WINTER PARK SKI RESORT JOBS

Winter Park Area Profile
Winter Activities
Summer Activities
Après-ski
Transportation
Housing
Winter Park Ski Resort Employment

• Ski areas: Winter Park Resort
• Population: 720
• Snow Report: (303) 572-SNOW or (970) 726-SNOW (7669)
• Annual snowfall: 360"+
• Ski season: Mid-November to Late-April
• Season Pass (includes Copper Mountain): $350
• Chamber of Commerce: (970) 726-4118 or (800) 903-7275
• Employee Housing: Limited availability
• Cost of adult 1-day lift ticket: $79
• Local newspapers: Grand County Newspapers-The Manifest (Wed), Sky High Times (Thurs), The Daily Tribune (Fri & Sun), (970) 887-2494, www.grandcountynews.com.

Winter Park Area Profile

Winter Park doesn't have the glamour and celebrity status of Aspen, or the quaint Victorian charm of other Colorado resorts, but it offers great skiing minus all the pretense. It is the oldest ski area in Colorado and owned by the city and county of Denver, and managed by Intrawest, Corporation. Winter Park is "authentic Colorado" located 70 miles from Denver at an elevation of 9,000 feet on the western slope of the Continental Divide. There is no real "town" center, just the mountain base village, condos, inns, and bed-and-breakfasts situated in the forest area surrounding the mountain. Its proximity to Denver makes for big crowds on weekends when the city-dwellers arrive, but mostly uncrowded weekdays.Winter Park is located at 9,000 feet on the western slope of the Continental Divide. There is no real "town" center, just the mountain base village, condos, inns, and bed-and-breakfasts situated in the forest area surrounding the mountain. Winter Park is only seventy miles from Denver, which makes for huge crowds on weekends when the city-dwellers arrive, but mostly uncrowded weekdays.

Winter Activities

Winter Park's location assures skiers ample snow throughout the ski season, more than any other Colorado resort. The area has 3,060 skiable acres, 143 trails, and 25 chairlifts. Its very size deters crowding, even in the peak of the season. The mountain has 2,610 vertical feet and divides its terrain as follows: 8 percent beginner, 36 percent intermediate/advanced, and  56 percent most difficult/expert. Snowboarding is excellent with great tree riding and one of the top ten terrain parks in the world. Winter Park is also a partner with the National Sports Center for the Disabled, which operates a disabled skier training center and race program. The area also is surrounded by cross-country ski trails.

The nearby vicinity offers tubing (complete with two rope tows), snowmobile tours, ice skating, and nightly sleigh rides that end with a roaring campfire, and other social events. Many sponsored ski races are held each year, including the glorious Christmas Eve Torchlight Ski-down on December 24. Other late-season activities include the Easter Sunrise Service Golden Bunny Race and Spring Splash on the closing day of the season. For some excellent sightseeing try the Denver-to-Winter Park Rio Grande Ski Train through mountains, tunnels, rocky canyons, and ice-crusted rivers. It is an experience comparable to a train ride through the Swiss and Austrian Alps.

Summer Activities

The summer brings thousands of mountain bikers (Winter Park and the Fraser Valley is Mountain Bike Capital U.S.A), hikers, anglers, campers, river rafters, and backpackers to enjoy the idyllic summer climate. Rocky Mountain National Park, less than an hour from the Fraser Valley, is a haven for outdoor enthusiasts. Rodeo and music abound in Winter Park during the summer. On Saturday nights from mid-July to late August locals compete at the amateur level in the High Country Stampede. Call the Chamber of Commerce for more information. The American Music and Jazz Festivals are held in July and feature popular performers like Bonnie Raitt and Harry Connick, Jr. For more information call the Winter Park Resort at WNTR-PRK-RSRT (800-979-0332). For details on permits, call either (970) 444-6003 or (970) 887-3331. Don't miss the longest alpine slide in Colorado, (970) 726-5514.

Après-ski

Bars and nightclubs in Winter Park are few and far between, but those that exist are good places for socializing, drinking, and dancing. The Derailer Bar, (970) 726-5514 ext. 273, at the base of the mountain is hopping with people looking for fun after a day on the slopes. Deno's offers more than 100 beers and 200 varieties of wine to meet everyone's taste and has two main dance areas: the Slope and the Stampede. Crooked Creek in nearby Fraser offers live music, and The Winter Park Pub is a popular local watering holes. Drop in at Hernandos for pizza or Rudy's Deli for a quick sandwich. Winter Park restaurants emphasize satisfying cooking without high prices.

Transportation

Winter Park is 67 miles west of Denver via I-70 and U.S. 40. All major airlines fly into Denver International Airport. Ground transportation from the airport to the resort is available from Greyhound Bus Lines, Inc., (970) 726-4118, Home James, (800) 359-7536, email: info@homejamestransportation.com, Vanex, (303) 726-4047, or the Rio Grande Ski Train, (303) 296-I-SKI (4754). The Ski Train brings skiers and sightseers from downtown Denver to the base of Winter Park. Another option is to take the Amtrak California Zephyr that operates between San Francisco and Chicago. The train makes a stop in Fraser, a few miles from the resort.

The Lift, a free in-town shuttle for employees travels from all lodging from many locations throughout the county to the ski area and around the base village. Employees living in employee housing are given free transportation to the resort. The only need for a car is to explore nearby areas or to venture into Denver, seventy miles east of Winter Park.

Housing

Most employers reserve dorm-style housing for seasonal workers. The resort also has a limited number of condos available for sublet to employees. Finding shared housing before the ski season begins is highly recommended. Another option is to check out the towns of Granby, eighteen miles away, Tabernash, 9 miles, or Fraser, 5 miles. Consider the online classifieds from the local paper for current accommodation information.

Winter Park Ski Resort Employment

Winter hiring begins in August for work beginning mid-November to early December. Summer hiring begins in March for positions starting in June and lasting through Labor Day. Again, subscribing to a paper is a good method of finding out about employment opportunities. Each ski season, 1,500 employees are hired by the resort itself. The Winter Park job hotline is (888) JOB-4525. Besides the ski area, other popular employers are Deno's, Wells Fargo, and the many construction firms located within the county.

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