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Kicking Horse

Work and travel Kicking Horse
Status: Winter 2024/25 - OPEN

Snapshot

Winter Season:

October/November – April

Province:

British Columbia

Accommodation:

Not provided by way of staff housing. However, housing is easy to find in the nearby town

Min age:

19 years

Nations eligible to apply:

Anybody who is eligible to obtain a Canadian Working Holiday Visa

Interview locations:

Australia

Jobs:
  • Central Reservations
  • Front Desk Agent
  • Ticket Seller
  • Maintenance
  • Life
  • Retail
  • Food and Beverage

Most common questions

Like the maverick horse that brands the resort, the Kicking Horse depends on the balance of all four legs to succeed. Employees are one of those legs, representing one of the resort’s Four Priorities of Focus. “We respect each other’s individual values, but we also celebrate shared values across our organization that help guide our decisions.” These values? Below.

  • Fresh: Fresh Adventure, Raising the Bar, Innovation, Differentiation
  • Empowerment: Initiative, Accountability, Teamwork, Solutions Focus
  • Sustainability: Environment, Community Relationships, Respect, Future Vision
  • Passion: Enthusiasm, Animation, Fun, Positivity

Working with Kicking Horse Mountain Resort may be the perfect adventure for you! Are you looking to spend a season working in a mountain paradise? We have winter and summer seasonal roles that will leave you with experiences and friendships that will last a lifetime. Are you hoping to build a career rooted in the mountain lifestyle? Our core, full-time opportunities offer just that. Many of our managers and supervisors ‘came for one season’ and have built careers based on their passion and love for what they do!

Live Here

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort has no accommodation for staff. All staff of the resort live in the town of Golden at the bottom of the mountain (about a 15 – 20-minute drive). As a result, staff housing is not provided by KHMR, but it IS readily available and affordable.

There are three established hostels in Golden where you will no doubt park yourself for a few days while scouting the area. The operators of these hostels are the best source of information regarding accommodation in the area, so ask lots of questions. Also, check out the local real estate agents and use the Internet. At the time of year when you’re arriving, the township has an overabundance of accommodation… what you choose depends on your budget and how many people you plan to share with.

Play Here

Employs over 175 staff during the winter season. This resort is not easy to get to…but once there…worth the effort!

This location does not offer any staff accommodation. Accommodation needs to be sourced from the local township of Golden. Given this is not a large town, tracking down accommodation as early as possible is key! This would be your responsibility to source your own accommodation at this resort.

There is no night life at Kicking Horse. This resort is up the hill from the local township of Golden. Golden has various bars that do get quite ‘loose’ after a certain time of night…a fun place for sure!

Saturation of Aussies is small in comparison to other resorts and towns. You will get to meet more Canadians here!

This place is cold during the winter. Can get down to -20 and way colder with wind chill!

Kicking Horse outdoor roles like Lift operations (must be able to ski to an intermediate level). Roles in food & beverage back and front of house, cashiers, retail, guest services & rentals. The range and number of roles on offer changes annually based on returning staff, check the website for more info.

To progress up the management or responsibility ladder at this resort – means doing back to back winter seasons.

This resort offers a free ski pass with your employment.

This resort has 2825 acres of skiable terrain. This is a big mountain with loads of vertical and a tonne of black and double black diamond runs. Strap-in!!! We would not suggest this location for absolute beginners.

Kicking Horse is part of the RCR (Resorts of the Canadian Rockies) company so your staff ski pass gives you reciprocal benefits at Nakiska, Kimberley & Fernie Mountains. These resorts are not especially close to Kicking Horse…and would be more of a ‘road trip’ mission than a day trip.

Kicking Horse Resort sits above a township called Golden and is a 20min drive up the mountain. Golden town is much like a sleepy, alternate surf town in Australia. …pretty chill while the surf is low but as soon as the swell or in this case, the snow starts dumping the place goes nuts! The resort is roughly just over an hour to Lake louise, 2 hours to Banff and 3 hours to Calgary.

Kicking Horse operates in the summer and is taking advantage of the exponential interest in mountain bike tourism. They also have a grizzly bear enclosure here which is a major attraction in the summer (the bear enclosure is still there in the winter but the bear is hibernating)

For the big mountain skiing on offer. If skiing down cliffs and chutes get you going…yup…this is where you want to be. The mountain is very vertical and when the powder is flying there is no place like it! Many crew we have sent here over the years have stayed for the summer and in to another winter they’ve loved it so much! Given its location, this resorts barely deals with crowds on pow days #winning – The staff retention here is huge as everyone who goes – loves it!

It is hard to get to. Also, if you’re a beginner, while there are some green runs and gentler slopes…the progression from beginner to intermediate is a tough one. Housing is hard to track down and can be a major issue trying to organise from out of town let alone out of country! Getting up to the mountain from Golden can also prove to be an issue as the staff bus rarely operates forcing staff to ‘hitch’ up the hill!

Staff Perks

Ski lift pass

This has reciprocal ski privileges at Nakiska, Fernie & Kimberly resorts! Can you say ROAD TRIP!

Staff Discounts

Staff discounts on Food & beverage & retail

Staff Parties

Plenty of staff events and parties

Path Book Guide

Employees receive a guide with information such as guidelines, recognition programs, health and safety, and general Resort information.

Explore Jobs

The Kicking Horse Resort is looking for people who consider adventure and fun as all part of a day’s work. Their culture is built on the core values of Fresh, Empowerment, Sustainability and Passion and they reward those who commit to bringing them to life at work every day. They offer seasonal and core staff a season pass, in addition to staff discounts on resort, to allow our employees to enjoy their own mountain experience in British Columbia!

Applicants to this resort need to be able to ski or board. The majority of ski runs here are intermediate to advanced terrain. You need to be 19 years of age or older. Training is offered to all applicants in all roles, but experience is required for specific roles. Some of the roles offered include:

  • General Resort Information
  • Cashier
  • Cook
  • Dishwasher
  • Guest Services
  • Mountain Operations Attendant
  • Resort Crew
  • Rental Technician
  • Snowmaker

Images from our past participants

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