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My first New Zealand season 2019. The do's and don'ts when working your first season.
There is a first for everything
A ski season has many elements; where you live, who you live with, how much you work, how little you ski, what time you sleep and all the rest of it. So here’s how my first season as an instructor went along with some essential do’s and don’ts to help you to embrace your firsts.
My motto for surviving the season- I wish it hadn’t taken me all season to come up with it!
Be respectfulBe cleanBe quiet, but not too quietBe social!Be yourself!I promise you if you’re about to embark on a wonderful ski or summer season, be sure to live by these 5 simple rules, you will avoid a whole heap of drama and create some of your own moments that you’ll never want to forget. Some of us, however, learned the hard way so that you don’t have to! Read on for more season success tips!
Quotes of the season
The poo bandit-
“some f***ing a**hole took a s*** in the shower”
“Definitely wasn’t me, I’m constipated”
“My poo is black, should I be worried”
“How did they get it all the way up there anyway?”
“The poor sods who had to clean it up”
“Man walks into the toilet and thinks “nah” and s**** in the shower right next door”
Where is the toilet again?
The disappearing items
“Has anyone scranned had a chocolate cake?”
“Where’s my milk”
“Can I borrow…”
“My adaptor has been taken from my room”
Thieves aren’t always who you think they are
Cleaner times
“The oven has a yeast infection because **** cooked too much bread in it”
“Those aren’t my take-out boxes, I ate burgers”
“These aren’t my pubes, whose are they and please can I have a new razor”
Dirty animals
This post is coming fresh from the diaries of my travels. I like writing a diary when I travel, it’s a way to encapsulate all the emotions that a place or event can make you feel, and it gives me a way of sort of remembering all the smells that a place, food, or a person has. This leads me to my first top tip!
TOP TIP number 1: Find a way to record your season whether it's on your Instagram account, photos you take for a scrapbook or montage, though letters or a diary you write or even your very own blog/vlog. Create your own season treasure to store and share your memories forever. But be cruel what you write or where you store it! If you don’t want anyone to read it, keep it as a locked document or better yet, write things you’d be proud to share with people!
So I’ll start with the day I hopped off the bus from Wanaka to Queenstown and was greeted by my absolute bestie, Pxxx. I’d sat next to Gxxx, a friend from my kiwi experience trip, more info on that story in another article coming soon! Anyway, I hopped off the bus, said the quickest goodbye to Gxxx, and sprinted over to Pxxx as if she was some giant, the both of us nearly fell to the pavement! It was the best moment ever. Who knew you could love a human this much! We were so lucky that evening Queenstown was hosting their annual light festival, perfect for a stroll through the park catching up on all the menial things.
TOP TIP number 2: embrace the culture and check out the local scene! Most ski resorts have pre and post season events and many are steeped in art, diversity, music, talent, the list goes on. There is sure to be something you’re interested in going on in your resort and it’s a fantastic way to meet new people.
The following day was lovely, first lie-in for a long while, it was bliss! We went for a walk along the river in Arrowtown which was nice to catch up on love life, and eating habits, housemate gossip, and all the rest of it.
Dinner at the gondola buffet restaurant that night was banging, a real treat. Highly recommend it for those of you who love gorging yourself on good food as much as I do. It’s defo a MUST-DO in Queenstown eateries.
TOP TIP number 3: I’d like to urge you on your season, to try not to get stuck in the bubble of work, ski, party, and to really embrace all the other amazing elements to a ski season, food being one of my most highly regarded elements.
We spent the next few days hiking up Bobs cove and Queenstown hill, doing our absolute best to take in the breathtaking view for as long as we possibly could, while we of course scoffed some of the yummy snacks we brought with us. I felt like I was on top of the world. I’ll be sure to talk more about the amazing hikes that New Zealand has to offer in my upcoming posts. After all, who doesn’t love a walk with a great view?! It is also the perfect way to strengthen your legs ready for the season ahead.
TOP TIP number 4; prepare yourself in both body and mind before your season. You’re about to put your body under huge amounts of pressure skiing/snowboarding all day, possibly working a second job, all while withstanding the cold winter temperatures. Eat right. Get outside. Exercise. Relax. Take care of yourself. Trust me, it’s worth it.
At the end of the week, we decided to indulge ourselves in a wine tour with Maori history. Gotta love a bit of culture thrown in with gorgeous local wines! 12 different wines, 6 different cheeses, by the end of the day Pxxx was falling asleep and was pretty tipsy. An evening of movies and home-cooked meals, it was the start of many gorgeous times with my special babe.
Top TIP number 5: don’t be afraid to say no and stay in. Haven’t spoken to your family in a while, stay in and get on Zoom, you’ll feel so much better for it, the tequila can wait.
Moving day! Everyone loves move-in day! The blood is flowing as nerves of meeting new roomies and housemates rise, it all happens on move-in day. Having had more move-in days than I care to remember.
My one piece of advice, TOP TIP number 6: to anyone moving into a hostel or shared house is to remember this: “first impressions are everything, but nobody gives a f***, the second and third days are remembered too”. I say this because after I’d done it a few times, I remembered to be my best self on day 1 and 2 but come day 3, I’d already settled in and started to act like these people have been my friends my whole life, not always a good idea when you’re still figuring it all out. Check out my article about hostel life.
So today I move into my new digs at Pinewood lodge! Pxxx and I went to the gym together in the morning so that we were feeling fab, and then she was an absolute star and helped me move in all my things. When the receptionist initially gave me my key, it was for the room next door, where the boys lived. I thought to myself: “surely not”, and swiftly ran to get a key for my own room. Phewf, hurdle number 1 sorted.
TOP TIP number 7: “If you think something’s wrong, you’re probably right, there’s no harm in asking”.
If you’re thinking about becoming an instructor or applying for a ski/summer resort job you’ll probably be invited to a gathering at the start of the season, organized by the managers to welcome everyone. Pinewood was no different and it was awesome. SITco (the instructor training company) invited us to a small gathering at the local pub to answer our eager questions and introduce us to our new life! Dinner out with the boys made for a lovely end to a great first day.
TOP TIP number 8: Get stuck in. Get to know your trainers/ managers, they’re there to help you!
8th June- Day 1 of instructor training
Yay! EEEEK! Yeah yeah yeah! Yahoo! - just some of the words that describe how I was feeling when I woke up this morning! So you know how I said that having a lie-in was bliss? Scrap that, waking up at 6am knowing I’d see snow in less than 2 hours feels even better. Training started with a training crew ski before we went over the basics. I can’t say I wasn’t nervous about my trainer critiquing my technique because in reality I was s***ing myself but I had to remember that I was there to learn so that other people don’t actually s*** themselves in my lessons when I teach them these things for the first time. Some slightly more experienced instructors asked me if I got bored skiing the same runs everyday during the training course and it’s a good point and well no, I didn't. I was too focused on what I was doing to really care where I was doing it. So here’s my next piece of advice for you,
TOP TIP number 9: If you’re wondering whether to do your level 1 instructor training but you can’t decide where: “consider how much fun you’ll have outside the course, and how convenient each possible location is, after all the fun really starts when you start instructing right?!”.
Though now I say it, one of the best perks of doing my instructor training and exams in New Zealand is the drive to and from work. The views. Wow. I recommend driving up the Remarkables just to see it even if you can’t or don’t want to ski.
10th June
Yesterday was awesome. I learned soooo much! But primarily that falling is ok. We decided to ski on our lunch break and hit the snow park. There was a jump that I didn’t totally exactly see when I was skiing down super fast, saw it last minute, popped and got several seconds of air, landed with a thump. Note to self “Improve core strength if I’m ever to come anywhere close to being a park rat”.
TOP TIP number 10: for those of you who would ever think of going into the terrain park/ features, a ski season is your chance to try new things with people around you to support and help you, don’t let fear get the better of you!
13th June Day off!
Training has been intense. Chalet hosting was shattering, this is a whole other story. I can’t help but ask myself “why didn’t I prepare myself for this with months in the gym and clean eating, it sure as hell would have helped!”.
TOP TIP number 11: No matter how much you prepare your body for your ski season, your muscles are still going to be tired. STRETCH. FOAM ROLL. SAUNA, SPA. DRINK WATER. These are just some of the things you can do after a big day on the hill to help you recover and last the whole season.
We all know what the first day off of the season means! Partaay! I am hella excited to get all glammed up and strut my stuff. Though it seems that maybe getting glammed up here in Queenstown isn't that much of a thing. Me Being me, I did what made me feel good, you should too.
My level 1 instructors exam:
So my examiner, a kiwi and genuinely lovely guy. He clearly loves teaching children as he is full of ways to bring energy to lessons. Absolutely nailed my exam, Yes! “I’m slowly but surely manifesting the ol’ kiwi saying ‘sweet as bro!’, lame! I know.
Major party to celebrate tonight, ended up getting way too drunk, as you do. A fab start to the season.
Day 2 of instructing
I got posted at Coronet peak for my 3 week internship with NZSKI, ”stoked!” I’m finally a qualified ski instructor about to share my growing knowledge and passion! I feel like a 4 year old who finally gets to help bake the cake.
My instructor life started by shadowing an instructor called Duncan and his level 3b group of kids. I can’t recommend shadowing enough, it really settled my nerves and showed me just how simple, easy, natural all this can be.
TOP TIP number 12: learn from those more experienced than you, or as many fellow instructors would say: “Just be better”.
Day 3
It’s slowly sinking in now that I’m actually a qualified ski instructor and I have the possibility of teaching real-life learners today! So I got to the bus stop this morning and my chatty self decided to spark up a conversation with the group of friendly people who stood there. It turns out they were on their way to her first day on the slopes! Kerching! They were planning on getting lessons and said they’d ask for me when they booked them! As things go, instructors currently earn almost double per hour for requested private lessons at NZSKI as a level 1 instructor. I hadn’t really even started the job and I’d already bagged myself the ultimate lesson. Go me!
TOP TIP number 13 from this has to be: “Strangers don’t know you’re tooting your own trumpet so toot away if it gets you places!”
28th October - Season has ended
I would first like to apologize to all of you who may or may not have enjoyed how the season started, sadly all things great have to come to an end. Luckily, the season was THAT great that I remembered it almost to the hour.
As you can imagine my first few days instructing were nerve wracking. I was nervous every single lesson until I got to know my students and started to feel that actually, I’m really good at what I do and people actually really enjoy my lessons. Some of them are even willing to pay to come back for more! Score! I’m pleased to say that two and a bit seasons later, that still hasn't changed. I LOVE my job and (I hope) my students love my lessons too.
Life at Pinewood however, changed quite drastically! It went from pretty much me being in charge and keeping order of the place to absolute chaos with more people moving in, me getting a roommate who soon found a boyfriend so wasn't really around all that much. So it was just me and the lads, or so you'd think, but no, they found girlfriends who had best friends, one of whom dated another guy in the house, all pretty much moving into Pinewood without paying rent or contributing to the upkeep of the place at first. All I ever ended up seeing in the common room was pure s***hole. They all sat around the TV playing super smash bros on Nintendo. Totally not interested, even if I did pretend to be every now and then since it was their company that I was actually interested in. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that you’re either thinking I should have just moved out, or you’re wondering why I didn't make more of an effort to clean up after them and just get stuck in with their games. My answer: “I thought about both but never really got around to taking action.”
Therefore my TOP TIP number 14 for season life success is : “Take action, if you don’t do something to make yourself happy, who will?”. This is a tip I frequently try to remind myself.
Ok, don’t get me wrong, everyone at Pinewood, rent payers and non-rent-payers included, were all lovely, but put that many excitable, busy, stressed instructors under one roof and you’re bound to create serious drama.
TOP TIP number 15: If you’re reading this still interested in season life or becoming an instructor, don’t let this living arrangement experience put you off. If you’re older or just more introverted and don’t fancy all this drama, there are so many great places to stay in Queenstown during your season. I’ve since learned that living in a shared house can actually be pretty chill. Find an accommodation set-up that suits you!
There are also some seriously fun parts to living with other people who share the same passion for the same job as you. Coming home from a busy day teaching screeching, attention seeking children all day to be able to listen to someone else moan about their obnoxious, retarded adults classes is just fab. During my training days I absolutely loved being able to sit down with the guys who were going for their level 3 and talk through my upcoming level 2 exam. It was reassuring knowing that they had done it, and I honestly question whether I would have been able to pass my level 2 the second time had I not had the support from such a great household full of instructors.
Another favorite pass-time at Pinewood was all thanks to Mxxx and his guitar. Everyone gathering around to sing riptide at the tops of our voices, I think we seriously pissed-off our neighbors more than once.
TOP TIP number 16: Get to know your neighbors. Annoyed neighbors are totally avoidable, it just comes down to communication.
I know you’re eager to hear what actually happened on the day of the turd so here it is.
I had got into the habit of showering in the morning to wake me up and be alert for the busy day ahead, normal. On this day, I got home and said hi to Mxxx and he looked at me strangely, asked if I’d seen the shower, of course I replied negatively having only just stepped through the door. It turns out someone was disgusting enough to s*** in the shower (that we all share by the way!), proceed to not wash it away or dispose of it (clearly not an accident) and not tell anyone! We had the whole house shouting about it, blame thrown left right and centre of course. Course leaders ended up round telling us that the communal cleaners had come round as usual, seen the poo, cleaned it up and fined us for the rotten behaviour! This meant war. It was confession time but the culprit was clearly too much of a coward, or too pissed/high to remember that they did it! To this day, we still don’t know who the poo bandit was and it still really bugs me.
TOP TIP number 17: Sharing is caring. Done something embarrassing? Share the story with your housemates/ friends and ask for help! Bravery is to be honored. Cowardice is to be shamed.
If you have a funny story, please send it in! I’d love to hear them!
Season one in a nutshell: hell yes.
I feel like your first time doing anything can be nerve-wracking, full-on and one-hell of an experience. You will discover new things about yourself and you’ll most likely lose yourself a few times along the way. Is it easy to become an instructor? Hell no. Is it easy to get through your first ski season unscathed. If it were that easy, it would be boring and I wouldn't be sitting here eager to tell you all about it.
Is every ski season the same? You’d think that most seasons would be fairly similar to each other but in reality, each season surprises me with how new and exciting everything still is. It’s one of the reasons I’m still following this lifestyle.
Would I do it again? If I could I would (maybe not at Pinewood though, that’s a one-time thing). Bring on level 3 Ski training this season.
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The Ski Nomad
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