Rollercoaster ride in retail department

Next time you're skiing on a warm, sunny day, spare a thought for the poor souls stuck inside. Henrietta Kjaer talks to Toshi Miyata, head of Coronet Peak's retail department.

Queenstown Times: Why did you choose this job?

Toshi Miyata: I was a retail assistant for my first season.

Then this position became available, and I took the opportunity.

QT: What made you come back for more seasons?

TM: This is my seventh season with NZSki.

I don't come back, I belong here.

I just have summer off, counting the days until the first snowfall.

QT: What kind of work did you do before you took up this job?

TM: I have been a bicycle courier, a reporter on an internet and TV show, and have worked on a boat at Milford Sound.

QT: How would you describe your role?

TM: You have the calm before the storm before the start of the season, which you prepare for.

Then, once the skifield is open, it is a rollercoaster ride of multi-tasking, and before you know it the season is over.

QT: What is the best thing about your job?

TM: Meeting lots of new people - and their credit cards, too!

QT: Which challenges come with the job?

TM: On warm, sunny days everyone is busy having fun and not spending in the shop.

QT: Which skills or qualities are needed to do your job?

TM: You have to be good with numbers, master quick decision-making and have great people skills.

Qualities like being positive, fun-loving and having a passion for snow also help.

QT: What's your advice to people moving to Queenstown for seasonal work?

TM: It is all about who you know.

Try to meet not just anyone but key people - then your life gets a lot easier.

QT: What has been your most amusing or surprising on-the-job experience this season?

TM: It keeps amusing me that nobody really reads manuals or instructions for the products they buy.