Top 10 ski resorts to work in
Here is our guide to the top ten ski resorts to work in. To be honest you will have a great time no matter which resort you end up working in, but after a quick poll around the office, these are the resorts we would head for. We even managed to get some recommendations for resorts in the Southern Hemisphere: Argentina and New Zealand. So when the snow melts in Europe, you can move to the south and exist in a permanent state of winter and snow. Bliss.
1. Zermatt (Switzerland) – This is the best resort in Switzerland. Where Chamonix has Mont Blanc as a back drop, Zermatt has the huge and impressive Matterhorn. The facilities here are especially good for more advanced skiers and the town caters for a wealthier skier, with its mix of five star hotels and wonderful restaurants and exclusive shops. There are lots of ways to spend your wages, but you’ll certainly have fun doing it. We are trying to convince our finance director to allow us to relocate our office to this wonderful resort. No seriously.
2. Aspen (USA) – The winter resort to be and be seen. Many rich and famous people make Aspen their ski resort of choice which affords you a chance to rub shoulders with the odd movie star, maybe even teaching their little ones to ski. A wealthy silver mining town in Colorado State, Aspen first started to develop as a resort in the 1930s. Today its huge pistes cater for every level of skier. There is plenty to do and see in the compact resort, filled with plenty to entertain those who prefer the après-ski.
3. Chamonix (France) – The world’s first Winter Olympic Games was held at this resort back in the 1920s. Its location at the foot of Mont Blanc offers stunning scenery as well as some huge ski runs. Anyone who has visited an indoor snow dome will surely appreciate the thirteen mile long Vallee Blanche run. That’s a lot of skiing. There aren’t many who wouldn’t want to work in Chamonix.
4. Kitzbuhel (Austria) – Certainly the best known winter resort in Austria, Kitzbuhel is less expensive than most well known European resorts. Something of a bonus if you are trying to save your wages while you are working out there. The skiing caters for most abilities though experts would probably do better elsewhere.
5. Sestriere (Italy) – Host to the 1997 ski world championships, Sestriere is a fabulous winter resort. There is a mix of difficulty catering for all levels of skiers and the town itself has a good nightlife, especially at the weekends when the Italians come in from the big cities. The resort is at quite a high altitude which means it benefits from good snow falls. Caters well for snowboarders too.
6. Val Thorens (France) – This is the highest resort in Europe and as such is often more reliable than places like Kitzbuhel when it comes to the white stuff falling from the sky, though sometimes there can be too much. Val Thorens is a lively resort and can be quite crowded at the height of the ski season. If you are the kind of person who sees the night life as an essential part of the job, this may well be the place for you.
7. Val d’Isere (France) – This really is the resort that can claim to cater for everybody. Whatever type of skiing you enjoy, whatever you are looking for in a resort, you will find it at Val d’Isere. Well known for its excellent nightlife as much as for its skiing. A word of warning, the town is expensive and the there are lots(!) of English people here. It is not a traditional French resort by any means.
8. Avoriaz (France) – Another high altitude resort, probably one of the most scenic resorts in the alps, with car free roads filled with horse-drawn sledges. Caters for all levels of skiing ability. The nightlife isn't as busy as some resorts but there is plenty to do and the chalets and hotels often allow you to ski from your front door.
9. Las Lenas (Argentina) – Las Lenas is known as the Chamonix of the Southern Hemisphere and is a relatively new resort, only built a couple of decades ago. Less organized than a European resort, and definitely more remote, but this leaves plenty of scope for some serious off piste skiing that will keep the expert skier entertained. One thing you will notice is the lack of trees. Could be a good place to work if you want to try something a bit different.
10. Queenstown (New Zealand) – This place caters for lots of extreme sports, many of them involving the snow. There are plenty of easy runs for beginners, making it a great resort for families. The area isn’t very big, but there are plenty of resorts within a short distance and plenty of bars for the evenings. If you are into bungee jumping and white water rafting as well as skiing, this is a great place to work.