What does a ski tech do in the summer?
Perhaps the real question here is how do you live life season to season?
Not just creating income that is solely based on weather, but enjoying hobbies and adventures that fill the void left behind by the previous season. All told, the thought of doing the same job for a whole year, every year, is motivation enough to drop everything and find a lifestyle rather than a career.
Whether you’re a summer swan trying to tough it out through the cold or a winter wanderer posing as a free-spirited surfer, we all need to find a way to fulfill the thrill.
The life of a ski tech lasts about 5 months each time it comes around.
It’s a winter of touching ten’s of feet a day, explaining ski flex patterns and more so, sharing a passion.
Getting people set up to experience what you feel every time you’re on the mountain.
It’s a pretty cool job. Hanging out a chatting about skiing and snowboarding, we even get to drive around New Zealand for the trouble.
But what about when the lifts stop whirring? The last ski boot has been put away, the snow is gone, oh and there’s no more paycheck…
Anthony - Director of Stoke, Snopro
Spring has always been bittersweet for me. While looking back at the long snowy days in the mountains, it's hard to believe that it'll be another 8 months before the snow once again covers the peaks of the local ranges. This being said, it often doesn't take long after the snow has dispersed for me to remember the sweetness of summer.
Although there are few feelings to can compare to soaring down the mountain on a snowboard, the summer for me offers a wider range of activities. A Friday evening can provide enough daylight to send a new rock climb at the local crag, a trail run on a new trail can occupy most of a Saturday, while an early morning Sunday mountain bike ride can provide one last rush before the weekend comes to a close. Needless to say, most of these activities are best paired with a cold beer on a patio afterward.
With summers as busy as these, within what feels like a blink of an eye, I'm waking up to the first frosted tips of the local slopes again just in time for that bittersweet feeling to return.
Eliot - IT Department, Snopro
I’ve never really worked out what to do in the summer, I sort of make it up as I go along. Play a bit of cricket, have a cup of tea, take a nap in the sun. At the moment it’s constant winter, moving between NZ and France means there’s always work delivering skis. Plus, the mountains in the winter are awesome.
Nothing much trumps skiing for me, so I’ll be on an 18-month winter streak soon. It’s always quite tough to plunge back into the cold after tasting a few weeks of spring, maybe get a few bike laps in then it's done. At the moment I’d be stoked for a full summer but as soon as I arrive back in Europe it’ll be all good. There’s nothing better than when the pow day switch gets flicked to on and you’re out riding with good buddies.
Joe - Foot Analysis Consultant, Snopro
This has been my first real winter season so I haven’t really planned too much. I was in Australia and the opportunity came up with Snopro which was too good to turn down. I’ve been a boot fitter in the UK but it’s not quite the same there… you don’t get to go skiing on your day off, no one is quite as stoked on life.
It’s all about a healthy lifestyle for me and being in the mountains has been awesome, skiing, running and breathing in the cold fresh air in the morning. Perfect. I’m planning on getting to Aus for a summer. I’m a bit of a shark in the water, my first labour of love is swimming. So I’ve been longingly dreaming of warm summers in the water perhaps do some swim coaching, there couldn’t be a better place for that than Australia.
Justin - Expedition Leader, Snopro
Summers are awesome although I’ve still got plenty to occupy my brain, some people think it's a matter of locking the door at Snopro and going on holiday for 6 months. I have been lucky enough to work remotely during part of the summer but I also part own Bikeaholic so that keeps me busy enough.
Plus Snopro is constantly evolving and pushing forward. I work hard over the summer exploring new opportunities, developing our in-house technology and preparing for the next season. For example, last year we created a new booking engine with a virtual assistant and preemptive algorithms. Although, I will admit to doing this from Aspen for a ski season… but I'm super excited about getting back on my bike this summer.
Ezra - The Boss, Snopro
Get my skis waxed, NOW. I gotta get to Cardies for first lifts.
Jake - Mud Curationist, Snopro
Sure, I can double backflip on my skis and I’ve probably ridden over 100 days at Coronet Peak alone this winter. Truly though, I like to ride my bicycle and fix everyone else’s.
