Sugarbush Resort has made a concerted effort to attract more domestic employees to the mountain this season. Normally, the resort relies heavily on international staffing through its student worker program, however, the pandemic made it harder to find international student employees.
Given that the international employee base dropped from 155 international employees to just over 30 this year, one might wonder how Sugarbush is filling the gap.
The Valley Reporter asked Annemarie Todd, Sugarbush vice president of human resources, if Sugarbush has hired more high school students than usual this season to compensate for the lack of international employees. The answer was no. “We have about the same number of high school students working at Sugarbush as we did last year,” said Todd.
Of the local high school employees that Sugarbush does have, most are working less than 18 hours per week. “They are mostly working on weekends, but some are picking up a weekday shift if they do not have school on that day,” said Todd.
High school students work in various departments at the resort, including food and beverage, parking and Ski and Ride. Their pay varies according to the department and position.
A free pass is a benefit of the job. According to Todd, all high school students get a Sugarbush ski pass when they work for Sugarbush in any capacity.
As for filling the employee gap caused by the lack of international student workers, Sugarbush has been relying mostly on an influx of college student employees and local workers. However, the resort is still looking for more.
“We are always looking to add great people to our staff at Sugarbush. This year we would love some additional housekeepers and lift operators,” said Todd.
