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Should I work a southern or a northern hemisphere ski season?
New Zealand
Japan
When you start planning your ski season this is probably the first question that will come to mind if you haven't already decided. Plus, even if you already have your heart set on a traditional chalet girl european season in the French, or Austrian alps, I urge you to consider New Zealand and maybe even Australia as options too - they could even be your snowy summer plans post europe season.
Contents:
New Zealand
I've lived here since may 2019 and it has been incredible. The country boasts terrain like the UK but on steroids. The trees are incredible check out my instagram account dedicated to the trees I discover across the country @trees_with_eden. The culture is so very hipster and laidback. If you're the kind of person who couldn't care less about high heels and haute couture, New Zealand is the destination for you. It is perhaps the most wholesome country I've ever visited and my time here has allowed and encouraged me to get in touch with my more soulful, simple side of being, appreciating nature, weather, fresh and local produce.
On the flip side, I kinda miss my days window shopping in gorgeous expensive boutiques and wearing jewelry and pretty dresses to meet up with friends, something that now only happens on occasion since it just isn't a priority of the average kiwi out here, though you do you gal, I definitely still have friends who embrace getting pretty with me occasionally.
Nightlife
Nightlife is very laid back here in Queenstown and Wanaka and I imagine it's fairly similar at Mt Ruapehu in the north island too. We love the pub quiz, the beers after work, the local burger and beer deals and the occasional drunken club night. But since COVID hit the world, partying became a very different occasion for those of us living ski season life here in New Zealand and we turned to house parties and more (less- civilized ) pot luck dinners, and casual drinks at the bar with good food. My age and season experience might also have a little to do with it since there are still most definitely opportunities to have mega nights pretty regularly if you look for them. I guess you could say my season experience evolved just as I have and I’ve made New Zealand my new home so I don’t feel the need to rush to the bars as often to make the most of it. Being in a committed relationship can do this too I guess.
So if you want the option to not get sucked into daily apres and drunken disorderly nights out, New Zealand will definitely give you that option to find the crowd of people who love having fun the same way as you.
Europe/France
Europe on the other hand, I speak for Austria and France mainly, and my experience was in the larger resorts too. It is an epic destination for those of us who feel like university wasn't long enough and we want to continue to ride the wild card and learn as much as we can about both ourselves and others before life eventually gets that little bit taimer. My experience involved more saying no thanks to offers for parties than it did trying to organize them in Europe, there is just so much going on! I didn’t even feel the need for my housemates or friends to be going out as an excuse to go out because I was sure to meet people I’d hung out with on previous nights out! (NZ eventually gets like this after multiple seasons but it takes time unlike in Europe).
If you are thinking of Europe but you don't want a big party scene, consider the company you work for and the type of people it will attract. You might even get the chance to let your accommodation leader/ manager know the type of people you’d like to live with for the season too, especially if it’s a big company.
If you're super keen to head across the pond but you have contacts in Australia you'd like to meet up with or something else about the gorgeous exotic country is swaying you that way. Have a read of this article by anaimlesswalk. She talks in detail about her season in Australia.https://www.anaimlesswalk.com/the-reality-of-working-a-ski-season-in-australia/
If you’ve worked a ski season in another country and you’d like to share an article on it, I’d love to showcase it here on TheSkiNomad.com so please get in touch with us!
Now it's time to bust some myths. The snow.
New Zealand can get fantastic snow and has done in previous years, just like the resorts across the french and austrian alps. Climate change is affecting our snowfall across the globe and please visit …. For more global impact information.
Resort size
Europe is home to some of the biggest mountain ranges in the world. My first ski seasons were in Courchevel, The Three Valleys in France, and in St Anton, Austria, two of the largest resorts too. They just don't compare to the smaller fields here in NZ because the way we ski here is so different, especially when you're training to be an instructor or trying to improve your skills.
If you’re yearning for the big day trip, big mountain, backcountry accessible terrain, the larger resorts are where it’s at for you and Europe and Canada will suit you well.
If you like the idea of earning your turns for the back country pow of a lifetyme, the ski touring scene here in New Zealand is epic.
If you want to be the best skier or snowboarder on the mountain, you’ll want a resort that offers a variety of training slopes of varying gradients and smaller, quicker lifts that you can ride repetitively all day working on the same thing takes repetition and perfect practice.
A larger mountain range doesn't always mean a larger resort, think about what it is from a resort that you want, do you enjoy restaurant and bar scene, do you want the pool and fitness centres and ice rinks (zermatt, three valleys, port du solei etc) , or are you happy with a local pub and a huge mountain to ski on? (mt ruapehu, mt hutt, club fields, and the smaller resorts of europe such as les gets).
Backcountry and expert terrain
New Zealand is equally as significant when it comes to the advanced and expert sier as many of the slopes are challenging and steep, and the backcountry terrain is breathtaking. If you have a ski touring or split board set up, please consider New Zealand as a destination.
Club fields
It's also important to think about how easy it is to access other fields across New zealand. Once you have a job at one you can spend your days off visiting another nearby or perhaps even a powder deep club field. Cick here for more info about the club fields in new zealand.
Distance from home
Distance from home is an incredibly important one for the majority of us and personally it would have put me right off if my best friend hadn't already moved here before I decided to come.
Please don't let it stop you from taking those 6-8 months of pure unadulterated dream life. Home will still be there when you get back or like my friend you may find home travels to you! What is a 30 hour journey to get in your way when the hardest thing when trying to see family is actually setting a date! At least that's my experience anyway.
Just keep the distance in mind, it will probably mean you need more savings tucked away for a last minute flight should you need to go home for any reason.
Timing
You’re going to have the time of your life whatever hemisphere you end up in, so keep things as simple as you can. Overcomplicating things just makes the decisions harder.
Timing can be a great decision helper. Cease the day. Go before it’s too late. If you are thinking about planning a season and you reckon you could have everything ready to get up and go by end of May, head to the southern hemisphere and make the most of the time you have! If your current studies and or job work out better to finish in time for northern winter, do that! If you’re thinking about it, won’t it cost me more to go further away? Nope, it’s all about your priorities and what you’re willing to compromise on. Every country and travel journey will have its ways for you to spend all of your money whatever your budget is, so forget money, and do what you want to do as soon as you can make it possible!
Try to think ahead
Click here to read about why I think ski seasons should be more than just life in the ski field. (immerse yourself in the country not just the snow).
Your support system
Choosing a hemisphere is just like choosing a country. You need to choose somewhere you feel comfortable and ready for the adventure it offers. Life is a long time too, you just have to make the first decision and the other ones will be much easier.
If you want some more personal advice about your ski season or trip to the snow. Please reach out! Instagram my dms, comment on the posts, send me an email, I'd love to hear from you!
The Ski Nomad
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