In reply to Babika:
I live in Chamonix and work for a British tour operator in the ski industry (rhymes with Bristol). Most of our recruitment takes place in August/September but there's always drop outs so he should keep applying (unless he's already been told no).
The 'turn up and meet people' approach to getting a job is perfectly doable. I can't tell you how many people have just come out for a holiday, ended up talking to a bar owner or whatever and never got the plane home. Staff turnover in ski resorts is enormous (whacked, sacked or can't hack) so there's jobs going all the time.
Regarding Brexit, we've gone from hiring Brits almost exclusively for seasonal work to going 50/50 Brits and EU citizens so that we can still run a minimal program if the worst comes to the worst and we have to send all the Brits home. For permanent staff like myself, we're going to have to apply for a carte de sejours post-Brexit. Macron has said there will be an online application process which is good as you currently have to do it in person at the prefecture (nearest one is 1.5hr drive away). So yeah, if he's not in the country by Oct 31 (assuming thats when we go out) then he might struggle. Brits will have 6 months to apply for a CdS before getting booted though.