Winter Musher Guide — One Position

Love dogs, snow, and working with people? Snow Buddy Sled Dog Adventures has one guide position open for the winter season.

The work

Your primary role is guiding: working with sled dogs and guests at the trailhead. Guides learn to provide both guest experiences—helping guests mush their own team with trail support and leading fully guided trips. You’ll need to be flexible, since we tailor each small, personalized trip to guests’ expectations and comfort levels.

One day a week, you’ll also drive guest shuttles in our 12 passenger 4x4 van.  On the other days, you’ll be guiding, working with dogs and guests, and working in the kennel.

We’re based in the backcountry of Routt National Forest, about 45 minutes southwest of Steamboat Springs and 90 minutes north of Vail.  The kennel is

Requirements

Relevant experience in both guiding and handling animals in a workplace is required. Sled dog experience is preferred.

You’ll need a clean driving record and experience driving in snow. Because we live and work rurally, you must also have your own decent winter vehicle for personal transportation and getting to and from work, with snow tires installed by the time you report in November. You will not use your personal vehicle for work except to get yourself to and from the kennel and occasionally the trailhead. Most days all guides will ride to work in the dog truck.  All applicants must pass a background check. We can offer staff housing, but not to applicants with pets.

New hires must report to the kennel immediately and commit to working through April 19th. We can’t make exceptions. If you have conflicting work commitments or aren’t sure you can commit for the full season, we won’t be able to consider your application.

Season and schedule

Training begins November 18th. Regardless of prior experience, all new hires must report for training on this day. The paid season officially begins the Friday after Thanksgiving and runs through late April, depending on snow levels. There may be summer work for the right candidate.

This is a six-day-a-week commitment. We’re always closed Sundays for tours, and guides are expected to be available to work at the kennel or trailhead six days a week. We’ll provide the schedule at hiring. We take extended breaks at Christmas and twice more during the short season, but can’t honor other time-off requests.

Training and Pay and Staff Housing

The guiding position pays a flat rate per tour once you’re trained in our program. All applicants complete required reading and on-the-job training. Training lasts one paid week. Applicants who don’t meet our standards by the end of that week won’t continue in the position.

Our three-tier pay schedule starts everyone at the base level, with the opportunity to work toward the top tier based on skill and commitment to the program. Entry-level pay is $75 per tour, plus $17 per hour for additional chores. Guides typically work two tours per day, five to six days per week, and receive guaranteed gratuities, which are often generous. We also have a minimum gratuity policy.

Most guides receive a significant raise by Christmas, based on merit and performance rather than a set schedule.

Last season, our lowest-paid entry-level staff member cleared approximately $12,500, and our highest-paid returning staff member made more than $17,000 for the season. Those figures don’t include cash tips.

Staff housing is available for $600 per month for a private room, plus utilities. The house is one mile from the kennel on Main Street in downtown Oak Creek, within walking distance of the gas station, grocery store, restaurants, and coffee shops.

You’re welcome to live elsewhere, but most rentals in Routt County cost more than three times as much and require a longer lease than our season. At Snow Buddy, two to three days of work can cover a month of rent and utilities.

About Snow Buddy

We’re grateful to work alongside such a hardworking team of dogs and humans every season, and together we strive to make Snow Buddy a special place to work and a memorable experience for every guest. As we enter our 15th season, we’re excited to continue offering a preeminent, authentic mushing experience for guests of all ages. Our culture is built on safety, fun, and learning. We serve everyone who comes to meet us—and our family of dogs—with integrity, honesty, and consistency. We want the first trip of the season to be as wonderful as the last.

Come play in the snow with us, our guests, and all our beautiful dogs!

Check us out on TripAdvisor, where we’re the #1 winter activity in Steamboat, and on Facebook and Instagram. Visit our website to learn more about our program.