Team Geared Up

 

ÖREBRO, SWEDEN  (Team Geared Up) - I just came back from my season in Whistler, British Columbia in Canada and thought i’d share some of the tips and tricks I learn’t during my season! So it is about time I got around to writing one of these posts. Procrastination is a terrible, terrible thing!

To do a season means different things to different people. It mainly involves living and working in the snow, up the mountain, where you will ski or snowboard as much as you can! I chose Whistler to do mine for a few reasons:

• I can speak the language
• Two mountains to play on
• Far enough away from home
• One of the top 5 ski resorts in the world
• Record breaking snowfall
• Spring and summer skiing
• Amazing après ski, nightlife, shopping and dining

So once you decided on a location, getting there is the next step! In Ireland there is only one option for a 1 year work/travel visa. You must go through USITwho has the monopoly on the whole system. If you are under 35 you can apply for the visa through them. They will look after your flights, insurance and everything else you need to know, but it is pricey. The UK equivalent is BUNACwho run the same programme across the water. But if you are a UK citizen there may be other ways of getting a work visa (Canada being part of the Commonwealth). Once you get to Canada SWAP take over and give you an orientation and support if needed. If you are interested in going to Canada from another Country their website has a list of their partners in different countries.

You will hopefully land in Vancouver Airport in Canada. From there you will need to make your way to Whistler. It is about a 2.5 hour drive north. You can get there many different ways from the airport to the resort.

• Greyhound Canada - The Basic Bus service
• Perimeter Bus - Door to Door/Airport to Accommodation option
• Snow Bus
• Whistler Limo 
• Or splash out and arrive by Helicopter!

You may want to spend a few days in the city and explore. There is loads of ski and snowboard shops in whistler, so there isn’t many deals or bargains to be found in Vancouver.  The ideal time to arrive in Whistler would be the start to mid-October. It is still really quiet so there should be no problem picking up accommodation. You can also start looking for a job and get settled. The big sale is around Canadian Thanksgiving. Everyone wants to clear all their old stock from last year making room for the new stuff. You will have a new set of gear by the time you leave so why not get it at the start when it is cheap!

I will hopefully have more to write about and tell you soon. If you have any questions about doing a season please leave a comment!

-Darran-