Why you should work a snow season abroad

Whether it be a romantic life long aspiration, a wandering thought about what it would be like to work abroad in a totally polar climate (in my case coming from sweltering hot Brisbane, Australia), or simply a way to earn some seasonal income whilst traveling…do it.

The snow mountain village that I was lucky enough to work at was a quaint one, located within the Nagano prefecture of Japan’s south and main island.  Like with any destination,  the experience will differ person to person and mountain to mountain. I’ve met other snow bums who have worked at places like Kicking Horse (Canada), The Swiss Alps, Mt. Hotham (Australia), Mt. Buller (Australia), and Queenstown (New Zealand) and each place will bring a distinguishable snow lifestyle; more liver-function-reducing parties, steeper terrain, less crowds,  friendlier locals, colder temperatures, or more spring skiing days.

Whatever and wherever it may be, working a snow season is one of the best life experiences that you can gain and here are (few of many) reasons why.

1. Living like a local.
Being on the road traveling is entirely different from a long term stay abroad. Rather than the rush from constantly moving around, working a snow season gives you the time and space to let your roots settle into a new home away from home.  Faces and places will start to become familiar and you will learn the way of life of the locals; the best meals (death by gyoza) and bars (gimme umeshu and sake), hidden snow pockets, the small street shortcuts, and how to make the best of every situation.

2. Meet amazing like minded souls.
I can say without a doubt that I have made some true companions who share the same insatiable taste for travel and love of life. In addition to your fellow season go-ers, you will find friends in visiting guests from all over the globe. I was very fortunate to meet people who loved to party but were not there for that sole reason, and I think this came with the territory of being tucked away in one of the less touristy snow capped mountains of Japan.

3. Truly immersing yourself in the culture.
This is a privileged gained from having time on your side and from living like a local rather than passing through a destination. You will learn local histories and hear stories told in pigeon english by old wise locals. You will see, smell, touch, and taste all the small cultural beauties in things and places that you might otherwise have missed if you were just that little bit more rushed. that And all of these memories will hold more relevance in your mind in months and years to come.

4. Sharing your knowledge with other wide eyed visitors.
Life as a local instils in you a world of freshly acquired knowledge, knowledge which you will be bursting at the seams to share with others particularly new visitors (who you take a liking to).

5. A new family.
There is a special relationship that develops when total strangers become familial to you within a matter of months. For some reason, time is not a factor in this while there is the underlying mutual feeling of “we are in this together”. Maybe it is the constant state of awe at how you each managed to reach this beautiful wonderland, that draws one another together.

Whatever it is, the precious friends that I have made are now scattered all over the world and the memories that we share are imprinted on my heart.

6. ‘Snowbum’ life.
Wake up, snowboard, drink, work, eat, drink,  onsen (must do if in Japan), sleep, repeat.

That is the basic constitution for way of life in the snow in all its simplistic and stress free beauty (plus you get to pick the best ‘pow-pow’ days.

7. The Nature.
There is some kind of humbling magic that nature instils in us. You will discover some breathtaking landscapes on a snow mountain. Seeing snow fall ever so gently and silently still makes my heart flutter.

8. Missing the comforts of home.
How is this a good thing you wonder? Well, as cliche as it is, there is truth in “you don’t know what you have until it is gone”.

There was a time during my season where the foreboding ‘gastroflu’ that had been progressively infecting our staff house (not a real illness but some unique evil combination of the two) finally caught up with me. While I was bed stricken in my small traditional Japanese tatami room all alone I thought, “oh what I would do to hear Mum’s cynical voice telling me how I should have not stayed out so late all those nights weakening my immunity whilst serving her one and only vegemite rice porridge (‘congee)”. That and to not be in -12 degree climate.

At that point (of immense self pity and wallow) I realised how much I did miss all of the small comforts and loved ones of my true home, and how excited I was to go back (in stark contrast to how excited I was to leave).

9. Challenging yourself, mentally and physically.
As mentioned, working a snow season can be hard work (oops did I forget to mention?). Added to the peak busy months of December and January, if this is the first time you’ve learned to ski or snowboard (and aren’t naturally talented unlike my embarassingly uncoordinated self) the physical challenges that come with learning this new sport can be physically exhausting.

There will be days where you feel like you are just plateauing in your learning, or you have had a bad day at work, or you’ve maybe had a long term relationship break down (yep that happened, twice)…those are the days you need to brush yourself off, put your brave face on, have a sake (or two) and challenge yourself to think positively. Remember where you are and that these small moments will pass to become minute specks of bad memories on the grand spectrum of your life.

In the end, the memories that I have collected from living and working abroad for four months in this beautiful quaint little snow village, are ones that I will treasure for life.

If you have had a similar experience or are pondering taking the step to do so, would love to hear your comments below!