Ski Area Operations at Colorado Mountain College

By Zac Schrieber


When you say you are going to be going to college for Ski Area Operations degree who are not involved in the ski industry just laugh and say I didn't know there was college for ski bums. It's true though, everyone in the program loves the skiing or riding so much we all want it to be a part of our lives forever. Even when you explain to other "normal" college students they just laugh when you tell them you are driving a snow cat or making snow for class but they do not realize the experience SAO students get and how well respected the program is in the industry. Anyone graduating from the program has more experience than somebody trying to join the industry off the streets, but most managers at resorts want employees to learn their job on the job. What I realized this year when I went to an interview this year was that it was not only the experiences that I have gained but the commitment the program shows a person has to the ski industry. If you have studied and paid for two years of schooling you are pretty committed to our industry and are probably not just a ski bum who is here for the season. A Ski Area Operations student could explain to someone who doesn't realize why someone would pay for school to be a ski bum that the average American works 86,000 hours in their life why wouldn't you want to work in the ski industry and have fun at work every day.