Growing up in central Maine, he’d already spent his winter months on the slopes.
So a paycheck and a free ski pass were enough to seal the deal.
If the price of entry was couch surfing at friends' places, so be it.
His view on that trade-off quickly changed.
Park City Mountain is one of 42 resorts owned by the international conglomerateVail Resorts.
“It was like getting my nose rubbed in it,” he said.
But the $20-an-hour entry-level salary still wasn’t enough for him to get by.
Starting on December 27, he and the union went on strike for 13 days.
He feels much more confident in his ability to support a future family on a ski patroller’s salary.
“There’s nothing I’d rather do,” Chiappetta said.
Since 2020, people across industries have been rethinking their relationship to work.
They want a real living wage.
During the busiest time of the year, theski patroller strikeshut down most of Park City Mountain.
Guests were furious not at the workers but at Vail for letting the strike happen.
It brought attention to how little ski patrollers are paid.
Vail still bills itsmissionas creating “the experience of a lifetime” for its employees.
Over the past six years, workers have pushed to make ski work a sustainable career.
Unions representing ski patrollers and lift mechanics have formed at more than 16 resorts across the US.
A major concern for these workers is the rapidly growing cost of living near resorts.
While Vail provides some affordable housing options for its workers, there isn’t enough to go around.
To make ends meet, some patrollers have had to work second jobs.
Meanwhile, the ski industry has been consolidating.
In the past decade, American companies have acquired nearly 100 ski areas.
Since 2019, Vail alone has purchased 19 resorts.
Those massive investments haven’t gone unnoticed by the rank and file.
Mike Reilly, 33, moved to Park City about 10 years ago after graduating from college in Ohio.
About a year in, he took an entry-level ski patrolling job, making $13.25 an hour.
Initially, Reilly and Chiappetta both had to find work in the offseason to make ends meet.
They didn’t see theirski jobsas a side gig.
Since the union ratification, that’s become more of a possibility.
Despite the fact that nearly everymajor league playerhas to start in the minors, the finances never added up.
The situation didn’t get much better as he progressed to Triple-A.
It was a game-changer.
That has changed as Major League Baseball has become more profitable.
“The players are what fans pay for, and therefore they are the game,” Clark said.
Entertainers are having a similar realization.
But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows for those hired at the Southern California theme parks.
Over in Las Vegas, the city’s famousChippendales dancersare hoping for a similar win.
They receive no benefits.
“It’s a competitive market.
Chippendales did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
“There comes a point where you might be frustrated or you might be fired.”
Even if the work is great, it’s still work.
Robert Davisis an award-winning journalist who lives in Denver.
