Whitewater Ski Resort
Nelson · British Columbia · Canada
625m
Vertical Drop
82
Runs
4
Lifts
480 ha
Skiable Area
1,200 cm
Avg Snowfall
Dec 2026 – Apr 2027
Season
Nearby town
Where workers live near Whitewater Ski Resort
Closest first — click to see jobs & living info.
About
A locals' mountain in the Selkirks 20km south of Nelson, with a reputation out of all proportion to its size: roughly 12 metres of dry Kootenay snow a year and no snowmaking at all. Three chairs open around 480 hectares of steep trees, bowls and easily reached sidecountry, and the Fresh Tracks Café at the base is a destination in its own right. There is no on-mountain accommodation of any kind — everyone who works here lives in Nelson and rides the ski bus up.
Terrain & Mountain Profile
Summit
2,270m
Base
1,645m
Vertical Drop
625m
Lift Breakdown
0
Gondolas
3
Chairlifts
1
Surface Lifts
Employment & Recruitment
Estimated Seasonal Staff
150–250
Main Employers
- Whitewater Ski Resort
- Fresh Tracks Café and the base-area food and beverage operation
- Whitewater Snow Sports School
- Nelson hospitality (Baker Street restaurants, cafés and hotels)
- Cat-ski and backcountry lodges in the surrounding Selkirks
Common Seasonal Jobs
Languages Required
- Visa Requirements
- International workers typically arrive on Working Holiday Visas (IEC). Canada has IEC agreements with Australia, the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Japan and many other countries. Instructor and senior kitchen roles are occasionally sponsored on LMIA-backed permits.
- Recruitment Timeline
- Hiring runs August–November for a mid-December opening, and the job is rarely the hard part — housing in Nelson is. Line up a room before you accept, because the resort has none to offer.
Worker Amenities & Living
Staff Housing Not Available
- Cost of Living
- CAD $375–$525 (Nelson prices, not resort prices)
- Public Transport
- The Whitewater ski bus runs from Nelson on operating days and is how most staff get up the hill, so a season without a car is genuinely workable. Otherwise it is a 20km drive up Highway 6. Castlegar airport (YCG) is 45 minutes away but fogs in; Spokane is three hours south.
Staff Perks
- Free season pass
- Discounted food at Fresh Tracks Café
- Pro deals on gear
- Avalanche awareness and first-aid training
- Reciprocal days at other independent BC hills
Local Life & Community
- Après & Nightlife
- Coal Oil Johnny's at the base for the first hour, then the hill empties into Nelson — Baker Street's pubs, brewery taprooms and live music carry the season. The Coldsmoke Powder Festival in February is the big date.
- Healthcare
- Kootenay Lake Hospital in Nelson (20 minutes) has an emergency department. Trail's regional hospital, an hour south, handles major care. Ski patrol covers the hill during operations.
- Shops & Services
- Almost nothing on the mountain beyond rentals, retail and the café. Nelson is a full service town — supermarkets, the Kootenay Co-op, banks, pharmacies, gear shops and laundromats.
- International Community
- Small. This is a locals' hill first, so the seasonal crowd is a minority — a steady IEC contingent of Aussies, Brits and Europeans mixed into a community of people who moved here for the snow years ago.
Outdoor Activities (Non-Ski)
Nearby Towns
Nelson
20 km awayA heritage Kootenay town on the west arm of Kootenay Lake, with a preserved Victorian main street and a long counterculture streak. Whitewater Ski Resort is 20km south up Highway 6, and because Whitewater has no on-mountain accommodation, virtually everyone who works that hill lives in Nelson.
Open Positions
No jobs posted yet for this resort. Check back soon or sign up for alerts.
Browse all jobs at Whitewater Ski Resort →Season
Dec 2026 – Apr 2027
Climate & Snow
- Winter Temps
- -12°C to -2°C
- Snow Reliability
- high
- Snowmaking
- 0% of runs
- Avg Snowfall
- 1,200 cm/yr
Location
49.4400°N, -117.1500°W
Nearest town: Nelson