Winter Park could be the biggest ski resort in Colorado you haven’t heard of, and if you are an international skier, it’s probably off your radar.
The vast majority of skiers heading out of Denver take the main I70 highway to Breckenridge, Vail, Summit County, Keystone etc. If you turn off at Empire and head over the Berthoud Pass, you’ll come across Winter Park, a mountain known for it’s bump skiing in the Mary Jane area. It’s not just bumps, Winter Park offers so much more in the other 6 territories of the resort.
3081 acres, 23 lifts, 3060ft of vertical, a high base elevation of 9000ft, and an average of 326 inches of snow per season makes Winter Park a big resort.
It’s got a huge variety of terrain, and with 52% rated most difficult and 3% rated expert only, Winter Park certainly caters to advanced skiers.
There’s even a train from Downtown Denver to Winter Park which makes getting to and from this resort easy for those without vehicles.
Being so close to Denver, Winter Park does get crowded on weekends, which is both a blessing and a curse for seasonal workers. If you’re smart, you’ll be scheduled on for weekends and have time off midweek for the powder.
Unfortunately only 10% of the resort’s staff get employee housing and if you do get a job, it’s a matter of applying for housing and hoping you get some.
Most employees find housing on Craigslist by searching in the small towns in the area, including: Winter Park, Fraser, Tabernash, and Granby. Grand County Garage Sale is a local Facebook page used as a community forum for housing leads. These towns are connected to the resort with free Lyft buses. Rooms are typically shared and cost about $450-600 per person per month.
Three other great things about Winter Park is its’ hospitality, it’s long winter seasons, and it’s a year-round resort, with plenty of work and fun to be had when the lifts close.
Sure Winter Park is not as famous as Vail and Breckenridge, but perhaps that’s why you should consider working at this little resort that skis big.