Working in a ski resort.. in the summer?

Yes, you heard me. I've been working in Alpe d'Huez since the beginning of June and I've LOVED it. I've also never skied or snowboarded before. I've been working in a hotel, and its been mostly quiet! There are certainly some myths about working as a seasonnaire, such as constantly drinking and partying. While this might be true in the winter, in the summer definitely not!

There are amazing perks to working here in the summer. We have a reasonably priced sports centre,  an ice rink, swimming pool, endless gorgeous scenery and perfect weather. My working days here are so much less stressful than I thought they would be, so I'll normally have at least 5 hours of break every day which leaves me to go out and explore! The work itself is quite strenuous when working, but the very generous amount of hours I have off make it more than worth it.

An obvious disadvantage of being here in the summer is the fact that there a lot less people around. Most people that go out in the evenings are hotel staff, and the few clubs and bars often close early if no one is around! Nights out can become a little repetitive, and feel quite deadbeat if you're used to student nights out like me! The resort is also severely lacking in cheap drinks in the bars so very much recommended to pre drink! It's easy to get to know other people here, given the fact that you'll see familiar faces out.

The majority of guests that stay at our hotel are cyclists and walkers, given the famous 21 bends of Alpe d'Huez, which seems a goal for many. We've welcomed nationalities from all over the place, including Chile, the Netherlands, Brazil and recently Americans and Australians! This has been beneficial for my languages particularly when we've hosted French or Spanish-speaking guests. I haven't spoken quite as much French as I would've hoped for originally, but any practice is practice all the same. I hadn't realised that Alpe d'Huez is a mainly English-speaking resort, and so in hindsight I wouldn't have picked the resort knowing I could've been speaking more French elsewhere.

In the next few days, Alpe d'Huez will be on your TV screens for its historic climbing stage in the Tour de France. Already the resort has become much busier, due to so many camping out around the town to witness the cycling. In general, working in such a beautiful place has dramatically increased my interest in fitness other than badminton. I love going for a jog in the evenings when the sun's setting, and resting on the many rock faces dotted around the mountain. I've also gotten into tennis, pool ( everyone plays pool here..) and even climbing!

For me, the advantages of living and working in such a breathtaking place far outweigh the fact that the resort can be really dead most of the time, and gets a little busier during events. It depends on what you want to get out of being here. I wanted to improve my French, try out new things, do something fun and productive in the summer and I've certainly achieved these things and more! If you're more about drinking and socialising, the winter season is much more for you.

Thanks for reading! Have you ever worked a ski season? Would you recommend it?