to create a ‘void cheque’ to send to your employer.
Money Tip: create a free account with Wise (Formerly TransferWise) and when you’re ready to send your hard-earned Canadian Dollars back home, you will be able to transfer straight from your Canadian bank account (via your Wise account) to your home bank account. Alternatively, it is also possible to transfer from your home account to your new Canadian account too. For more information on how to use Wise and the exchange fees click here
Getting a Canadian Phone Contract
There are only 3 leading phone contract providers in Canada - Telus, Bell and Rogers. Each has smaller associated brands under different names, but they are the only 3 providers.
You are able to set up a new phone number without a Canadian bank account, though you may incur international fees from your bank account at home. Once you set up your Canadian bank account, you can simply change the billing account.
In terms of which provider to choose, it depends entirely on the area in which you base yourself for your Ski Season. Remember to tell the provider where you intend to work so they can inform you whether they have coverage in that area. As many ski resorts are in remote areas, you may only have 1 choice as to which provider to choose.
In Lake Louise, for example, we got a phone contract with Rogers and a wi-fi contract with Telus, as they were the only options available.
Rogers offers a free cancellation policy with one-month notice which is perfect for working a Ski Season as it doesn’t tie you down to a contract you no longer need.
Note: as there are only 3 coverage providers, phone bills can be expensive in Canada. Be prepared to pay at least CAD$45 per month for unlimited data.
Main Lodge at Lake Louise Ski Resort
Final Stage - Book your Flights to Canada
Now you’ve got everything else planned, there is only one stage left - booking your flights to Canada.
A lot of the major ski resorts are towards the West Coast in Alberta and British Columbia, meaning Calgary is a good airport to fly into as it has excellent links with many worldwide airports, and once you arrive, it has significant ground links with many Ski towns.
Flights tip: when booking your flights to Canada, always use Skyscanner. You can use the handy flight search tool below to find your flights to the Canadian Ski slopes now.
Working a ski season in Canada will be a slightly different experience for everybody. For example, the realities of working a ski season on your gap year will look a lot different than working a ski season as a long-term travel option for couples.
Whatever your motivation, working a ski season in Canada is going to be an unforgettable adventure, and we hope this guide can help you on your way!
