Working in yosemite for the summer

Does anyone have helpful beta on working/living in yosemite for a summer of climbing?

Robbie Brown wrote:Does anyone have helpful beta on working/living in yosemite for a summer of climbing?

Working in the valley for a summer is like adult summer camp. Its a ton of fun but not the best way to get your climb on for real. most entry jobs there require that you put in a lot of hours in exchange for taking up space in the valley. It's pretty easy to figure out how to get the jobs on the website. You have to pass a drug test which you can do ahead of time at an approved site in most mid to large towns. Then show up early spring and head into the hr department. This is better than having the job totally lined up ahead of time because you'll have some time to enjoy yourself before the slave hours begin. It's a bit of a shock trying to live there at first but you should be able to stay in camp 4 or the other more crafty spots if you are creative and socialize with the locals well, until you get into employee housing. The housing is cheap, it was 15 bucks a week, a few years ago, so you'll be able to spend what you make on climbing gear and beer. I you are really experienced in hospitality you may skip the entry level but its hard since there is a senority policy in place. My recommendation If you have skills and some money already is just save up to take a whole summer to just climb in the valley. Learn the ins and outs of bumming on the ground but spend most of your nights on the wall and really get stuff done.

It definitely depend on what you want to accomplish. I prefer the meadows too and don't waste my time in the valley mid summer. the people I know who have done the most walls though just burled out through the heat. The only way to really get in shape for the big stone is live on it.

I spent ELEVEN Summers in the park (5 Valley, 6 Tuolumne) and agree that you can get TONS of climbing done... IF you have the right job.

I waited tables at the TM Lodge working splits shifts breakfast and dinner. Consequently I was off from 10:30 - 4:30 every day during my work week. You can get a lot done in those six hours.

The challenge is, because there was (is?) a service workers union in the park, available and more desirable jobs were awarded on a seniority basis. You might check out Camp Helper at the TM Lodge or Clerk at the TM store--I think those are entry level.

Apply early. Apply in person. Be direct about only wanting to work in the Meadows. Be candid about being a climber. Pull on the most amazing knobs and cracks all Summer long! Then spend the month of October dirt bagging in the Valley.

Are you able to work mid/late summer through the fall?

Fall in the Valley is really nice , quieter , cooler ...

I worked in Yosemite for 2 summers , (and fall and winter) . Advice I would give is go to the Ahwahnee dining room . Talk to the manager , introduce yourself , let him know you have dining experience , do a little 'networking' ...

...then go back to HR and say , "I talked to Mr. _____ at the Ahwahnee dining room , I'd like to be considered for a bussing job there"

You will make some pretty decent tips , and the work/hours are not bad . I know that's pretty specific , but the last thing you want is a terrible , long hour job , in a beautiful place like Yosemite .

Second advice is to try to get a job in the High Country , like others have said .

Lastly , some of the fondest/funnest memories I have in life are of working in Yosemite . Not just the climbing , but the parties , the girls , the swimming , hiking , living ... I hope you enjoy it as much as I did .

You might want to keep an eye on the Yosemite Daily Reports. Jobs are occasionally posted there:

myyosemite.com/category/yos…

You might want to look at NatureBridge. They are accepting applications for field science educator positions. The deadline for applicants wishing to be considered for the 2013-2014 school year is February 15, 2013.

naturebridge.org/employment…

The other posters are right:

Spring and Fall in the valley are spectacular. The middle of summer is not - it is consistently very hot, and as a result there is no climbing scene. I tried to stay there for a full summer, and by early July, nearly all of my friends had left the valley.

DNC in the Valley sounds like mostly bad news. If you do really want to work there, make sure you are very persistent in repeatedly calling back. They will probably not respond to an online application unless you call them a lot.

Eleven summers?! Yosemite is incredible, but at some point you have to find other rocks and mountains.

So i stayed in the valley dirt bagging around for a month this summer for a month. The time i spent there was like 90-95 every day. i can deal with the heat! If anything its better when its hot because i have the routes to myself. I want to do a bunch of walls. with friends and solo. Is there any guiding jobs, jobs in curry village, working at one of the campsites, or any other job that works with weekends off or in spikes like 7 days on 4 off or something.

I did a stint busing tables in the Awhanee hotel. At first I was actually insulted they gave me a busing job because I had been a waiter/bartender for five years and some of those were in other NPs like Glacier and Yellowstone. I found out though that was the BEST entry level job anyone could get. I usually pulled pretty good coin from the tips handed down from the waiters, and I gave away as many shifts as I could to go climbing. I learned that there is actually a union there and many of the nicer positions you actually need several years of seniority.

Many of my climbing buddies who were slaving away at some of the real crappy jobs like housekeeping and making minimum wage. They could not believe I got the busing position and it was my first year working in Yosemite. And actually I only got the job cause it would give me a place to stay in the park while I worked on learning trad climbing. I ended up only staying a few months cause I had another job lined up teaching overseas.

I would suggest researching the positions available, produce a decent looking resume, and try to get the best position they will offer you.