Trading Sand for Snow: My First Ski Season in Steamboat Springs

After a glorious spring in the Arizona desert and an incredible summer living on Catalina Island, I knew exactly what kind of adventure I wanted next: a real mountain winter.

Growing up in Michigan, I spent my childhood skiing with my family before eventually switching to snowboarding when I was about 14. But let’s be real, Midwest hills don't exactly compare to the Rockies. In the fall of 2021, I flew back home to Michigan, grabbed my winter gear and my snowboard, packed up my trusty Jeep once again, and drove straight to Colorado.

The Seasonal Housing Reality Check

My go-to method for finding seasonal work with housing is a site called CoolWorks. Through them, I landed a job at Steamboat Resort working at a restaurant right at the base of the mountain called Timber & Torch.

The best part? Employee housing was just a few short minutes from the resort. The challenging part? They really pack you in. I lived in a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with five other girls. That meant three girls to a room, sharing one bathroom, one closet, and one dresser. If you know how bulky snow pants, winter coats, and boots are, you can imagine how cramped that got. But we made it work!

The Two-Job Hustle

Timber & Torch was a brand-new concept at the time, and to be honest, it was a pretty rough environment. The management and I didn't exactly see eye to eye.

So, I did what any seasoned seasonal worker does: I pivoted. I dropped down to the absolute minimum shifts required at the resort just so I could keep my free ski pass, and I got a second job downtown at Carl’s Tavern. It was a bourbon bar specializing in over 250 bourbons and specialty tequilas, and it was honestly one of my favorite jobs ever. The crowd, the guests, the staff, the vibes were immaculate. I would work days at the resort and nights at Carl's, leaving my days free to ride.

Finding Our Mountain Family

When I first arrived in Steamboat, the snow was minimal. With the mountain not fully open yet, the first few weeks consisted of training, getting to know the menu, and hiking snowy waterfalls with my roommates.

Only one of my roommates actually worked at the restaurant with me, but our apartment quickly bonded with the guys' apartment next door. We became this unbreakable group of twelve, six girls and six boys. Since the season started slow, we took road trips down to A-Basin just to find snow, went bowling, and cooked massive Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners together.

Powder Days & Wild Weekend Trips

Once the snow finally hit Steamboat, it was unreal. My first real powder day turned my legs to absolute Jell-O, but I couldn't get enough. The tree runs were incredible, and seeing moose and elk out on the mountain became a regular occurrence. I became a much better snowboarder that season just by experiencing real mountain terrain.

We even took a weekend trip to Utah to snowboard at Snowbird. The vastness of that mountain is crazy, and the tram is equally terrifying and amazing. But the craziest part of that trip? While we were up there, two Blackhawk helicopters actually crashed on the backside of the mountain during a test landing in whiteout conditions. They had to close off that entire side of the mountain while we were there. It was absolutely wild to witness. (We stayed in Salt Lake City for that trip, so I finally got to see the Great Salt Lake, too!)

A Michigan Family Christmas in Colorado

This was the first seasonal job where my parents were actually able to come visit me! They came out around Christmas, and thanks to my resort job, I was able to get them $10 ski passes as part of their Christmas gift.

They rented an amazing Airbnb right on the mountain with a pool and hot tub, so I got to crash with them for a few days. It was so special to show them this crazy world I was living in and get them up on the mountain.

It was also my younger sister’s very first time skiing. Spoiler alert: she absolutely hated it. She refused to finish the day with us, so we honestly just dumped her at my restaurant for my coworkers to keep an eye on while the rest of us continued to ski and snowboard for the afternoon!

What's Next?

Steamboat gave me new friends, unbelievable snowboarding, and memories I'll never forget. But as the winter season started coming to an end and the snow began to melt, my mind started wandering back to the ocean.

My Catalina Island journey was far from over, and plans for my return were already in the works...