Palisades Tahoe welcomes local students for behind-the-scenes look at ski industry careers
Staff Report Follow
Provided / Palisades Tahoe
OLYMPIC VALLEY, Calif. – Last week, Palisades Tahoe welcomed students from Truckee High School and North Tahoe High School for a behind-the-scenes Work Tour — a day designed to inspire local youth and showcase the many careers that power a world-class ski resort.
Now in its fifth year, the Work Tour was created to give students a firsthand look at real career paths in the outdoor industry, whether they plan to head to college, trade school, or jump straight into the workforce after graduation.
The day began with breakfast and a warm welcome at Base Camp Conference Room, where students learned about the broad range of roles it takes to run a resort — from snowmaking and mountain operations to lift maintenance, engineering, and snow science.
Students then had the rare opportunity to explore two of the resort’s key lifts, touring both the bottom and top terminals of the Funitel and Base-to-Base. They also visited the Vehicle Maintenance Shop at Alpine, where they got up close with snowcats, snowmobiles, and other heavy machinery that keep the mountains moving all winter long.
In between tours, students heard stories from long-time mountain professionals, learned about apprenticeship opportunities, and gained valuable insight into how their skills and passions could translate into rewarding careers — whether they’re interested in engineering, mechanics, outdoor safety, or leadership roles.
-
The students learned about snowmaking, mountain operations, lift maintenance, engineering, and snow science.
Provided / Palisades Tahoe
-
The students learned about snowmaking, mountain operations, lift maintenance, engineering, and snow science.
Provided / Palisades Tahoe
-
The students learned about snowmaking, mountain operations, lift maintenance, engineering, and snow science.
Provided / Palisades Tahoe
-
-
The students learned about snowmaking, mountain operations, lift maintenance, engineering, and snow science.
Provided / Palisades Tahoe
The Work Tour was born out of a need the team at Palisades Tahoe recognized after COVID-19, when more students began exploring alternative education paths outside of traditional four-year colleges. In addition to launching the Work Tour, Palisades Tahoe has developed apprenticeship programs for lift mechanics and vehicle mechanics, helping to create clear pathways for young people to stay, work, and thrive in the Tahoe region.
Today, a few former Work Tour participants are already part of the Palisades Tahoe team, building their careers on the mountains they grew up skiing and riding.
This program is one of many ways Palisades Tahoe is investing in the future of the of community, helping students see that their passions can lead to lifelong careers — right here in their own backyard.
Support Local Journalism
Support Local Journalism
Readers around Lake Tahoe, Truckee, and beyond make the Sierra Sun's work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.
Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.
Your donation will help us continue to cover COVID-19 and our other vital local news.