Eliza* is one of many workers who may not return to Mount Hotham to work the snow season this year thanks to soaring accommodation costs caused by the area's chronic housing shortage.
But the chair of Alpine Resorts Victoria says the shortage is far from unique to Mount Hotham.
Eliza has lived in New York — and said she still could — for less than the cost of a seasonal rental on or in the vicinity of Mount Hotham, where tiny studio apartments are going for between $16,000 and $24,000 for the season.
She and her partner tried to secure a property for $16,000, but were outbid.
Eliza said in previous years, similar options would have cost them around $10,000.
The couple are both in their 30s and working for different employers — one in the wellness industry and one as an instructor within the resort.
They said private accommodation was the only way they would be able to live together.
"We both work six days a week, we just want to come home, cook dinner and relax," Eliza said.
Employer-provided accommodation at resorts has not lived up to Eliza's expectations in the past, as she found herself living in dirty, overcrowded, and sometimes even leaking rooms.
She said the housing crisis was exacerbating the workforce shortage, which was in turn affecting all businesses, including cafes and restaurants, where delays in service had frustrated customers.
"A lot of people aren't returning" she said.
"There was a whole chairlift that didn't open last year … it's going to affect everyone."
Eliza said she believed the resort would have to build staff accommodation in order to keep functioning.
Alpine Resorts Victoria board chair Ali Wastie said housing was a national challenge.
"It's a problem not only for all alpine resorts, but every single tourist town around Victoria, and indeed the eastern seaboard of Australia," she said.
Ms Wastie said short-stay accommodation had reduced the options of the seasonal workforce across all of Victoria's alpine resorts.
Solving the problem would require "the private sector, government and really good thinkers" to come together, she said.
Mt Hotham Resort Management chief operating officer Lyndsey Jackman said there was no easy fix.
"There are some great initiatives happening at a regional level, as well as opportunities at the Mt Hotham airport which the new owners, Grollo Group-owned Altiset, are pursuing," he said.
But Mr Jackman said the initiatives were longer-term, so they were working with groups across Victoria's resorts to consider immediate solutions.
Turning people off
Kaitlin Schavoni has worked the last six Victorian snow seasons.
A full-time snowboard instructor and part-time hospitality worker, she usually works at Mount Hotham during the ski season, and then travels to the Northern Hemisphere for its winter with her partner.
But the cost of a little privacy and basic amenities at the popular tourist town had become exorbitant, she said.
Ms Schavoni said for many of her friends, returning to Mount Hotham was no longer "worth it".
"They can't find anywhere to live. They're just leaving the industry when they don't really want to, but they don't really have a choice," she said.
The seasonal worker said while she and her partner would still consider sharing a room with other staff, that was not feasible for everyone.
"You don't want to be 65 and sharing a room with two 18-year-olds," she said.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, staff accommodation and private seasonal rentals were available at affordable rates, Ms Schavoni said.
Properties once being leased out for four-months at a time are now being offered as short-term rentals that are up for grabs every 48 hours or so, contributing to the housing problem for workers.
"I could probably pull up on Airbnb at least three properties that I have previously lived in during other seasons," Ms Schavoni said.
She said visitors last season complained about being unable to get their children into skiing lessons, that not as many runs were open and that they were waiting half an hour for a coffee.
"[It's] because there's not enough staff … there's no where for them to live," she said.
She said another issue was the imbalance of power between employees and employers in staff-provided accommodation.
"Workers aren't covered by a lot of the protections afforded to regular tenants, they are pretty powerless and voiceless," she said.
Impossible to find
Mount Hotham Chamber of Commerce president Steve Belli said the accommodation shortage was the worst he had seen.
He said bookings were looking healthy for the season ahead and he thought the workforce shortage was not as grim as last year.
But he said some businesses would still be unable to open as they did not have any beds to offer potential workers.
"I've got a couple of my smaller businesses that I've had to put on hold for this year [because] there's just no way I can find beds for [the staff]," he said.
Mr Belli said a lot of properties changed hands during the height of the pandemic, and many owner-occupiers had now returned to Melbourne or Sydney and were choosing to lease out their properties on a short-term basis.
"The returns on short-term accommodation are pretty good," Mr Belli said.
"But it's unfortunately left a bit of a side effect where a lot of the seasonal accommodation is just completely dried up.
"[It's] getting pretty impossible to find seasonal accommodation."
Mr Belli said that the situation could affect tourists' experience of the ski season, as fewer staff meant fewer open businesses and longer waits for dinner.
"We're hoping that that won't happen … the only real answer is purpose-built accommodation for staff," he said, suggesting a mix of dormitory and apartment-style living could be appropriate.
"[But] no one's got a short-term solution at the moment," he said.
*Eliza's real name has been omitted at her request for privacy reasons.
