As winter approaches, skiers and snowboarders eagerly await the first signs of snow. For ski resorts in the European Alps, understanding weather patterns is crucial to preparing for a successful season. One significant climate phenomenon that can influence snow conditions is La Niña. But what exactly is La Niña, and how does it affect snowfall in the European Alps? Let’s dive in.

What is La Niña?

La Niña is part of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle, which describes fluctuations in temperature between the ocean and atmosphere in the east-central Equatorial Pacific. While El Niño is characterized by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures, La Niña represents the opposite: cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. These temperature variations can have wide-reaching impacts on global weather patterns.

How La Niña Influences Global Weather

La Niña’s cooling effect on the Pacific Ocean can alter atmospheric circulation patterns, which in turn affects weather conditions around the world. In general, La Niña is associated with:

• Increased rainfall in Southeast Asia and Australia
• Drier conditions in the southwestern United States
• Colder winters in parts of North America

These shifts in weather patterns can also extend to Europe, particularly the European Alps, where La Niña can play a significant role in winter conditions.

La Niña’s Impact on Snowfall in the European Alps

For the European Alps, La Niña often brings a mix of favorable conditions for winter sports enthusiasts. Here’s how:

1. Increased Snowfall: During La Niña years, the Alps typically experience wetter and colder conditions. This combination can lead to increased snowfall, providing a substantial base for ski resorts. More frequent and heavier snowfalls can be expected, creating excellent conditions for skiing and snowboarding.
2. Lower Temperatures: La Niña’s influence tends to bring colder air masses to the region. Lower temperatures are crucial for maintaining snow quality, as they prevent the snow from melting and ensure that it remains powdery and ski-friendly. Cold conditions also make it easier for resorts to produce artificial snow, further enhancing the skiing experience.
3. Variable Weather Patterns: While La Niña generally promotes snowfall, it also introduces more variability in weather patterns. This means that while there might be periods of heavy snowfall, these could be interspersed with drier spells. Ski resorts need to be prepared for these fluctuations to make the most of the snowy periods and manage operations during the quieter times.

Preparing for a La Niña Winter

For ski resorts in the European Alps, anticipating a La Niña winter can be both exciting and challenging. Here are a few ways resorts can prepare:

• Enhancing Snowmaking Capabilities: Even though natural snowfall may increase, investing in snowmaking equipment ensures that slopes remain well-covered throughout the season.
• Flexible Operations: Being ready to adapt to variable weather patterns means having contingency plans for both heavy snowfall and drier spells.
• Safety Measures: With increased snowfall comes a higher risk of avalanches. Resorts must prioritize safety by regularly assessing avalanche risks and maintaining clear communication with guests.

Conclusion

La Niña holds the promise of a snowy, picturesque winter for the European Alps. Ski resorts can look forward to enhanced snowfall and prime skiing conditions, making it a potentially fantastic season for winter sports enthusiasts. By understanding and preparing for the effects of La Niña, resorts can ensure they provide an exceptional experience for all their visitors. As always, keeping an eye on weather forecasts and staying adaptable will be key to making the most of what La Niña has to offer.

So, as the temperatures drop and the snow begins to fall, get ready to hit the slopes and enjoy all that a La Niña winter has in store! 🏔️❄️⛷️

Top Tips for your Assessment Day 

So, you’ve decided you want to embark on a winter season and have been invited to an assessment day. That’s fantastic, assessment days are vital tools for both candidates and employers to get a good feel for each other and the applicants suitability to their chosen role. 

We have put together some top tips for your assessment day to help you shine and showcase yourself in the best possible way. Enjoy and good luck! 

Our top tips for thriving on  your assessment day

1. Dress to impress – first impressions do count! They are almost instant judgments we make about others when we first meet them and they can’t be undone. Put some effort into maintaining good eye contact, start with a confident introduction and a handshake. Make sure you dress appropriately for the weather, job role and sector you’re applying to work in. It’s easy to do and it makes a big difference. 
2. Be prepared – before leaving home to attend your assessment day make a list of things you should bring with you. You’ll never look silly for bringing a few extra copies of your CV and application, but arriving without these vital pieces of information could spotlight you negatively to your potential employer. 

Think – are there any role specific activities you need to complete, have you been asked to bring anything with you as part of the assessment day?

1. Ask questions – asking questions is integral on an assessment day, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification if you’re not entirely sure about a task. Your interviewers don’t want to trip you up, and are often trying to get the best from you. Additionally, asking well thought out questions shows a genuine interest in the company and that you’ve done some extra research. 
2. Speak and listen equally – the goal of an assessment day is to stand out and be noticed, however, they are often used to assess how you interact in a group setting. Communicating your ideas and opinions effectively is an essential skill, alternatively talking over other candidates and not listening will not reflect well. When you’re part of a team, negotiating and supporting your teammates is integral to a happy working environment, therefore everyone in the team must have an opportunity to speak. Remember – being louder doesn’t always equal being better and your interviewers know this. 
3. Prepare well for your individual interview – try to plan for questions you think may arise in an interview. How is your experience of work relevant to the role you are applying for? Do you have gaps in your CV that could be explained? What do you want to get out of a ski season? By planning framework answers to a few basic questions you can communicate yourself effectively. 

Generic answers like ‘I need the money’ or ‘I just love to ski’ will not inspire a positive image to your interviewer. They know that you love the mountains but do you have a goal that the season could help you achieve? Are you looking to push yourself? Have you dreamt of doing a season ever since you watched Chalet Girl? All of these examples provide genuine positive outcomes from your season and highlight that it is something you’re committed to seeing through for the whole duration of the season.  

1. Market and company research – why have you chosen to apply for this specific company, what is their unique selling point? Good knowledge about the company, the clientele and how the company positions itself in the market can help you think about how your experience makes you an ideal candidate for the company. When you have good knowledge about the company, you can tailor your experience and service expectations to perfectly fit them and their target market.

How did you hear about the company? What has piqued your interest, has there been new development and growth within the company or are they a stable and reliable company that you’d like to personally grow and develop in?

1. How to stand out in a group – be assertive, not dominant – in most jobs in ski resorts you will be a part of a team therefore illustrating your ability to work well in a group on your assessment day is key.  A simple ‘I see where you’re coming from’ or ‘that’s a really good point’ can go a long way in a group discussion. Highlighting yourself as a good team leader and delegator by asking other, quieter applicants to provide their opinions will make you stand out. Assessment days are your opportunity to illustrate and evidence what you have said about yourself on your CV. 

Now you know our tips and tricks to acing an assessment day, why not apply to Ski Famille and take your new skills for a test drive?

Ski Famille and Ski Vertigo have chalets and hotels spanning the French Alps. If you fancy a winter in The 3 Valleys, Tignes, Val-d’Isère, La Plagne or Les Gets then we are the company for you. What makes us different? Well, since Brexit many seasonal employers will only accept EU passport holders but we review all applications regardless of your passport. We have an experienced office team here who will do all of the hard work and support you through obtaining your VISA!

We have been operating since 1990 and have valuable experience in recruiting fantastic teams and wonderful applicants who continue to surprise us with their skills year on year. 

Here is a link to our jobs page with all of our available roles – www.skifamille.co.uk/ski-jobs/

Apply now to [email protected] to get your application started today!

Chalet hosts are required to submit a 2 minute video answering some questions (which can be found at www.skifamille.co.uk/ski-jobs/) along with their CV.

Come and join us for the best winter of your life! 

What recruiters want

By Liam Campbell
As someone who manages recruitment for a ski holiday company finding seasonal workers each year fills me with both joy and dread.
I recruit around 30 members of seasonal staff each year and for those positions I receive over 1,500 applications!
Whilst I love nothing more than speaking with people who share my passion snow sports and the mountains; it still proves to be a slog to get through the applications and complete the recruitment process.
Most of those applications don’t make it through the sifting process. Those who proceed to an interview get the opportunity to really show what they have to offer are and live the dream out in the mountains!
So how can you boost your chances of being able to work a season and your chances of getting an interview?
Here are my 5 tips for your application to work a season:

1. Work experience

It all starts before you send the application in. Recruiters are looking for people with a good set of skills in the area they are recruiting for. If it’s a customer facing role, they will look for a history customer service and hospitality experience. If you haven’t already get a job in a similar style venue or job before you send in your application. Seek that experience and it will help open the door to you being able to work a season. It also means you will have a few quid more in your pocket when you get out there!

2. Research

Found your dream job position? That is great, now how are you going to make sure you get it? Do your homework. Read the job description, fully understand the role and all its requirements. Do you have the right experience? Is this what I want to do? Why do I want to do it? Learn about the company you will be working for?
Recruiter’s love hearing about themselves. That doesn’t mean they are vain, but it shows you’ve done your research. So, make sure you know about the company, what resorts do they operate in, when were they founded, how did they grow, what makes them different to the rest of the industry and most importantly of all, why do you want to work for them rather than anyone else.

3. Well written CV

If someone sends a one page CV with little to no explanation of what they have done, the recruiter probably won’t even bother reading it. If an applicant can’t be bothered to put the effort and attention to detail into writing a proper CV; why should they put themselves out to read it? You only get one chance to make a first impression; if your CV suggests little time and effort has been put into its creation, it’s natural to assume you lack energy and enthusiasm and what does that say about the effort they would likely put into their job.
Recruiters are not looking for your autobiography and what you have for lunch on a Tuesday in February, but you need to paint a picture of what makes you tick. Two pages tends to be more than enough. Explain your previous roles and responsibilities but keep it succinct, keep it focused, keep it punchy, and keep it you.

4. Covering letters

Don’t just send a CV and hope for the best, you will just be a name on top of a piece of paper with some jobs written below it. It isn’t very interesting and unlikely to grab the attention of the recruiter.
They want to know who is applying! Introduce yourself, why you want to work for the company, show them your relevant work experience, what your passions are and why should they pick you.

5. Be personal

There is nothing worse than having a bland and generic application sent to you. It is so obvious when you copy and paste an application and send it to 50 different companies. You don’t have to rewrite your whole CV and covering letter but tweak it to keep it relevant to the role and company ethos to every position you apply to. Make sure to read the job description and understand what the key skills are the company want you to show and demonstrate them in your work experience.
It takes a little more work, but I guarantee it will help you stand out from the crowd.

So that is 5 things you can do to increase your chances of working a season.
Anyone can do it but few actually do.

If you put a little bit of time into and focus on these points then suddenly you stand out head and shoulders above the rest and that gives you a better chance than others who haven’t made the effort.

Well there has never been a year like this and we certainly hope that we do not see another again ..ever!

But where are we right now in terms of getting jobs / starting seasons and spending a winter in the Alps?

Lets tackle Brexit first as it’s been around longer and unfortunately this is something that has been brought on by ourselves (probably not actually us, but you know what I mean).

In terms of employment, the pretty much accepted way to employ UK staff was to second them from a UK company to work on a short term contract in the EU. With Brexit looming in just a couple of weeks things are changing and from 1st January 2021 UK companies cannot send staff to work in the EU like they used to. The caveat for this is that if an employee is already on contract and in situ by 31st December 2020 then that member of staff will be able to continue working as per their contract until its end date.

Now that all sounded like it could be a way to squeeze one more season as per normal before the whole working visa system needed to even be tried, but along came Covid-19 and buggered the whole thing up for the world (and seasonairres looking for work in winter 2020/21).

So of course the dreaded pandemic means that some EU countries are not opening the ski resorts as yet, although some would correctly say that a government cannot “close” a resort as these are communities that live in the resort not a theme park!

With the start of the season delayed this now of course means that the vast amount of resort based business’s are not in a position to open, let alone employ staff ! So unfortunately the whole “contract in place before 31st December ’20” is not likely to be applicable to many people this winter!

So where does this all leave us ?

Well the snow is falling (in fact Courchevel had too much to allow the World Cup Ladies GS to run on day 2 this weekend), we are sitting tight and waiting to see what Boris and the EU can work out with working visas.

But which resorts are open/opening now ?

Well Finland and Sweden are opening up, The Spanish Pyrenees have stated resorts opening but with some curbs on travel. Switzerland has opened up but with cases rising that could change, or pop over to Slovakia / Slovenia as they are opening up too.

Of course the other curveball the EU just threw is that from 1st January 2021 we may not be allowed to travel to any EU country due to the UK being a “Third Country” now and we have too high covid-19 rates!

Time will tell, all we can say is keep the faith ?

Please note the above is all my understanding of the current situation, things change and we all need to be ready to adapt so keep an eye on the real news not all the fake stuff.