THE

WORK4TRAVEL

FRONTIER

CLUB

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As a traveller for adventure you'll participate in all kinds of interesting and varied activities and enjoy all manner of unusual experiences. Working a little along the way makes it all possible.

WORKING IN SKI RESORTS & SNOW COUNTRY

Imagine waking up to a vista of snow-covered mountains, the smell of fresh pinewoods, with the sun beating down from a cloudless blue sky? 

That's what many members enjoy - and it's so easy that we wonder why other people put up with the drudgery that winter can mean in so many places. Join the Club and enjoy a winter wonderland, any time of the year.

Almost every mountainous region on earth now offers opportunities for skiing. Although skiing is best in Europe in January and February, there are opportunities, if you are prepared to travel, to work in ski resorts almost year round. It is possible to ski in Lapland in midsummer (under the midnight sun in fact). In the southern hemisphere, skiing is possible in Australia, Chile and Argentina from June onwards, and in New Zealand the season starts even earlier.

Jobs naturally vary between resorts and countries but there are always opportunities somewhere for:-

Ski resort drivers, waiters, cooks, kitchen staff, hall and night porters, chambermaids, receptionists, bar staff, swimming pool attendants, chalet maids, chalet hosts/hostesses, chalet help, ski lift operators, ski guides, ski instructors and coaches, snow clearers, maintenance staff, handymen/women, shop and supermarket staff, etc.

Young people were yesterday urged to help ease a staffing crisis in badly undermanned alpine ski resorts. The plea came from a French Employment chief after only 2000 people applied to fill 7,500 winter jobs on offer in the Grenoble area ... with an offer of guaranteed employment until April. He is keen to recruit because more skiers from English speaking countries are arriving each winter. Jobs are going in hotels, restaurants and on ski lifts. The French are reluctant to sign up for seasonal jobs because it is now easier for them to find longer term employment.

Winter fun can take all shapes and forms. Lorraine enjoyed the fabulous scenery and fantastic activities of Iceland while working a 6-month contract in a fish processing plant in the village of Porlakshafn ...

"The Icelanders were a bit wary of us at first, yet once we were accepted they were eager to show us the nicer parts of their country and even lent us their cars. I really enjoyed the experience of living and working in another country."

Many members not only enjoy their first experience of overseas adventure with the Club, but come back time and time again to enjoy the special facilities that the Club has for an adventurous lifestyle. We recently received the following letter:

"I was interested in everything in your brochure, especially the photographs. The one opposite the page ‘Something for Everyone’ (shown here) quite caught my eye, as the person on the right of the picture wearing a trilby is me!! It was taken in 1989 when I was with the Club in British Columbia. Please send me all the latest info. It was fantastic"… David Brock

I joined the Club in November ... I have now received job offers in the French and Swiss Alps ... What I thought was a dream in now only a few steps from becoming reality and I am writing to thank you." … Andrew Mitchell

"Tempted by the prospect of Alpine villages, roaring open fires and long exhilarating days on the piste, I decided to work in Les Menuires, regarded as one of the best ski areas in the world. I was to be a homme tout main (general dogsbody!) until the end of April, working a very comfortable 36-hours a week with my day split into two. From 7-10 am I would clean the reception and vacuum the residences’ halls, being free to ski until 4pm when I would work for 3-hours in reception dealing with enquiries.

"My accommodation was in a plush, pine furnished, bottom floor studio, complete with a balcony overlooking the 'station' - what better?

"If it wasn't for you I would not have had the best experience of my life." … Vincent Burke

"Hi - Thanks for your letter. My trip to New Zealand started in July and I spent 4-months snowboarding and working in a small ski town in the South Island, before moving on to vineyard work, planting vines, irrigation, thinning and bottling for Neudorf Vineyards in Nelson. That was hard work, but fun.

"It reminded me in some ways of my time with you (the Club) in Scotland – I miss the place and it was one of my best (working) holidays.

"I am now at the point where I’ll be leaving NZ and flying to Sydney with Air China. The real world isn’t ready for me yet so I’m going to spend another 9-months or so there. Haven’t got a clue when I’ll be back."… Simon

HIGH LIFE AUSTRALIA - Nick and Deb Maxted

Nick and Deb decided to change winter for summer!

"September was a good time to arrive in Australia with summer just around the corner and the days already warm and bright. After the indifferent English climate we were constantly delighted by the brilliant and reliable Australian weather.

"We both had working holiday visas and wages were always higher than in the UK so we had ample funds to cover our living expenses even though Deb was only working 20-hours a week. Her first job was with a company based in North Sydney and the journey to work entailed crossing the Harbour Bridge by slow train - there must be worse commuting trips!

"I got a job with a company specialising in suspended ceilings. Although not trained or experienced in this field I found the Australian attitude of give-it-a-go very fair. You would be given a chance and if you made the effort you could succeed.

"Work was extremely well paid by British standards and overtime was often available and paid at very generous rates, especially on weekends and public holidays. With a high disposable income and no ties eating out became a regular habit, with wonderful meals washed down with excellent (and cheap) Australian wine - something we could not have afforded back home.

"After looking around the multitude of car yards we eventually bought an old Holden station wagon which resembled a tank in looks and performance. Once motorised, we were able to use our weekends to explore some of the New South Wales countryside. Camping in the bush under a canopy of stars became a favourite pastime. With campsite facilities cheap and uncrowded it was always enticing to just take off in the Holden along the coast or occasionally inland. Long golden beaches, luxuriant forests, wide grasslands and even 'snowy' mountains all lay within a day's drive of the city. In Sydney, spare time would be spent on Bondi Beach watching the giant rollers sweep in.

"After working and saving for about 8-months we decided it was time to see more of the country proper. We decided to head west to Adelaide and then north through 'the centre' to Alice Springs before taking the road to Northern Queensland, a real adventure." ... Nick & Deb

PATAGONIA - Land of Giants

This is one of the world's last frontier - vast tracts of untouched wilderness, with soaring, snow-capped mountains, Ice Age glaciers, bottle-green fjords, turquoise lakes and rivers and one of the world's largest swathes of temperate rainforest. Here, the Andes breathe their last, dramatic breath before plunging into the ocean.

In the southern hemisphere the seasons and climate are reversed from those in the northern hemisphere. While you are experiencing winter in the United States or Europe, in Patagonia it's summer, and we are enjoying some of the best weather of the region!

Come join us.

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