Accessibility
& Wages
The Privilege Paradox
It is no secret that skiing is an expensive sport. Currently, single-day lift tickets at major resorts like Lake Louise Ski Resort, Sunshine Village Ski Resort, and Whistler Blackcomb (owned by Vail Resorts) cost upwards of $130 for adults. However, most entry-level resort staff earn minimum wage.
Financial barriers prevent many people from entering the ski industry. Indra Hayre is the founder of Incluskivity, an organization that promotes accessibility and inclusivity within the ski industry.
“Something that I found with skiing is that a lot of people who have been doing it the longest or have been able to afford to do it since they were kids, is that there was there's this generational wealth and generational knowledge of the sport that doesn't necessarily exist for a lot of traditionally marginalized folks,” Hayre explains.
These wealth and class divides are magnified in expensive ski towns. According to the Statistics Canada 2016 census, the median household income in Whistler, B.C. was $79,752 per year. In Banff, the median income was $81,088 per year. However, statistics reflected that the majority of the Banff population earned less than the median income.
Currently, the minimum wage in British Columbia is $14.60 per hour, which translates to roughly $24,017 annual salary based on a 35 hour work week. In Alberta, the minimum wage annual salary is roughly $24,675. This means that resort workers earning minimum wage make over $50,000 less per year than the average household in popular tourist areas.
“A lot of it comes down to, again, generational wealth and that being able to afford the opportunity,” Hayre says.
Winston Fadeef reflects Hayre’s opinion that generational wealth plays a pivotal role when living in resort towns.
Photo provided by: Winston Fadeeff
“It felt like through a lot of my years of working at ski hills and competing as well, like I was kept out of a lot just because I didn't have a ton of financial support,” Fadeef says.
“I had what I could make on my own, and that wasn't really enough, honestly.”
After spending years working in the ski industry, Fadeeff moved into higher-skilled positions requiring certifications. These included management positions, guiding, and patrolling.
“It turns out, in my opinion anyway, and after having been held a few positions like that, it seemed like a lot of talk. The ski industry didn't really feel like paying young people enough to stick around.”
Despite gaining skill and experience in many fields within the ski industry, Fadeeff felt he was continuously living paycheck to paycheck. This greatly affected his mental health, and he described having “severe anxiety running [his] bank account to a dollar or two dollars in it.”
The lack of upward mobility has deterred Fadeef from continuing to pursue a career in the ski industry.
“I think resorts have a responsibility to provide a little bit more stability within their communities overall and not depend so much on foreign kids that are on a vacation,” he says. “They don't really look at long-term employment, and it would be good if they cared about retention.”
Although Vail Resorts saw a 51 per cent loss of revenues amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, they reported they maintained $614 million in liquid funds as of Nov. 30, 2020.
“Ski resorts are cash cows. So why is it that they can't afford to pay the staff above minimum wage?” Hayre asks. She emphasizes that the ski industry has a long way to go in terms of creating inclusive spaces.
“People should be able to see themselves exist literally everywhere. And we don't see that in the ski industry. And if we want to say that the outdoors are for everybody, that includes skiing,” she explains.
“We're all guests on this land and we all deserve to connect with it.”
Winston Fadeeff getting some air at Castle Mountain Resort, Alta.
