Employment
Winter 2026/27 Employment Opportunities
Passionate skiers, experienced guides, and the team that makes your adventure unforgettable.
If you’re interested in working at Great Northern Powder Guides for the upcoming winter season, please dowload our Employee Application. Please return your completed application, along with your resume to staffing@thebarw.com We look forward to hearing from you!
Don’t hesitate to contact staffing@thebarw.com with any questions on employment opportunities.
Everything you need to know before your day in the cat
Guide
Title: Guide
Reports To: Operations Manager
Guide Daily Rate: $160 – $170
Seasonal Position
At Great Northern Powder Guides core focus is connection. We want our guests to have an experience not just a vacation, so we want them to connect to our staff, the people they came with, the other guests, nature, and to themselves.
General Responsibilities:
Guides provide enjoyable and safe backcountry skiing and boarding for guests. 16 Hands prioritizes safety so operating and acting with safety as a priority is crucial.
Guide Duties and Responsibilities:
- Provide each guest with an unforgettable adventure by sharing stories, eating with the guest. These interactions will help make our Core Values come to life: Connections, Doing What We Say and proving a Positive Environment.
- Guiding experience in avalanche terrain.
- Ability to work under varying weather conditions, at times extreme in nature.
- Demonstrate ability in navigation and high angle rescue techniques.
- Ability to have control over trip timing to ensure minimization of objective risk and exhibit awareness of, and empathy for guests and their needs.
- Perform safety checks on personal equipment as well as guest equipment to ensure all necessary equipment is in good working order.
- Other duties as assigned.
Personal Requirements
- Be outgoing, engaging, energetic, and enthusiastic, with good communication skills.
- Comfortably and safely ski/board terrain up to 45 degrees in a variety of snow conditions.
- Ability to teach and communicate with the guests.
- Demonstrate sufficient physical reserves to be able to assist guests and deal with physically demanding emergencies.
- Possess a calm and capable manner to be able to deal with emergencies, while caring for the guests.
- Live by the 16 Hands core values.
Certifications Required
- Avalanche Training (minimum AVY 1)
- WFR
- First Aid
Powderhouse Host
Title: Powderhouse Host
Reports To: Operations Manager
Hourly Rate: $15-$17
Seasonal Position
At Great Northern Powder Guides core focus is connection. We want our guests to have an experience not just a vacation, so we want them to connect to our staff, the people they came with, the other guests, nature, and to themselves.
General Responsibilities:
Powderhouse Hosts provide an enjoyable and welcoming environment at the Powderhouse. A hot lunch is ready for guests, guides and operators as provided by the kitchen at 16 Hands. 16 Hands prioritizes safety so operating and acting with safety as a priority is crucial.
Powderhouse Host Duties and Responsibilities:
- Provide each guest with an unforgettable adventure by sharing stories and connecting with the guests. These interactions will help make our Core Values come to life: Connections, Doing What We Say and proving a Positive Environment.
- Facilitate a great guest experience and make strong guest connections.
- Demonstrate ability to ride snowmobile from base camp to Powderhouse under varying weather conditions.
- Open Powderhouse, making it available to guests by turning on lights, heat, stove and using available checklist.
- Regular communication with the operators/lead guides for arrival times for each group/cat via radios.
- Warm up lunches, prepare hot beverages, to make Powderhouse warm and inviting.
- Clean-up after last guests (dishes, wiping counters, sweeping floors, securing trash), securing Powderhouse for the following day using available checklist.
- Notify Operations Manager of any issues needing attention.
- Provide kitchen at 16 Hands with food/beverage needs on a regular basis so as not to run out.
- Provide Housekeeping at 16 Hands with cleaning supply needs and linen needs.
- Other duties as assigned.
Personal Requirements:
- Be outgoing, engaging, energetic, and enthusiastic, with good communication skills.
- Self-starter who can work independently.
- Must have excellent people skills.
- Present a clean-cut image with guests.
- Adaptable to change.
- Valid driver’s license.
- First aid and CPR certification preferred.
- Live by the 16 Hands core values.
Vehicle Maintenance Mechanic
Title: Vehicle Maintenance Mechanic
Reports To: Operations Manager
Hourly Rate: $24-$32
Seasonal Position
At Great Northern Powder Guides core focus is connection. We want our guests to have an experience not just a vacation, so we want them to connect to our staff, the people they came with, the other guests, nature, and to themselves.
General Responsibilities:
Vehicle Maintenance Mechanic performs routine and repairs on equipment and vehicles to provide guests and other employees with safe equipment to work and ride in. 16 Hands prioritizes safety so operating and acting with safety as a priority is crucial.
Vehicle Maintenance Mechanic Duties and Responsibilities:
- Perform general service and repair on equipment as scheduled or directed by Operations Manager.
- Maintain accurate service records and maintenance logs for all equipment.
- Ability to prioritize multiple repairs to minimize equipment downtime and support daily operations.
- Demonstrate ability to ride snowmobile or trained to operate a snowmobile safely under varying weather conditions.
- Respond to field breakdowns and perform emergency repairs in the backcountry.
- Ability to weld small items.
- Ability to custom fabricate parts/items as needed.
- Demonstrated knowledge and experience in all aspects of vehicle operation and maintenance, including electrical systems, hydraulic systems, and mechanical systems.
- Prior experience on snow groomers a plus.
- Maintain inventory of replacement parts, fluids, filters, and shop supplies. Notify Operations Manager when parts or supplies need to be reordered.
- Knowledge of safe practices of equipment and tools of automotive and equipment repair and maintenance.
- Other duties as assigned.
Personal Requirements:
- Be outgoing, engaging, energetic, and enthusiastic, with good communication skills.
- Self-starter who can work independently.
- 3-5 years’ experience as a mechanic required.
- Moderate physical activity required by handling objects up to 50 pounds frequently.
- Ability to be on one’s feet for extended periods up to 8 hours.
- Must be able to access all vehicle compartments and components to perform repairs by standing, kneeling, bending and laying in a prone position for extended periods of time.
- Ability to work in below zero temperatures.
- Adaptable to change.
- Must have a valid drivers license.
- First aid and CPR certification preferred.
- Live by the 16 Hands core values.
SnowCat Operator
Title: SnowCat Operator
Reports To: Operations Manager
Operator Daily Rate: $160-$180
Seasonal Position
At Great Northern Powder Guides core focus is connection. We want our guests to have an experience not just a vacation, so we want them to connect to our staff, the people they came with, the other guests, nature, and to themselves.
General Responsibilities:
SnowCat Operators drive our Piston Bully cabin cats in the backcountry to provide our skiing and boarding guests with a great experience. The operators will operate our cats with cabins that will hold between 10-12 guests and 2 Great Northern Powder Guide guides. 16 Hands prioritizes safety so operating and acting with safety as a priority is crucial.
SnowCat Operator Duties and Responsibilities:
- Perform maintenance check before loading guests with Vehicle Maintenance Mechanic.
- Be alert to all surrounding objects while driving cat.
- Ability to maintain professional radio protocols.
- Assist in guest loading and unloading.
- Demonstrate ability to ride snowmobile or trained to operate a snowmobile safely under varying weather conditions.
- Communicate location continually to other operators, base camp and Powderhouse as well as with your guides.
- Prior experience operating heavy equipment such as excavator, groomer, snowcat, dozers.
- Proper care of snowcat, such as cleaning and sanitizing at the end of every day is a must.
- Communicate any mechanical issues to Operations Manager. Weather conditions and everyday operations may take a toll on the snowcats.
- Knowledge of safe practices of equipment and tools of the automotive and equipment repair and maintenance.
- Other duties as assigned.
Personal Requirements:
- Be outgoing, engaging, energetic, and enthusiastic, with good communication skills.
- Great observation skills.
- Skiing or Snowboard skills are a plus.
- Problem-solver with some level of mechanical skill desired.
- Moderate physical activity required by handling objects up to 50 pounds frequently.
- Ability to climb on and off equipment multiple times a day, able to shovel snow and handle below zero temperatures.
- Adaptable to change.
- Must have a valid drivers license.
- First aid and CPR certification preferred.
- Live by the 16 Hands core values.
