CONNECTING THE SKI INDUSTRY AROUND THE WORLD
Ski Service refers to the maintenance and repair of skis which is essential to keep them gliding over the snow. Many ski shops have their own workshop onsite where skis and snowboards can be dropped after skiing for service work overnight. A little maintenance goes a long away to improving the performance and prolonging the life of the skis.
My Story
My name is Janine Stiepel and I developed the idea of Winter World Connect having spent 20 years working in various sectors of the ski industry. After starting work at my local ski centre as a part time receptionist and instructor, I went to work for a ski tour operator that sent clients to the French Alps where I was fortunate enough to explore many resorts. I was then ready to head overseas to work my first ski season as a ski rental technician in Queenstown, New Zealand. I caught the ski season bug and actually ended up staying for 4 seasons in New Zealand, switching from ski rental into ski boot fitting. I then began working back to back seasons between NZ and Telluride, Colorado to help further my career as a boot fitter. I was fortunate enough to find work with a highly recognized boot fitting store and am grateful I got to learn from one of the best fitters in the industry.
ABOUT
Mission
To be a connection point for the ski industry around the world.
Winter World Connect was created in 2021 to provide a connection point of ski services that exist around the world. We want to provide information to make your ski experience as stress free and enjoyable as possible. We understand that skiers travel to different resorts and often require services while they are there. Our focus is to make this information readily available so that you can spend the maximum amount of time enjoying the slopes.
At Winter World Connect we recognise the value and importance of the more unique jobs within the ski industry. To become a good Ski Boot Fitter, Ski Rental Tech or Ski Service Tech, it takes a lot of skill and training. Training opportunities exist around the world but are often not easily found. We want to provide that information and promote job vacancies, making the transition into the industry much simpler and more accessible. Jobs in the ski industry are not only seasonal, but year round opportunities also exist, where you can build a career in an industry that you love.
Following my winters in NZ I was curious to explore a new area, so worked as a boot fitter in Australia for one season, although a very different experience as I was a lot nearer to the beach than the mountains. However, Colorado was fast becoming very tough to beat and I ended up spending 11 winters there progressing up to Boot Fitting Manager and working a few summer seasons as well. Along the way I qualified as a Sports Massage Therapist as this had always been a keen interest of mine.
During my time in the States, I undertook various boot fitting training courses and progressed my way through to the advanced levels, before being asked to become an Assistant Instructor with Masterfit University. I was also invited to be a Boot Tester for Skiing Magazine. I was then offered a position to become the Ski Manager and Buyer for a specialist boot fitting store back in the UK. During this time I wrote a monthly column for Fall Line Magazine which focused on solving boot fitting problems. I also wrote regular boot reviews for women’s ski boots for the Ski Club of Great Britain’s magazine, which I was lucky enough to test in Kühtai, Austria each year.
At this point I met my, now husband, who is also a fellow boot fitter. He came from the racing scene and used to travel on the World Cup Circuit as a boot fitter for many years. So as you can imagine there is a lot of talk about boots! We are now based in Austria where I spent one season qualifying and working as a ski instructor, before our son arrived which has since kept me busy.
From my experience over the years, I wanted to develop Winter World Connect to try and build connections and improve the overall ski experience.
Vision
Creating a simpler, more enjoyable
ski experience for all.
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