Can you do two ski seasons in one year?
Mountain Connects
Yes — and the reason it works is simple arithmetic: the two winters barely overlap. A northern season runs roughly December to April, a southern one June to early October. That leaves two gaps, and the gaps are where the planning happens.
The shape of a double season
| Northern winter | Southern winter | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Canada, USA, Japan, Europe | New Zealand, Australia, Chile, Argentina |
| Roughly | December – April | June – early October |
| Hiring runs | July – October | February – April |
| Gap afterwards | April – June | October – December |
The two hiring windows are the part people miss. You apply for your southern season in February and March — which is the middle of your northern one, while you are working six days a week and not thinking about it. Set a reminder now.
Which order should you go in?
The usual order is northern first — the hiring window is longer and the resorts are bigger — then south. Going the other way works too, and has one real advantage: a southern season ending in October lands you straight into northern hiring at its tail end, when employers are filling gaps and are less fussy about experience.
If you have never worked a season, the practical argument is to start wherever your passport makes easiest. The visa, not the snow, decides this.
The visa is the constraint, not the season
Two seasons in a year means two separate rights to work, usually two working holiday visas in two countries. That has consequences worth knowing before you book anything:
- Some working holiday visas are once in a lifetime. Using one for a four-month ski season may close that country to you later.
- Processing times vary and are published by each country's immigration service. The second visa should be applied for well before the first season ends.
- A tourist visa never covers work, however short the season.
Check each country's official immigration site — Australia, New Zealand, Canada. Nothing on a job board, including this page, is immigration advice.
What it actually costs to join the two up
The gap between seasons is the expensive part, and it is the part nobody budgets for. Between an April finish and a June start you have six to eight weeks with no income, usually in a country where you no longer have staff accommodation.
Budget for:
- Flights between hemispheres, booked late and therefore expensive
- Six to eight weeks of living costs with no wage
- A second visa application
- Gear shipping, or buying twice
The way people afford it is by picking a first season that includes accommodation, so the first winter actually saves money rather than merely paying for itself.
Of the 355 roles open on our board, 139 say they include staff accommodation — and 207 do not mention it either way, which is a question worth asking rather than an answer.
Counted live from our open listings, last read 10 October 2026. These are figures from job adverts, not a survey.
Where our board can and cannot help
We currently list roles in Canada, Japan and France — 193 in Canada and 158 in Japan — which covers the northern half of a double season.
For the southern half you will need to look elsewhere for now. We would rather say that than have you search for Queenstown jobs on a board that has none.
For the northern half: ski resort jobs in Canada, ski resort jobs in Japan, and which listings include staff accommodation.
Common questions
Can you do two ski seasons in one year?
Yes. The northern winter runs roughly December to April and the southern June to early October, so they do not clash. The limits are visas and money, not the calendar.
When do I need to apply for the second season?
Southern resorts hire from about February to April, which falls in the middle of a northern season. Northern resorts hire from July to October, which falls just after a southern one ends. Apply during the season you are working, not after it.
Will I need two visas?
Almost certainly, unless you are a citizen of one of the countries. They are separate applications with separate processing times, and some working holiday visas can only ever be used once — so spending one on a single season is a decision, not a formality.
How much should I save for the gap between seasons?
Enough for six to eight weeks with no income, plus an intercontinental flight and a visa fee. Picking a first season that includes accommodation is what makes the second one affordable.
Does doing back-to-back seasons help me get hired?
It helps a lot. A second-season applicant has proven they can finish one, which is what resorts worry about when they hire a stranger from overseas. Say plainly in your application which season you worked, where, and in what role.