Staffing an Aspen Winter: What Changes, and What Doesn't

A ski-season household has its own rhythm. Here is how to staff for the mountains.

Staffing a home in Aspen for the winter shares much with any seasonal arrangement, and differs in ways particular to a mountain resort in its busy season. Families who understand both the constants and the specifics staff well; those who treat it like any other hire are often caught short by a market and a setting that have their own rules.

What does not change is the fundamentals. The standard of vetting, the importance of fit, the need for clear roles and fair pay, these hold in Aspen exactly as anywhere. A seasonal hire has the same access to your home and family as a permanent one, so the screening should be just as rigorous, and the principles of a lasting, well-structured placement apply regardless of the season's length. The temptation to cut corners for a "temporary" winter hire is one to resist.

What does change starts with the calendar and the competition. The Aspen winter season, roughly from the early-season snows through the spring, draws an influx of families to a small mountain town with a limited pool of excellent local help, all hiring in the same window. The competition peaks around the holidays and the heart of ski season, so the time to arrange winter staff is the early autumn. As with any resort season, planning months ahead is decisive.

The setting itself shapes the work. A mountain home in winter brings particular demands: managing the logistics of snow, weather, and a remote or elevated property; supporting an active, outdoor, often guest-heavy lifestyle; and handling the intensity of holiday entertaining that defines the Aspen season. Staff comfortable with mountain living, winter driving, and the rhythm of a ski-season household are worth seeking specifically. Compensation, as in any resort season, runs at a premium, reflecting demand, the concentrated work, and often the need to provide or arrange accommodation in an expensive town.

The choice of how to staff mirrors other seasonal homes: bring year-round staff for continuity, hire dedicated seasonal help for the location, or combine the two. And, as with any second home, the property needs managing in the off-season too, kept sound, secure, and ready through the months no one is there, which in a mountain climate carries its own considerations.

We staff Aspen winters and mountain homes, placing seasonal and year-round nannies, housekeepers, chefs, and managers, all vetted to our full standard, and helping families plan early for a competitive season. Get the planning and the fit right, and the season is spent on the slopes, not on staffing. It is what families come to Nannies + more…® for.