New to the site - Canada working holiday?
While you’ll learn at any mountain, Sun Peaks is great because it has lots of beginner / intermediate terrain (and double blacks but they are more out of the way)
2nd largest in BC and not as hardcore of a staff group. Lots of cruising and they are happy to hire beginners.
There was lots of couples and there are couple rooms in Staff accom which are much better than other resorts I’ve seen (Whistler Glacier staff and Manning Park staff)
You can apply for jobs around September (keep an eye out in August but I’m pretty sure it was September) They do Skype interviews and you can show up a few days before training starts (was November 13th for Lifties).
If you like working outside, I’d suggest being a lifty (and you’ll improve a lot quicker). If not, go for something like rentals or food staff which is indoors but aren’t as optimal. If you work at the Sunburst Lodge, they are at the top of the mountain so you get to ride down at the end of each day. If you have serving experience, Masa’s Bar and Grill is good cause tips are crazy good in North America.
Oh and 1 quick point of advice, as a couple, go out early on and make friends with people, don’t shy away in your room as you’ll kill each other (as a few couples did while we were up there). That way if you 2 progress at different levels you can still ride with different people and you won’t feel excluded from the staff group parties etc.
Seriously, just go get drunk a few times at the start of the season until you at least have a decent group of people you both like.
Where would everyone recommend to work for our first season? We aren’t the best snowboarders but quite keen to learn. We were leaning toward whistler, panorama or sunshine.
You know my vote. Whistler. 
It’s an incredible place to ride, regardless of your level. And it will certainly push your progression.
My advice is to apply for all three and then weigh up your options!
Don’t get your heart set on one and then have no options when you don’t get it.
That’s good advice. Keep your options open. Apply early to whichever mountains appeal to you, then you can choose the best option.
awesome! can’t wait to get the process started.
My partner and I aren’t ones to hide away in our rooms. May as well stay home if we were to do that. We love getting out and meeting everyone over a few quiet drinks, thats half the fun.
Keep us posted, danho.
Hopefully we’ll see you in Whistler and we can catch up for beers and shredding.
Enquired through ‘the working holiday group’ today and they said they only have positions left at Grouse mountain and Big white. The rep I was speaking to was saying how we are quite late in our application process and that all jobs will be gone by the end of this week? Surely this is not true?
Maybe they didn’t have any or very few spots for Whistler to begin with. Definitely sounds like they’re just trying to get you to commit. There’s so many options still available at this time of year. Keep looking.
Check this page: http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/employment/recruiting-initiatives.aspx
Overseas Recruiting Trips and Partners
For a positive experience, when determining which agency to assist you in your search for employment, we encourage you to do your due diligence to ensure the agency you select is legitimate and partnered with Whistler Blackcomb. If you are in question of an agency, please email Whistler Blackcomb Employee Experience at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), we’d be happy to confirm. Below is a list of our current partners.
Looks like these are the agencies they work with:
http://www.oysterworldwide.com/gap-year-in-canada-whistler.php
http://www.the-workingholiday-club.com/canada/employer-profiles/whistler-blackcomb.html
http://www.alltracksacademy.com/courses/internships/
http://www.yesimprovement.com/programs/whistler-ski-instructor/professional
We decided to go with IEP for the piece of mind, we were most comfortable with them after speaking to them. Most likely be applying for panorama or marmot basin. Now it all begins.