Hey, Gab.M
I'm currently a first year student enrolled in the SROAM program and from what I've experienced so far it's definitely worth it to come out here. The instructors are great, the town is amazing and even though this winters been shitty, the skiing has still been unreal. If you already have a lot of experience in the industry and have been in a few management positions you might not get as much out of this course, but I've had 3 years of experience in the ski industry in a variety of different positions and I have learned so much more than I was expecting.
This program also gives you amazing opportunities to get noticed and get your foot in the door. Within the first week we met big wigs from Whistler, Fernie, etc.. and have done trips in the fall to Silver Star, Big White and other resorts which gave us the opportunity to get to know some of the managers and to ask some questions about the industry and personal experience. The local resort of Whitewater as well as Red Mountain, also provide the students with great opportunities to volunteer for special events throughout the year, so you can gain more experience. With all of this you also get to know past SROAM students who are now managers at places like Whistler, Fernie, Revelstoke, Big White etc... and sometimes these connections allow you to get free passes and accommodations at some resorts. (SCORE!!!)
Throughout the course you also get to do amazing ski trips throughout B.C. For instance this weekend my class went to Selkirk Wilderness Skiing and went cat skiing for the day and we will be taking a week long trip to various resorts in March to talk to managers and basically ski for a mere $180 damage deposit. We also have many classes on hill throughout the year so you can learn while feeding your skiing addiction.
During the second year you do a paid co-op at a resort, which allows you to get into the ski industry right away and must of those paid co-ops turn into management positions within the following years. There are some people that don't stay in the industry, but that is mostly due to bad decisions or just not being interested in the industry. But this program has proven to help many succeed as a lot of the managers in BC and throughout Canada are SROAM graduates, with many who have even gone to places like Japan, New Zealand and the United States to receive managerial positions. Some have even gone on to own resorts and cat operations or have expanded into the media side of things, with some students getting to shoot for MSP movies due to the connections they received from SROAM.
Sorry for the long explanation, but I just want to let you know about everything that SROAM has to offer, because it's an amazing course and even if you decide you don't want to pursue a career in the industry you will leave with an amazing experience and with many connections in the industry which could mean free skiing!!!
If you have any questions or concerns about the program just shoot me a message and I'll be glad to answer them!
