Life of a ski instructor in Wanaka, New Zealand
James Vause is definitely living the life! In April he completed our 11 week Canadian ski instructor course and then headed to Wanaka, NZ for his first season instructing. He recently wrote about how he got a ski instructor job and now in this second of three blogs James gives us an insight into the life of a seasonaire in Wanaka. Be warned, this blog will make you insanely jealous and possibly result in life-changing decisions!
Treble Cone and Lake Wanaka
Life is good. It’s one of my days off and I’m sat in my living room on a typically beautiful Kiwi morning with a bacon sandwich to my right and a window to my left affording me some spectacular views of Lake Wanaka. A few days ago, in preparation for writing this blog, I sat down to write a list of pros and cons of life as a seasonaire down here and my list, unsurprisingly, turned out a little one sided.
Make no mistake, being a ski instructor is hard work. Aside from the fact that being on a pair of skis all day is physically challenging, you also have to be mentally switched on to ensure your students are safe, having fun and learning something too. It’s not uncommon to be working 7 days a week during peak times of business and you’ll grow to appreciate a nice meal and good night’s sleep above all else! But you also get to play a vital role in what is, for some people, the highlight of their week, holiday or even year. There’s nothing quite like being able to share your passion for skiing with likeminded individuals and, I must admit, the job satisfaction is pretty high.
I suppose the really special thing about spending a season in Wanaka is that there’s just as much fun to be had away from the mountain as there is on it. Unlike Fernie, which had a real ski-town feel to it, you’ll find plenty of people here who perhaps go skiing or boarding only a couple of times a month. There’s a unique blend of people in town; from locals who have spent their entire lives here, to travellers just here for the season and a fair share of travellers who arrived here and decided never to leave… Their love for this place can be measured by so much more than just the amount of fun they have when they slide around on a snow covered hill.
Since being here I’ve discovered a host of new activities that I would never have done back home; Mountain biking, hiking, disc golf (that’s just like regular golf but played with a Frisbee!), slack lining, rifle shooting… The list goes on. The lively Queenstown is also an hour down the road if I ever fancy a change of scenery and the chance to do even more outdoor activities such as jet boat rides and bungee jumping. When the ski school does experience those quiet periods and the days off become more frequent, I’m never short of things to keep me occupied!
Being a seasonaire is a bit like joining a vast new family. I don’t think I’ve been to the supermarket a single time this season without bumping into someone from work or someone I’ve gotten to know in the local shops, bars and cafes. My colleagues at Treble Cone have also been brilliant in helping me deal with the day to day life of working at a ski resort. It’s nice to have people who understand that you can start the day off totally exhausted and then be completely energetic two hours later having just got the adrenaline rush from teaching a great lesson (and vice versa after the odd frustrating lesson!). The staff social nights, both official and unofficial, are always a highlight too. There’s no better way to relax after a tough day on the mountain than by heading down to the lakeside, setting up the slack line and sharing a few beers with your workmates as the sun sets behind the mountains on the far side of the water.
The nightlife in Wanaka is also pretty good. There are a number of cool bars in town that all stay open till late and the night club Opium is always there if you still have the urge to keep partying long into the night. The bakery is the only eatery still open at 3am but you’ll be comforted to know that a steak and bacon pie is an excellent late night snack and useful for soaking up all that vodka you just drank! I’ve also spent plenty of evenings just hanging out at the Water Bar, enjoying a cheap beer during happy hour and having a laugh with my friends.
Of course, on your days off, you could always take advantage of the fact that you have 4 different ski resorts all close by. Sometimes it’s good to get away from the skiing, but I also enjoy heading up the hill to work on my technique or to just charge around the mountain – it can be quite a release, particularly when I’ve spent the past few days at work cruising down the nursery slope in a giant wedge!
However you want to spend your spare time, Wanaka will accommodate your needs. Whenever I have the time to stop and think about it, it still blows me away just how different my lifestyle is now compared to a year ago. I ski for a living and when I’m not up the mountain I spend my time enjoying one of the most beautiful locations on earth. I mean, come on… This is crazy! The life of a seasonaire in Wanaka is certainly an enjoyable one.
It’s early Spring down here in New Zealand at the time of writing and work at the ski school is slowly starting to wind down with less than 4 weeks of the season remaining. I now get two days a week off which has coincided nicely with the change in weather and the gradual rise in temperatures. I’m heading to the driving range this afternoon to knock a few golf balls around and this weekend I’m booked in to go skydiving over Wanaka, I’ll probably just about find time to have a few beers with friends down by the lake, too… Like I said at the top, life is good.
If you like the sound of this life then start researching our instructor courses and get qualified.
If you would like to hear more from James, read the third installment of his story here.
