Chamonix for 1 year: Live, Work, Ski, Cycle?

Anybody have any experience living/working in the Chamonix area?

2010 is my 50th year and I'm starting to get to work on a long bucket list that includes skiing and cycling in Europe for at least a year.

It looks pretty tough for non-EU citizens to find legal employment in France, but where there's a will there's a way...

I lived for a year in Europe back in the eighties, working as a fisherman, farm hand, landscaper and graymarket smuggler. I found hippies to be a great resource for lllegal employment. They seem to have an inside line on under-the-table agricultural work as well as their own marginal endeavors. And like their American cousins they are eager to share and provide a never ending source of ammusement.

I was skiing there all last week. Lots of fresh snow on Thursday and Friday, but my fun ended abruptly Friday afternoon when I lost my ski in deep snow in the bowl right below Col Cornu in Brevent. (We booted up to the Col and skied down the front side.) We spent 5 man hours searching for it, no luck. I left my ski in Chamonix...

If you (or anyone else) finds it (It is a K2 Baker Superlight with Fritschi binding) I'll send a $100 bounty.

My brother-in-law has been living and working in Germany for 10 years now. He says it is pretty hard to get a work permit (easier if you have an employer sponsoring you). He suggested just contacting chalets directly to see if they need any sort of help, you could maybe work out a room/board minor compensation deal.Maybe something legit or maybe something under the table. 

This:

My brother-in-law has been living and working in Germany for 10 years now. He says it is pretty hard to get a work permit (easier if you have an employer sponsoring you).

Since you are 50 and can operate a computer you surely have some career skills to offer. I'd look for the best job possible (best paying, best hours, best location) in any decent ski area in the Alps, or in any place nearby where you can be skiiing via train in less than an hour, not just Chamonix or France. In a year you could travel and ski extensively all over the Alps anyway, and no need to clean toilets 8 hours a day if you can teach math or tend bar for 4.

My only major requirement would be snow-sure; it would suck to get skunked by a bad season in your one year in Europe.

Then if you don't already speak the local language do a learning blitzkrieg on its ass until the day you depart.

There is a decent guide book out there to working abroad that I used to use but can't recall the name.

In closing, wish I was you, you lucky bastard! Have a great trip.

One way to do it would be to marry a French woman as soon as possible. Green card style.

My wife is half French and has dual citizenship. After our son was born she called the French consulate to find out about getting him hooked up and she asked about me as well. Apparently after doing the right paperwork (marrige certificate etc) I could live and work in France and apparently after 5 years of marrige if a person can pass a French test they can get their own French passport and then you're pretty much golden.

You should look for a woman that wants to come here to America, get married and she can do her thing here while you're over there charging the steeps, drinking wine, and eating fondue. Sort of a long-distance love affair.

Vas-y, vas-y, vas-y !