Engineering jobs in the ski industry?

**Lawless** · 10-03-2006, 08:23 AM

I'm an ME as well who worked for a company that designed compressors and power turbines for a few years. With the project management experience that I gained there, I was, after a few years of landscaping and renting skis, able to get a job in Jackson working for a project management firm that oversees the design and construction of new buildings. I'm lucky that it's a small firm and I have flexibility. I'll be cutting my hours back to between 10 and 20 hours a week this winter.

There are a few mechanical engineering jobs here, very few and you have to have years of experience with HVAC design. There are a ton of civil jobs though.

**JBN999** · 10-03-2006, 08:35 AM

Originally Posted by Lawless

I'm an ME as well who worked for a company that designed compressors and power turbines for a few years. With the project management experience that I gained there, I was, after a few years of landscaping and renting skis, able to get a job in Jackson working for a project management firm that oversees the design and construction of new buildings. I'm lucky that it's a small firm and I have flexibility. I'll be cutting my hours back to between 10 and 20 hours a week this winter.

There are a few mechanical engineering jobs here, very few and you have to have years of experience with HVAC design. There are a ton of civil jobs though.

I was going to say, it seems like alot of the jobs are centered around the civil side of things. When it comes to things like binding design, even design for say an avalanche beacon, is that outsourced out of the company to someone like Ideo? Maybe all of the cad drawings were done years ago and the design side of it is dead...

I'm just worried about getting stuck in downtown Detroit or somewhere similar. Nothing like shaving years off your life with brown air...

**Froman** · 10-03-2006, 08:39 AM

Lawless - who are you working for? Does your group do anything with LEED building projects?

**homerjay** · 10-03-2006, 08:45 AM

Your best bet with an ME degree would be working for a lift company. There is a consulting firm up here (Vail Valley) that has some ME's, but they mostly do HVAC, snowmelt systems, mech. systems for buildings, stuff like that.

Otherwise, lots of civil work around, mostly land development and infrastructure related. Anywhere there's building going on, there is a demand for engineers.

**BigLineSeeker** · 10-03-2006, 08:48 AM

I am an EE and was looking for something industry related when I graduated. I worked for Nordica for a while as a rep, but quickly realized that there was no career with them for an EE, especially in Canada. A ME friend of mine has an inter semester with Dopplemyer and really enjoyed it. I was lucky enough to find a good job relatively close to the mountains in solar power. Its not skiing, but still cool.

**StormRider** · 10-03-2006, 08:56 AM

Originally Posted by Lawless

There are a ton of civil jobs though.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

I'm a CE and we are swamped! If there are any CE's out there who want to give Jackson a try, just let me know.

Last summer we did have an ME student as an intern, but his dad is a friend of the firm and there was nothing ME about the work he did.

**homerjay** · 10-03-2006, 08:59 AM

Originally Posted by StormRider

I'm a CE and we are swamped! If there are any CE's out there who want to give Jackson a try, just let me know.

Don't tempt me dammit!

**tomimcmillar** · 10-03-2006, 09:01 AM

Maybe look at Black Diamond Equip?

Remember seeing a posting or two last year that they were looking to hire someone fulltime with a Manufacturing background, don't know if they do internships.

**DJSapp** · 10-03-2006, 09:20 AM

Originally Posted by StormRider

I'm a CE and we are swamped! If there are any CE's out there who want to give Jackson a try, just let me know.

.........I'm listening, but have it pretty cushy here in Socal. What a home going for up in that area anyway?

**Froman** · 10-03-2006, 09:32 AM

Check yer PM Storm

**Ubersheist** · 10-03-2006, 09:38 AM

Originally Posted by StormRider

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

I'm a CE and we are swamped! If there are any CE's out there who want to give Jackson a try, just let me know.

Last summer we did have an ME student as an intern, but his dad is a friend of the firm and there was nothing ME about the work he did.

Um... what about geotech stuff?

**Lawless** · 10-03-2006, 10:12 AM

Originally Posted by Froman

Lawless - who are you working for? Does your group do anything with LEED building projects?

Originally Posted by DJSapp

.........I'm listening, but have it pretty cushy here in Socal. What a home going for up in that area anyway?

Man, this multi quote stuff is pretty neat.

I work for a company called AK&A Project Management. There's two PM's an owner, and a secretary. Pretty small. I've got some neat projects though including the new rock climbing gym in town.

At the low end of the homes would be about 10-15 years worth of salary for a professional working here. Average home price last year hit a million. Low end is half that.

**Biels** · 10-04-2006, 01:17 PM

What about design companies? Like equipment, skis, bindings... Don't they need people to crunch numbers? Stress analysis or wear patterns? Or work assembly lines? Or are those dream jobs that don't exist?

**gageyk** · 10-04-2006, 02:25 PM

Water and wastewater treatment plants. I believe ME's and CE's as well as Environmental Engineers are used. Every town, large or small has these. Typical shift is 4-10's. I'm in chemical sales and my biggest customers are both of these types of facilities in North Lake Tahoe, South Lake Tahoe, Truckee, Mammoth, and Donner Summit. In those 5 areas mentioned above we service about 8 plants. Most are government agencies so benefits are excellent and the pasy not too bad.

Working for the local utility company would give a decent amount of ski time as well. I know plenty of ME's and CE's who get 4 - 6 weeks per year PTO plus 9-11 paid holidays. I think CE's have more opportunities.

**cj001f** · 10-04-2006, 02:30 PM

Originally Posted by Biels

Or work assembly lines?

How's your Mandarin?

K2, BD, every company that has a website has an employment page. Both BD and K2 have engineering jobs posted. Have at it.

**StormRider** · 10-04-2006, 02:32 PM

Originally Posted by homerjay

Don't tempt me dammit!

Don't give it a second thought. This place blows. It's too cold in the winter... er, something.

**StormRider** · 10-04-2006, 02:36 PM

Originally Posted by Ubersheist

Um... what about geotech stuff?

paging nhtele.

**taynton** · 10-04-2006, 03:00 PM

I'm in the same direction it sounds like as some of you, but a couple years behind. Just starting engineering this year (planning on going into MECH, maybe EngPhys), so have to finish this year and next year before the co-ops start. We get 3 co-op terms of 8, 4, 8 months, and are encouraged to do at least one internationally.

I've put a little though into this (but nothing much more than just dreaming for now...), and I think what you want is a job that is about 1-2 hours from the mountain (though to get good jobs closer, tough to get skiing farther than that). A couple places that this would work (some have been mentioned):

Devner, SLC, Anchorage, Reno, Vancouver, Calgary,

I'm also thinking about trying to get an international one in at one or more of:

Geneva (Swiz), Grenoble (Fr.), Christchurch (NZ), Japan.

Also, if you have interest in mining there are options in mountian towns.

Tell us if you find something that works.

**Graupel** · 10-04-2006, 03:16 PM

K2 Sports

Engineering Specialist position now available.

If you're looking for an internship, you could give them a call about this position and then use some swanky talk to see if there is any opportunity that works you and them.

**EstoBum** · 10-04-2006, 03:29 PM

I was lucky enough to actually score a mechanical engineering internship in the industry. It was a solid job for 4 months. I worked on some of the manufacturing process. That said here are some pointers

Go about your contact with them as professionally as possible. By this I mean full cover letter detailing your professional skills. My boss said that he recieved a couple emails a month of people asking for jobs, they were kick-ass skier, saying they have a breakthrough idea, etc. So don't really expect too much of a response. I was lucky enough to go about it the right way, and at the right time, when they had a project.
The jobs involve solid work. I spent 4 months there M-F, 9 to 5. If you want to ski tons and work in the industry, engineering is not the way. I got about 30 days that winter, almost all on weekends/evenings
Any sort of grant/funding you can find to help pay for your internship will greatly improve your chances of getting one. Most of the industry is pretty competitive, and these companies are not floating in money.
sometimes you gotta go where the work takes you. If said work is in backwoods small town, where you don't speak the local language, you won't be socializing much.
It is nice to go to work for a company that you really enjoy what your working on, instead of being indifferent.

The size of the companies is generally pretty small. In general its a small tight industry, that doesn't pay much compared to other industries. But fun if you can make it happen. I would recommmend looking for a job that gets you plenty of travel time/oportunities.

**squaretail** · 10-07-2006, 10:22 AM

In terms of equipment, most real engineering jobs are at the factory level, usually meaning Europe, or worse, China.

As US subsidiaries and distributors, we have product development people that are based here but work closely testing product with the engineering people in Europe.

Contrary to what other posters have said, these positions ski a lot. Our US product development manager easily skis 100 days a year.

**CherryMoon** · 10-30-2006, 05:36 AM

At this point in your early career, I would establish your experience base first. If you truly want to make engineering a successful career, I'd find a job in Denver working a ME/Biotech position, get 2-5yrs technical under your belt while skiing weekends/days off in the Front Range. Pay is very decent in D, with several ME friends (one with an MS in Bioeng) that started at $60 and $72k, respectively at Biotech firms. You wont ski 100 days unless you give up engineering for ski town service type position.

**BurnHard** · 10-30-2006, 06:08 AM

don't wanna hijack your thread.. but...

do you think anybody can need an aerodynamicist or mathematician in some skitown anywhere? maybe I can design some really low-drag skipoles

**Free Range Lobster** · 10-30-2006, 06:54 AM

Originally Posted by Biels

What about design companies? Like equipment, skis, bindings... Don't they need people to crunch numbers? Stress analysis or wear patterns? Or work assembly lines? Or are those dream jobs that don't exist?

Nevermind Wyoming, you should be looking at New Zealand.

hint: boat building

**JBN999** · 10-05-2009, 11:54 AM

I thought I would resurrect an olde tyme thread instead of making a new one. Since the original post I have graduated and I have been doing contract engineering work to make ends meet. I am still looking for that full time position so that I can have a steady paycheck coming in. I suppose its the same thing the rest of the country is doing...

Anyway, along those lines, does anyone have an email contact for an engineer at BD they would be alright with me talking to? I want to discuss opportunities with them, but would like to have a dialog going before I cold call and take up someone's time.