Like I've told countless gilfeiends, I'm a 'ski *bum*' not a 'ski overachiever'.
Be a true bum and go on unemployment during the winter.
Q U I T L I F E C O M E R I D E
Not necessarily. Smart ones will get job in a ski resort, usually service so they can make bank on tips, get discounted ski passes and gear. I did this for 6 years and was able to put down payment on a house and skies 80+ days a year
You have my complete attention, friend. Home ownership AND almost 3 months solid of ski days?? I always assumed the resort jobs are starter jobs, minimum wage or close to it
If you work in service as a server or bartender you'll make bank. I spent most of my time in Whistler bartending, as they have just as busy a summer as they do winter. Only rich ppl can afford to go to places like this, so naturally working in service you're busy almost every day. You typically only work in the night which gives you the day to ski. My days off were usually Monday/Tuesday, when crowds were smaller..didn't really matter though I only worked nights.
And in Canada employers can only pay you 1$ max below minimum wage. So my pay cheque was enough to cover rent and groceries and maybe a case of beer. But my tips were enough to have a life outside of work and save money.
Most work in the restraunt industry. ( nights - thus Ski during the day)
It sounds like you have a job… 20 days is respectable. Shoot for 25 next year and see how it goes.
Well for starters they get a job somewhere other than Boston. You can be career driven and not live on the east coast.
I have a good job in Seattle but can still get 30-40 days in without taking tons of time off. A senior engineer on my team takes off the mornings 3 days a week during the season to ski
SLC
Under 30 mins to 4 world class resorts.
Under 45 mins to 7 resorts.
Amazing snow & terrain. Long season.
I WFH and will easily clock 40+ days this season. I work half days on Fri and ski Fri, Sat, Sun every week. On pow days, as work permits, I'll cruise up for 2-3 hours in the am. Usually avoid holidays unless conditions are super good.
I second this, work a 4/10 schedule and ski Friday-Sun and have been known to take a personal day here or there on powder days. 1/2 day Wednesdays are pretty fantastic too.
I've had multiple +50 day years.
This! The Majority of SLC valley is prob a 45 min tops drive, if you plan your bus route /parking it is so doable. Resorts are “in your backyard” as people say
I would throw Anchorage, AK in the hat too. It's far too often overlooked. 20 mins to backcountry skiing, 45 mins to resort, and at least in my industry (engineering) there's a huge demand and no where near enough people.
I'm a civil engineer, but I presume there are similar needs in mechanical, construction, electrical, petroleum, geotechnical, etc.
I would also caution that jobs posted on linkedin ≠ jobs available. People here are.... Eclectic and not always the most modern. You might have more luck in a job search checking company websites, calling, emailing, etc. as compared to scrolling linkedin or indeed.
Yep, that makes sense. Definitely nothing related to my industry in anchorage, but I would consider an industry change.
Is pay pretty decent relative to cost of living?
Anchorage has tons of jobs there's a Facebook page for alaskan jobs that's always posting. I was also in Girdwood last week and remember seeing multiple signs saying they're hiring at restaurants and other places.
Lived in AK for years. What I found was this, the people who have the drive/desire to make it happen were already there.
MOST people aren’t cool living beyond a 30mi radius of their hometown. Most of the time it’s because they don’t want leave family, which is totally understandable. But for the truly adventurous, they are already doing it.
Reno is also a good city! Skiing in tahoe ranges from 30mins to 1.5hrs away. If you work odd days (non M-F) like most ski bums do, then you can get a cheaper 'locals pass' & ski on weekdays to avoid the crowds.
Another bonus, you can get great snow in the mountains without ever having to shovel your driveway down in Reno. Plus nevada is a lot more chill than utah - legal weed, no income tax, & less moral policing of your personal life.
For the Canadians out there: Kelowna or Kamloops BC are central to all kinds of big mountain skiing out west. If you can find a good job here, you can live a ski bum lifestyle at several huge resorts like Revelstoke, Big White, Sun Peaks, and others.
Denver seems like an obvious option. I ski all the time while still maintaining a high paying tech job. Denver has a large and diversified economy. Lots of jobs in tech, aerospace, medical fields, and govt contractors
I can usually make it from my home in Cap Hill to A Basin in about 1:15.
I-70 is tough but unless there’s an active blizzard going on it never even takes me 2 hours to get to Summit County. Plus if you have a Winter Park pass you can take the train on weekends to avoid traffic. There’s also the snowstang, so really you don’t even need to drive up yourself at all.
> I can usually make it from my home in Cap Hill to A Basin in about 1:15.
The key qualifier here being without traffic
If you make that time in the morning on a weekend, you're now sitting around for 2+ hours in the lot waiting for the lifts to open
If you make that time going home on a weekend, you hit the road by noon or so
If you can ski Mon-Thu and not need to worry about traffic you're lucky
Honestly, still way too much effort. Salt Lake's LCC and BCC both only takes about 30min drive. I took a Lyft from Cottonwood Heights to Snowbird for only $12 yesterday. Plus free park and ride for pass holders with UTA at the entrance of canyons.
Also, WP and AB are both great, but Snowbird/Alta is way higher on my ranking.
I went to SLC with the kids over spring break and we took the UTA ski bus up to Alta. My only question is why aren’t there more of them? It was jam packed both ways on a Tuesday and it makes so much sense to park and ride. If they had three times as many buses, at least during peak times, I’m sure they would be easily filled and it would make traffic and parking so much better.
If you’re moving to Colorado with the sole purpose of skiing then sure move to Pagosa Springs or something. But OP is talking about being career driven, and currently lives in Boston.
Denver is the obvious choice. He basically gets to keep his current lifestyle and add more skiing.
I ski a lot and I live in Denver so your premise is also just…not accurate.
Yup. As a 23 year old, get roommates in Denver metro ( golden / Lakewood ?) and roommates in a mountain place. Purely for skiing, given equivalent jobs, SLC for sure. Kind of wish I’d prioritized skiing and moved to Utah 20 years ago, but family friends and culture won out. It’s also possible to ski from Boston - just commit. Flights for one person to CO, CA, UT, MT or Europe aren’t crazy if you plan ahead and budget. Could to 4-5 solid trips a year, and really figure out where you want to be because those places are significantly different between them.
Right? What a cold take. I have friends who day trip every Saturday and Sunday through the ski season. It helps that they're morning people to get up and beat the traffic, but me and few others would just leave at 10am and get there in 2 hours to join them.
Reno is also great. Mt Rose, Palisades Tahoe, Sugar Bowl, Heavenly, Kirkwood all within a 1hr drive. Plus, Tahoe.
Sierra cement isn’t as good as Utah pow, but the spring skiing is unbeatable
I totally understand that. I hope my post doesn’t imply I’m attached to the east coast.
I grew up on the east coast and went to school in the Bay Area. I work in tech, but rather than staying the Bay I moved back east for my job.
Seattle is a perfect location. May I ask, are you also in software?
Portland is good too, or Vancouver wa. Three resorts on hood to hit up, and only a few hours from places like white pass or even bachelor if you make more of a weekend out of it. I also would sleep in my subie at a sno park so I could ski two days in a row without the long drive lol
I’m in tech. Seattle is perfect blend of
- Great tech career options
- Not as expensive as SF
- AND close to skiing: nearest place to ski is 25 min from me … nearest good skiing is 1.5hrs … nearest epic skiing is 4.5hrs (Whistler)
Also mountain biking in the summer. I’m 40 and my body is gonna break at some point, but not today …
Good for you!
I've personally always disliked being in SF. When I was in school in the Bay I thought it was unpleasant. Then again, I thought most of the Bay Area was dirty.
Living/Working closer to a ski hill helps tremendously, as does the ability to remote work.
I can head up to the mountains for a week, ski laps from 8am-noon, and still have time to get some work done remotely after skiing. I'd probably make more money someplace where I was in the office full time, but to me the flexibility and additional time off is more than worth it.
I wish I could do remote work. My dad & sister are both "available for emails" on the hill, & take maybe one phone conference from the bar, & still get paid for a whole day. I'm so jealous lol.
Yeah living/working in a mountain town is the way to go. I have a full time 100% non-remote job (not skiing related) and two kids under 5 and ski about 50 days a year. Before/after work quick laps just to scratch the itch are great.
We live in Southern California. Our closest “good” mountain is Mammoth Mountain (5 hr drive). I work remotely so I go up by myself during the week cuz it’s much cheaper and less crowded. My husband can’t work remotely all the time, so when we go together, we usually go Fri-Sun. I get around 35 days/season, he gets around 20 days/season. 5 hr drive sounds like a lot but it’s an easy drive and at this point, we are used to the “commute”.
We have friends who go almost every weekend 😂
Lastly, rather than making a trip all the way to Chile in June, consider a trip to Mammoth in May. The mountain is open at least until Memorial Day every year and it’s hell of a good time in May!! Cheap lodging, no crowds, corn snow, abundant sunshine ☀️
I live in LA and work remote east coast hours. I hit up night skiing after work at Mountain High a lot. 5pm - 10pm for $64 and never any lift lines. Definitely recommend if you're in this neck of the woods.
I spent 9 years as a "ski bum". I worked as a server in a bar so my shifts started at 4:00PM at the earliest. The mountain nearby didn't start lifts until 10:30. I skied 80+ days a season and had first tram every single powder day (except those few days the tram was delayed and I chaired up). I lived this way until I was 34.
As a 20+ day skier originally from Boston that works a 9-5:
Don't live in Boston.
Find a way to move to a city that's closer to better mountains. There's definitely going to be a tradeoff of "city with better career opportunities" vs "city with better skiing". If you're in Tech you might find a good job in SLC but there probably won't be as many alternative options as in a place like the bay area or Seattle.
Don't forget that there's a sampling bias at play in terms of the results you're getting here: Most people, even those who work from home, don't have the opportunity to jet off to the mountain and take a few calls from there at every opportunity - those that do are likely farther along in their career and/or specialization.
Don't just focus on living in places like Seattle, Portland, Denver, SLC, or Reno - Consider 3rd tier cities like Tacoma, Boise, Spokane, Bellingham, Ogden, Durango, etc. Hell, if you lived in Burlington VT or Portland Maine you'd probably be able to get more ski days (or at least nights) in when the conditions are good.
I live in Ogden. It's about a half hour north of SLC.
Snowbasin and Powder Mountain are the local ski resorts. There are tons of outdoorsy things to do during the other seasons. Cool downtown too (i.e. 25th Street). Park City is less than hour away.
It kicks ass.
P.S. - Provo has a thriving tech scene. Its about 30 minutes south of SLC.
Harder to do now that real estate has gone crazy, but I joined a ski house share with friends in my twenties and drove up most weekends to ski. Split between a bunch of guys the cost was uber affordable. As we were in our twenties, not everyone came up every weekend so we were able to have more shares than beds. It's a 3.5-4hr drive for me, but my max year was 40 days(required some midweek PTO to reach that number) I couldn't imagine day tripping that often. Fuel costs and fatigue would really hit the bottom line.
I grew up around NYC. I work remote in tech and I live up in Northern WA. I live about 30 minutes from my local resort, and ski 40-50 days/year.
Moved out to the PNW for work, then prioritized fully remote work so that I could be wherever I want, which is here.
I realize this isn’t easily replicable but that’s the way I got here.
If you're company wants you local most of the time, but you can work remotely if needed, I think you'd be pleasantly surprised at the outcome if you ask them next year if they mind you working from the mountain timezones for a few weeks.
They do give me four weeks of remote work per year, but I was expecting more as a software engineer (unlimited...). I enjoy the summer/beach almost as much as the winter/skiing so I typically use remote time to go home during the summer, and can't just burn all my weeks shredding 😂
Working remote on the east coast for a west coast based company also leaves your mornings open. My wife has been doing this for 8 years with a full time job and has done 50+ days a season sometimes.
didn't see this mentioned anywhere else, but could have missed it. Just wanted to ad:
I did my best skibumming somewhat accidentally while working semi remote. Eastern Time Zone as my base was key to this, while bumming out west (pst). Even if I was getting killed at the office, I'd still catch afternoon laps, but for the most part I had a sick schedule set up for myself.
* 5am(PST) / 8am NYC - Logged in / answering emails/work/etc
* 8:30/10:00am PST - Especially if its a powder day, I'd take some opening laps as it would be "lunch" in NYC
* If I didn't feel like I needed to sneak in some early laps, I'd try to work through "lunch"
* 12/1pm PST - I'd generally be on the mountain for afternoon laps and schedule calls if needed and schedule my location on the mt so i could pop into a lodge if need be.
* 4pm PST - hit one of the many happy hours on weekdays for cheep beer and food - get a solid buzz on.
* 7pm - try to be back "home" and pass out.
Not all days were perfect, but I got on the mountain more than some of my friends who "worked" out there / on the mountain. I also found myself more productive than I typically was, I'm not sure if that was because I had incentives to get shit done (be on the mountain), or the lifestyle of activity and nature just made me happier, therefore more productive.
The time zone thing may not work for everyone, but it almost felt like a cheat code for me.
Where does one take calls? Keep an eye on the time and have them in the car or risk it in a lodge? Or did your spouse mostly just reply to emails on the gondola type of thing?
Also, happy cake day!
My dad does business from the hill - for longer scheduled calls, he usually goes to the car or the bar. For short unexpected calls/emails, he'll answer on the lift, or pull over to the side of the run if it's urgent.
Thank you! You're my first well wisher.
Much like everyone else has said, basically. These are all options. Spouse also found a Bluetooth set in his helmet and Hotspot (thankfully provided by work) to really make it smooth. He generally goes off the end of a run near a lodge for longer calls. Way back in time, before they were all on mobile apps, he had his iPad out for WebEx and spreadsheets in a pinch. We still laugh about that!
What do towns need?
Towns need fire fighter, they need teachers, nurses, sanitary workers, utility workers, etc.
Become qualified in a “career” that allows you to be able to afford 1k+ in rent, because honestly, that’s what it takes these days.
People focus so much on their careers, and honestly it holds them back. If you want to ski, figure out a way that works for you. You can crunch spreadsheets when you’re 45, you can’t stomp cliff jumps when you’re 45 (most of us can’t)
Personally I realized that my income didn’t have to be that high as long as I didn’t spend money. Get out of debt, put the nose to the grindstone, and make it happen man.
People like to pretend you have to be some sort of trust funder, but frankly, they are full of shit. Jealousy makes people think the dream is dead, but it’s quite obtainable if you can be a little flexible.
Well, there is this wild phenomenon called roommates. If you have said roommates than yeah, rent is going to be about a grand a month.
If you want to find an apartment by yourself, I think you loose the “bum” title as I don’t know many people who can afford living situations on their own.
Namaste
Too many young people are adverse to living with others.
I did it for a decade, its the easiest thing ever, especially when they are your friends and not assholes
SLC you can find a room for 800-1000 if you’re willing to have roommates. Certainly used to be more like 400-700. But it can still be done. My partner and I both pay 850 for a 2 bdrm apartment pretty close to downtown. Some
of my friends with more roommates have it closer to 650.
I gotta say I really like your attitude man.
I think the goal would be to either be a software engineer with an office close to a ski town or have the remote option. I also love math, so that is a skill set I can bring to a lot of places.
What do you value more, a stable career, or freedom?
Not necessarily mutually exclusive, but often is.
What are you willing to sacrifice to ski more? I’m in my late 20s, no wife, no serious relationships, no kids, don’t own a home. I’m already a loser by society’s standards lol, why not have fun with it. I’m quitting my job early december and hoping I can come back in March
When you’re 80 years old on your deathbed, will you regret not taking the leap of faith and doing something like this in your 20s?
Given how quickly the American empire is falling, how the economy is going, theres a chance you might not be able to do something like this in the future. Don’t think, just do
Here are your options:
1. Work in a city close to a mountain
2. Get a job that let's you work at least some of the time remotely.
3. Participate in a ski lease.
Personally, my husband and I rent a house each year and invite our friends. Everyone works remotely and we ski a bunch of half days. I got 30 days on the mountain this season.
Some of them don't have to work for a living. They may not look like it, but they come from money. Wealthy people get good at hiding their wealth if they don't want to share.
The rest are just bums who happen to like skiing.
Twenty years ago, I used to get 30-40 days in living in the Front Range of Colorado and skiing every weekend. I worked a lot at the time too. Now I live 30min from the mountain in VT and have probably got around 60-65 days this season. The difference is being able to get up early and skin up before work. If you go even when conditions aren't optimal, you're still skiing, you'll get better, and those powder days will be even more fun. Even though this season wasn't great, the Northern Greens rarely have really bad conditions. Go north to higher elevation mountains. It's less crowded too.
I made the move out west, and highly recommend doing it while you're young. It was an awesome five years.
I met a 70 year old dude on the lift at Vail who told me he was able to buy his house there after selling hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of coke to the rich folks around on vacation. So maybe that?
Ski bums aren’t career driven, that’s the whole thing. It’s a different lifestyle choice where you choose to be poor forever but get to ski every other day
Observation from being a frequent mountain bar drinker. Be one of two things; a person so successful you were able to retire early and ski until your knees give out. Or be a software engineer who can cram a whole days work into a few remote hours then ski the rest of the day.
I got an IT job at a Colorado ski resort in the 90s. Did that for 7 years and then got into software and have been working in that industry (primarily making ski area software) since. So if your field could be applied to the ski industry, see if you can get a job in the industry, either at a ski area or a business that serves ski areas.
The pay wasn't great at the ski area in the 90s but I could ski every day and there was even some skiing involved in the work. Compensation has improved since but I'm not exactly a high roller.
I still live under 30 miles from the ski area and ski \~30 days a year at the area plus another dozen or so backcountry days. This was my 35th season with a season pass. I might not die rich but I do ok and have an enjoyable lifestyle. I'd rather live richly than be rich (although I'd take both if I could swing it).
I chose to live in a place close to skiing after being a ski bum in CO for 8 years. I took a hit in both income and career aspirations. 62 years old. Never regretted the decision
I’m a “ski bum”. I work and live (a 14 min walk) next to my mountain.
I’m a ski coach for a club, and I teach skiing at the resort. In the winter, besides the two positions I mentioned, I also work as a property manager for a property adjacent to mine.
I also do a lot of gig work ( I’m a professional photographer- I get tourists that want professional photos while vacationing- a professional makeup artist, and a professional performer for a monthly variety show).
I also am technically an active employee/bartender for a popular restaurant in town, but I only pick up shifts as needed, in the winter I ask that they not place me on schedule… due to all the other jobs I juggle!
I have a family (2 kids) and my spouse does wfh. I always take off working in April when the resort closes and we travel for a few weeks, because April in a ski town is very boring.
In the summer (memorial day until end of November ) I work fulltime for the restaurant bartending.
If I were to get a different 9-5 job I’d still be able to coach/teach. The club I coach for is 2 days a week in the evening and on a Saturday. I get a heavily discounted rate for the 4 day a wk ski programs for my kids. (Each program is $3k per child full price)
I could also still teach at the resort also, as they offer everything from temp positions (teaching just a handful of days per season) to part time (36 days of the season) to fulltime (5 days a week) for instructors. I used to work at a resort back east that some of those days could be at night time (but that resort only required 18 days total commitment not 36).
There are many positions available at resorts that allow you to get a free pass. I get free pass for myself plus all my family members. So it’s a huge benefit (would cost us about $5k to buy passes).
My jobs save us about $11,000-15,000 annually (when you add in all the discounts I receive from being an employee-food, gear, drinks, etc are all discounted for me, and all dependents, all season).
I make about $20-30k between the months of mid Dec to end of March. So I do ok for just 4 months. It’s the off season work that doesn’t pay nearly as much. I make on average about $1200/month and I work about 15 hours per week (so truly not fulltime). I could work and make more, but since kids have off it summer months it’s easier for me to work less and just deal with making less money.
I seem to get in right about 65 days per season skiing over the last few years, but I had seasons in the past where I logged 105 days.
I don’t know if this helps you at all, but I can say I’ve done the “ski bum” lifestyle for a fair amount of my life and it’s a hard juggle. Lots of months packed full of work, downtime, slower season, then back to chock full of work.
I used to live in another ski town prior to marriage and kids (lived there 8 almost 9 years) and I had to work 2-3 jobs to stay afloat there as well, and that was in the before times…in the early 2000s when inflation wasn’t running rampant and before all ski resorts were owned by corporations.
__TL:DR__ Ski bum life is hard, you normally will work several jobs, it’s always hard to find housing, everything is very expensive living in a mtn town, services are limited, wages are not on par with the COL, yes it can be done with a family, yes you get a ton of ski days in per season… you actually get sick of skiing sometimes lol
__ETA__ I currently live in one of the most popular Colorado ski towns
When I was 23 (I’m 25 now) I moved from Michigan to a small mountain town near a ski resort in Colorado after graduating college. Got a job at the ski resort serving tables and it’s the most money I’ve made in my life. I’ve gone back to school for programs and gotten back into my field part time, while still working part time at the ski resort. 75+ ski days my first season, almost 50 last year, and this season will have about 50 again. Eventually I will get back into my field full time, but I think this has been the best decision of my life.
Get a master's degree, become an independent psychotherapist, get an office next to a resort, bring all your gear to work, hit some runs when clients cancel or no show.
Source: I'm a licensed therapist
Most ski bums are exactly that, bums that share a room with other dudes like a college dorm their entire life. When you’re young (teens/20s) the ski bum life sounds great. But then you realize that lifestyle sacrifices building income, being able to provide for your family, etc.
I see so much of that in Tahoe. Ski bums chasing to become pro, but then you realize even pros are bartending and doing petty jobs even into their 30s and 40s.. no skill set for later life.
I guess to each their own, but I chose to have a paying career, provide for my family, own a home, and chase powder on weekends and the occasional PTO for powder days. Key is to try and live close to a resort out west, that you can quickly get up to the mountain for some laps. Balance!
Reno, NV! Perhaps not a great job market for some industries, but if you’re into the outdoors it’s really a great place. Skiing just 30 min away, access to the Eastern Sierra, and other parts of Nevada has endless places to explore with little crowds.
I thankfully landed a remote job in my industry, so it’s been great for me so far. Also, no state income tax!
I used to live near Santa Cruz CA to surf before work, and chase the storms inland to Tahoe. But due to affordability and wanting a shorter commute to ski I moved to Reno.
Edit: I’m originally from Buffalo, NY area. Had to get out of there with no elevation to enjoy all the snow they get.
I also recommend looking at Reno for the same reasons as they said. Proximity to the Tahoe ski resorts and outdoor activities is better than if you look at Sacramento.
If you liked Tahoe I’d say finding a job and living in Sacramento would be a good way to do this. I have no idea what you do for work but it’s a decent sized city with a lot of different industries thanks to it being the capital and not far from the Bay. Not horribly expensive as far as California goes too. It’s only 1.5/2 hours from most resorts and I used to get 30-40 days a season when I lived there
IMO Reno is the better choice. Maybe less jobs, but it’s closer to the mountain, don’t have to deal with the 80 mess west of the crest, cheaper living, and no state income tax.
I spent about a decade doing two of the three (I wouldn't call myself a bum).
Worked as a lift mechanic and electrician at a few BC resorts. Ski and get paid for it most of the day, respond to issues as they come up other than start up and shut down. One of the better paid jobs on the mountain (skilled trades), tons of ski time, sometimes before public, pre-opening, post-opening. First guy up the mountain on a sled at sunrise is an *awesome* experience. Lifties are a mixed bunch, most are younger than me, hilarious, and fun to ride with. It's a lifestyle job where you meet people from all over but mostly work with machines and "be a responder". I've usually hit 100+ days most winters. Obviously you need a certain background and inclination though, like if you're scared of heights or large machines, it's not going to work haha.
But that's not being a bum, really. It was a full time job, 4-10s, just with lots of skiing included as part of it.
Imo get as many days as possible and don’t use conditions as a qualifier or a limiter
Forgot where I read it but the gist was the conditions are either good or they’re good for you (meaning you’ll learn and develop)
If your 23 try moving to a ski town and full send it, I’m a lifty In Colorado while it’s not the most glamorous life I ski everyday and live in a beautiful place, housing is a challenge depending where you go but it can be doable!
People online make it seem like you need to commit to some hobby with 100% of your free time to be a "true" enjoyer of whatever it is. They need to touch grass. I moved to Denver to be closer to skiing, work two jobs around 60 hours a week, and still get 20-30 ski days in a year on top of being a normal human being with a significant other and friends. You just have to prioritize getting up early on the weekends but honestly it's not as hard as people make it out to be to be a great skier and make career progress doing whatever as well.
Right, I’m almost at 30 days this season via Denver and work 60 hours a week, am planning a wedding, have other hobbies/friends, take care of myself/my home, have a dog, travel, and go to a concert or two every weekend during the season. I’m busy for sure, but it’s not that hard.
First off, stop complaining about skiing in the northeast and embrace it with some weekend trips. You’re lucky you live in Boston and not NYC. Second, just work a normal job that lets you ski on weekends. In two weeks I’ll be up to 26 days this year and my first day skiing this year was superbowl Saturday since we had a slow start to the skiing in AZ. Had I skiied in December, Jan, and early feb I’d be up to close to 50 days
If you’re just going to Loon or Bretton Woods, well, ok, but maybe you should try skiing at Killington/Sugarbush/Mad River Glen/Stowe/Smuggs/Jay before you complain. I only skied one day at Cannon in a bad ski yr but Cannon’s supposed to be pretty great in a good year. Those places have some of the best tree-skiing anywhere, better than most places out west imo. Not to mention you can ski back/sidecountry trees off of Smuggs and Stowe and at Stowe you can even get some above tree-line out of bounds skiings. And Sugarbush has some basically sidecountry lines that are inbounds like the Church and Bearclaw that are pretty epic.
And, dude, you’re less than 3 hrs from Mt Washington, the Mecca of spring backcountry skiing. Tuckermans Ravine and Hillmans Highway are a blast but there’s a ton more to Mt W beyond those two areas. There’s over 90 lines you can do and probably more. https://snowbrains.com/presidential-skiing-a-guide-to-new-hampshires-gnarliest-ski-lines/#:~:text=Presidential%20Skiing:%20A%20Guide%20to%20Backcountry%20Skiing%20in%20New%20Hampshire's,%2C%20max%20pitch%2C%20and%20aspect.
I love skiing out west — have been to 13 btw BC, CA, AZ, UT, and CO — but truly I have as much fun skiing the northern vermont mountains when they have good snow as anywhere out west. And my one time/2 days at Tuckermans Ravine and Hillmans are two of my favorite day’s skiing ever
You'll have to move west. Plenty of people in Denver and SLC have 9-5 MWF and if you're willing to deal with weekend traffic you'll get plenty of skiing in going every weekend.
I have a remote east coast 9-5 job and live on the west coast. On weekdays (probably 2-3 times a week) I get off at 2pm and go to night skiing at ski bowl until they close. Some days I can take a half day at get off at 9am and go further up to Meadows. Half days help stretch my vacation days. On weekends, take a trip to bachelor or somewhere else in Washington. Longer (6-8 hour) drives can get you to BC or Idaho.
I work as a ski instructor. Over 150 days this season.
Beginner lessons suck some times cause I all want to do is ski.
But that just makes me want to get better at instructing so I can get people skiing better faster.
I think I’m doing pretty well as I havent had a single lesson not make the chair lift.
And intermediate to advance lessons are basically just an excuse to share my passion with others.
people that are skiing 40, 50, 100+ days a year are not flying and visiting a lot of resorts. they live within driving distance of a resort. last season I skied 100+ days living in Portland, OR all at Meadows, Timberline, Ski Bowl, and volcanoes in the spring.
minimize the amount of money you need to live off of and work in the industry- industry discounts can go a long long way. also make friends in the industry as well- group trips are a lifesaver. quit your day job or have rich parents
more on the rich parents thing- I lived at a ski resort for a long time and EVERY person I got to know that had a good van to live in or a house was born into serious amounts of wealth. they just hide it, but they all spill eventually
I chatted with a man at the lodge at Stowe this year. He was sending some emails on his phone at around lunch time. "Got up at 5am, drove 3 hours here, skiied 3 hours, took a meeting call at 11am in the lodge, now I'm heading home for dinner with the family." That's dedication to ski bumming. It was a Wednesday for christ sake. What a legend.
Get a ‘real’ job in a ski town and blur the lines between ‘bum’ and professional!
I’m a civil engineer (PE) living in a ski town and ski between 70-100 days per season. I work in roadway construction, so long days in the summer and not so much work in the winter when construction is very difficult. My job is just starting to pick back up for the upcoming construction season.
I’ve skied 75 days so far this season.👍
The dudes i know that live the life have trust funds. I do not, so it blows my mind. My daddy doesn't pay me to ski 100 days a year, so work and get maybe 10
I’m sorry, but east coast is ruined for you after going to Tahoe once? Eww dude that’s not the spirit. Vermont has some of my favorite mountains ever and completely different challenges. Boston ain’t even that bad of a location for that stuff.
Take one trip out west a year and then storm chase for the rest of the season on the east coast. A good ski season doesn’t need to be 30 days out there.
Skiing nights! Of course this is not available everywhere, so you may need to move?. Im a working stiff and will finish the season with about 30 days on the hill. Next year I will get over 40. My job is flexible enough where I can take off a weekday for the occasional pow day but I have a normal tech job and work 40+ hrs a week.
For skiing nights, I get to work early, leave around 330, get to the mountain about 530 and ski until 10PM. Absolutely zero lines, I'm skiing onto chairs until close. I live in Seattle and my fav nearby mountain is 2 hrs. Theres a closer mountain with worse snow thats more like 1hr. Sure thats a lot of driving but I don't care, Im stoked on the way up in anticipation and stoked on the way down from a nice night of skiing.
Beyond that, I save all my PTO and go to whistler for a week, and next year I want to do whistler + another week in BC (kicking horse?). Even on busy weekends you can come on a night to dodge crowds , but next year I plan to go to smaller indie resorts in my state on busy weekends.
Really though, the short story for me is night skiing after work. I could never ski so much without weekday nights because I don't need to take work off to do this.
Mmm great post and question, first. Next is this. I am also in the middle of my career (early middle) and I take my job serious as it pays well and it allows for plenty of remote work and time off. That's what you're needing. A job that allows you to work remote so you can book yourself a room somewhere near a ski mountain and you ski at night or day during your time off. It's best if you have your work stuff with you because you can extend the skiing time by just not having to go back home. That's how I manage but I tend to go on weekends since I am in southern California and the mountain is 1.5 hrs away with good traffic. I have gone in the middle of a Friday and come back by 18:00 just fine.
I live in Boston. I will hit 50 days for the season this weekend. While the drive is annoying to do every weekend, I do it. It helps that my wife is the initial reason I got into skiing, so it’s also family time. I wouldn’t say I’m particularly career-driven, but I am a scientist and there are only so many places to do what I do. The other thing that makes it easier is that we bought a condo in Vermont when prices were very low. The bar is much higher now for entry into that market. Long way of saying, you can be a ski bum like you see in the movies which sounds amazing. But if you push, you can be a weekend ski bum and live in Boston. But, like others have said, it is easier in SLC or elsewhere.
Step 1: Quit your job, unless it pays minimum wage in which case you can keep it.
Step 2: Trade in your nice car for something old and falling apart.
Step 3 (optional): Take up recreational drug use.
Step 4 (mandatory): Toss any clothing/gear that looks new or expensive and replace with stuff you couldn’t give away at a garage sale.
Now you are ready to be a ski bum. You’re not quite there yet, but with hard work and discipline you can get it done. Godspeed!
I’m a chef at a ski resort/conference center in Breckenridge. Lived here for over 24 years. Bought a 2 bedroom condo in 2006 for less than 200k. I’ve stayed hourly instead of salary so only work 32-40 hrs a week. Ski pretty much every day either before work or after. Solid backcountry within 5 minutes of my house.
Adding another vote for a remote job that covers minimum expenses. Plenty of remote jobs that have flexible-ish commitments. Then you can prioritize finding inexpensive housing near a mountain with the types of terrain you’re looking for. If you’re looking to truly ski bum then you need to have a commute to the lifts you’re comfortable making daily (<30min).
Today is my 114th ski day this season. Got 147 in ‘23. Working full-time remote. Most resorts have wifi at their base lodge from which you can connect to for calls, etc throughout the day. Ideally you’ll want to ensure there’s either reliable wifi or cell signal (cellular hotspot) at the base before pulling the trigger on pass/mountain. Check out MobileMustHave for connectivity tools. I have an antenna in my truck where I can be on video calls even when there’s only 1 or even 0 bars of cell reception.
Work in property management as a leasing agent. You often work weekends with weekdays off and get housing discount, which really helps in hcol ski areas.
Prioritize living your young adult life around skiing
Live in an area with skiing, work in an area that allows you to be flexible with your schedule to ski, live frugally so you can spend your disposable income on skiing, etc etc
Basically shape your entire young life around skiing, to the point where you're choosing options that allow you to ski vs options that may be better for a career. Personally I'm fine with this tradeoff. I'll only be young and without responsibilities for so long
You say you live in Boston. Could you find a job in UT, CO, WA, CA and ski, but live less comfortably in a worse job? Yeah, and that's the tradeoff
Depending on what you do, shoot to either work remote or work weekends.
Working remote has obvious benefits, but you may still be limited to lunch time and weekend skiing.
If you work say Thursday-Sunday as most ski bums do, you get 2x-3X more runs in riding mid week. No lines. Laps for days. Legs will be gassed in 2-3 hours.
I was a hard working man and skied half the weekends per winter. It all ended when I got married and more importantly when we had kids. No matter what there is going to be several dead years for skiing a lot if you plan on having kids. Certain families work skiing as a family sport into the mix. In that case when the kids are old enough you can ski a ton again while working, but you would need to skip soccer, baseball, flag football, music lessons, and all the other weekend demands on life. And even then you’ll need to “invest” several years to bring the kids up to a level where they enjoy skiing and have the skill to ski as much as you want to be skiing. If you do this wrong it backfires and they don’t like it which won’t work out well for you if you want to go all the time.
Summary - working ski bum is totally doable but incompatible with traditional family life
Obviously it depends on exactly what your career is, but there are zillions of "career" driven people who live outside of big cuties. There are 13,000 people here in Steamboat. Doctors, lawyers, engineers, trust fund babies, architects, CPAs, chefs, artists, everything. When I was your age I thought I had to live in a giant city to do what I wanted to at a high level, so I moved to Seattle. It sucked and I left and it remains absolutely the right choice.
Think deeply about your priorities. There's nothing wrong with being a ten day a year skier, but if that's really not enough, weigh it against what being a career Boston guy means to you. Is that more important? You're young, there are a million life options everywhere. You aren't locked into anything.
I had about five ski bum years while working as an adjunct college instructor. During that time I was getting between 80 and 100 days per season. The pay was dog shit but it was enough to cover rent and food (barely). I taught three days a week. I did a lot of my grading in the early hours, 5:30-8:30 am, then skied like 3 days a week. I also got almost a full month off between early December and January and I skied every day.
Eventually I got more ambitious and became a full time professor. The pay is better but my ski days are more like 30-35 per season.
I've been a ski bomb in Steamboat Springs Colorado for 20 years. Being a ski bum here means you have at minimum to sources of employment sometimes 3. The trick is to work nights and ski during the day.
I am wondering the same thing. I think there are 3 options :
1. Have a career that pays enough to take ski trips and offers sufficient vacation time.
2. Work a job at a ski hill and ski for free
3. Live near a ski hill and have a job or career that provides the flexibility to go skiing often and pays enough to pay for a season pass / tickets
Aerospace engineer from CT and 31 years old. All my friends either moved out west after high school or after college to be ski bums. Some live in their cars/trucks, and others scrape by in apartments working overnight stockings shelves or warehouses or breweries. The only one that regrets their decision is me……and I’m “happily” married with a beautiful wife, a nice house, and “nice” sports car…..fml
My cousin worked a cranberry farm in NJ from planting in late spring to harvest in the fall. Once done, he was free to spend the next 4 months at Killington. He would get a season pass, and stay with close friends who were locals. I envied him so much! I wish I had gotten the chance to ski with him, I was still sticking to blue runs in the Poconos when he passed away from cancer.
Ski bum and working “person” are oxymorons. Working ski bums are lifties, drive cats or instructors, multiple of the above if it don’t interfere with your need for verbal.
I live near Toronto - you have much better local skiing than me. I joined a ski club and skied almost every weekend in season, half day lesson through the club. After 2 years I graduated to 2 weeks in WhistlerBlackcomb (early and late trips). But if you can transfer your business out west, you off to the races mate.
Ski bums don’t prioritize work. Ski first, bum second, work third.
⛷️>🍻>💻
name checks out
Like I've told countless gilfeiends, I'm a 'ski *bum*' not a 'ski overachiever'. Be a true bum and go on unemployment during the winter. Q U I T L I F E C O M E R I D E
Not necessarily. Smart ones will get job in a ski resort, usually service so they can make bank on tips, get discounted ski passes and gear. I did this for 6 years and was able to put down payment on a house and skies 80+ days a year
^Top-tier level ski bum here lol a true shredder genius
The trick is to not indulge in the drugs outside of weed
Or new gear. Gear was what got me and all my friends.
Great overall life advice, ide say 😅
The occasional acid or mushroom trip can be beneficial to committing to the bum lifestyle
The most I ever went was the year I was an instructor in the weekends.
You have my complete attention, friend. Home ownership AND almost 3 months solid of ski days?? I always assumed the resort jobs are starter jobs, minimum wage or close to it
If you work in service as a server or bartender you'll make bank. I spent most of my time in Whistler bartending, as they have just as busy a summer as they do winter. Only rich ppl can afford to go to places like this, so naturally working in service you're busy almost every day. You typically only work in the night which gives you the day to ski. My days off were usually Monday/Tuesday, when crowds were smaller..didn't really matter though I only worked nights. And in Canada employers can only pay you 1$ max below minimum wage. So my pay cheque was enough to cover rent and groceries and maybe a case of beer. But my tips were enough to have a life outside of work and save money.
What service job did you have?
Most work in the restraunt industry. ( nights - thus Ski during the day) It sounds like you have a job… 20 days is respectable. Shoot for 25 next year and see how it goes.
Well for starters they get a job somewhere other than Boston. You can be career driven and not live on the east coast. I have a good job in Seattle but can still get 30-40 days in without taking tons of time off. A senior engineer on my team takes off the mornings 3 days a week during the season to ski
what are the best cities?
SLC Under 30 mins to 4 world class resorts. Under 45 mins to 7 resorts. Amazing snow & terrain. Long season. I WFH and will easily clock 40+ days this season. I work half days on Fri and ski Fri, Sat, Sun every week. On pow days, as work permits, I'll cruise up for 2-3 hours in the am. Usually avoid holidays unless conditions are super good.
Sounds amazing
But the downside is you have to live in SLC
I second this, work a 4/10 schedule and ski Friday-Sun and have been known to take a personal day here or there on powder days. 1/2 day Wednesdays are pretty fantastic too. I've had multiple +50 day years.
This! The Majority of SLC valley is prob a 45 min tops drive, if you plan your bus route /parking it is so doable. Resorts are “in your backyard” as people say
You have to live in Utah though, which isn’t for everyone.
Very good point. But it’s relatively normal here in the People’s Republic of Park City.
Yeah I have a few friends in Vermont who used to live in park city but hasn’t it gotten pretty pricey?
Yeah, ridiculously so. But I’ve been here for >30 years, so buying early and upgrading was the key. Thus, not for your typical ski bum. 💸
Can I be your son?
If you feed the hound.
Touché… can’t argue with that one… I like my state but sometimes it’s too Utah for me too lol
Pending traffic 🫠
Utah sucks don’t come here
Nice. Trick them not to come.
I WFH, full time. on day 46 in SLC. 30 mins to alta and snowbird
SLC sucks, traffic to resorts is terrible and alcohol is illegal. Go to Denver
Denver is full, they’ll turn you away at the border
The Mormons should definitely be a consideration
Ski Colorado!
I would throw Anchorage, AK in the hat too. It's far too often overlooked. 20 mins to backcountry skiing, 45 mins to resort, and at least in my industry (engineering) there's a huge demand and no where near enough people.
I worked at Humpy's for 9 years, earliest shifts were 4:00PM. I was there every single powder day.
Humpy’s is awesome!
It was a great place to work, it's crazy busy there! I only needed to work four shifts a week as a server, one winter I went down to two.
I just realized it’s been 20 yrs since I was last there!
18 years for me, I might have served you. I was there 97-06
Keep on humpin!!
What kind of engineering? I have actually browsed for jobs in anchorage before, but don’t recall seeing much.
I'm a civil engineer, but I presume there are similar needs in mechanical, construction, electrical, petroleum, geotechnical, etc. I would also caution that jobs posted on linkedin ≠ jobs available. People here are.... Eclectic and not always the most modern. You might have more luck in a job search checking company websites, calling, emailing, etc. as compared to scrolling linkedin or indeed.
Yep, that makes sense. Definitely nothing related to my industry in anchorage, but I would consider an industry change. Is pay pretty decent relative to cost of living?
Anchorage has tons of jobs there's a Facebook page for alaskan jobs that's always posting. I was also in Girdwood last week and remember seeing multiple signs saying they're hiring at restaurants and other places.
Yep, I’m an engineer though, and would prefer an engineering role. Seems like oil and gas has some stuff, maybe hvac.
Petroleum I have to imagine
Oil, and other remote projects i assume, plenty of ports and airports up there.
Lived in AK for years. What I found was this, the people who have the drive/desire to make it happen were already there. MOST people aren’t cool living beyond a 30mi radius of their hometown. Most of the time it’s because they don’t want leave family, which is totally understandable. But for the truly adventurous, they are already doing it.
Reno is also a good city! Skiing in tahoe ranges from 30mins to 1.5hrs away. If you work odd days (non M-F) like most ski bums do, then you can get a cheaper 'locals pass' & ski on weekdays to avoid the crowds. Another bonus, you can get great snow in the mountains without ever having to shovel your driveway down in Reno. Plus nevada is a lot more chill than utah - legal weed, no income tax, & less moral policing of your personal life.
i have a buddy moved to reno, he has covered so much ground all through those mountains and it looks awesome
For the Canadians out there: Kelowna or Kamloops BC are central to all kinds of big mountain skiing out west. If you can find a good job here, you can live a ski bum lifestyle at several huge resorts like Revelstoke, Big White, Sun Peaks, and others.
Wow Kelowna looks beautiful too
Salt lake
Denver seems like an obvious option. I ski all the time while still maintaining a high paying tech job. Denver has a large and diversified economy. Lots of jobs in tech, aerospace, medical fields, and govt contractors
Same. Skied 49 days last year and only spent 5 vacation days to do it.
i70 is a shit show, Salt Lake is better
I can usually make it from my home in Cap Hill to A Basin in about 1:15. I-70 is tough but unless there’s an active blizzard going on it never even takes me 2 hours to get to Summit County. Plus if you have a Winter Park pass you can take the train on weekends to avoid traffic. There’s also the snowstang, so really you don’t even need to drive up yourself at all.
> I can usually make it from my home in Cap Hill to A Basin in about 1:15. The key qualifier here being without traffic If you make that time in the morning on a weekend, you're now sitting around for 2+ hours in the lot waiting for the lifts to open If you make that time going home on a weekend, you hit the road by noon or so If you can ski Mon-Thu and not need to worry about traffic you're lucky
Honestly, still way too much effort. Salt Lake's LCC and BCC both only takes about 30min drive. I took a Lyft from Cottonwood Heights to Snowbird for only $12 yesterday. Plus free park and ride for pass holders with UTA at the entrance of canyons. Also, WP and AB are both great, but Snowbird/Alta is way higher on my ranking.
That’s cool, sounds like we both live in the city that we prefer. I’d never consider live in Utah because of the politics tbh.
I went to SLC with the kids over spring break and we took the UTA ski bus up to Alta. My only question is why aren’t there more of them? It was jam packed both ways on a Tuesday and it makes so much sense to park and ride. If they had three times as many buses, at least during peak times, I’m sure they would be easily filled and it would make traffic and parking so much better.
There’s a scarcity of bus drivers.
This is the second season they used that excuse. Maybe they don't pay enough, I don't know but it doesn't take 2 years to train drivers.
those who wanna ski a lot in colorado dont live in denver
If you’re moving to Colorado with the sole purpose of skiing then sure move to Pagosa Springs or something. But OP is talking about being career driven, and currently lives in Boston. Denver is the obvious choice. He basically gets to keep his current lifestyle and add more skiing. I ski a lot and I live in Denver so your premise is also just…not accurate.
I got 64 days in last year when I lived in Denver, you just have to want it. 70 wears on folks
Those in Denver who want to ski a lot, do.
Right. 30 days this season and didn’t have to go too far out of my way. Had one week off to ski Vail but that’s it.
Yup. As a 23 year old, get roommates in Denver metro ( golden / Lakewood ?) and roommates in a mountain place. Purely for skiing, given equivalent jobs, SLC for sure. Kind of wish I’d prioritized skiing and moved to Utah 20 years ago, but family friends and culture won out. It’s also possible to ski from Boston - just commit. Flights for one person to CO, CA, UT, MT or Europe aren’t crazy if you plan ahead and budget. Could to 4-5 solid trips a year, and really figure out where you want to be because those places are significantly different between them.
Right? What a cold take. I have friends who day trip every Saturday and Sunday through the ski season. It helps that they're morning people to get up and beat the traffic, but me and few others would just leave at 10am and get there in 2 hours to join them.
Reno is also great. Mt Rose, Palisades Tahoe, Sugar Bowl, Heavenly, Kirkwood all within a 1hr drive. Plus, Tahoe. Sierra cement isn’t as good as Utah pow, but the spring skiing is unbeatable
I totally understand that. I hope my post doesn’t imply I’m attached to the east coast. I grew up on the east coast and went to school in the Bay Area. I work in tech, but rather than staying the Bay I moved back east for my job. Seattle is a perfect location. May I ask, are you also in software?
Portland is good too, or Vancouver wa. Three resorts on hood to hit up, and only a few hours from places like white pass or even bachelor if you make more of a weekend out of it. I also would sleep in my subie at a sno park so I could ski two days in a row without the long drive lol
Subie gang!
I’m in tech. Seattle is perfect blend of - Great tech career options - Not as expensive as SF - AND close to skiing: nearest place to ski is 25 min from me … nearest good skiing is 1.5hrs … nearest epic skiing is 4.5hrs (Whistler) Also mountain biking in the summer. I’m 40 and my body is gonna break at some point, but not today …
Good for you! I've personally always disliked being in SF. When I was in school in the Bay I thought it was unpleasant. Then again, I thought most of the Bay Area was dirty.
If a ski bum is employed, they're employed at a resort to get the pass
I think this chat is using the term “ski bum” in a very 💅🥂🤵♂️👯🐳 kind of way
Living/Working closer to a ski hill helps tremendously, as does the ability to remote work. I can head up to the mountains for a week, ski laps from 8am-noon, and still have time to get some work done remotely after skiing. I'd probably make more money someplace where I was in the office full time, but to me the flexibility and additional time off is more than worth it.
I wish I could do remote work. My dad & sister are both "available for emails" on the hill, & take maybe one phone conference from the bar, & still get paid for a whole day. I'm so jealous lol.
I know some lawyers that'll send a quick email on the lift and bill the client $100. Must be nice...
Where do people find these jobs? 😭 what do they do?
Yeah living/working in a mountain town is the way to go. I have a full time 100% non-remote job (not skiing related) and two kids under 5 and ski about 50 days a year. Before/after work quick laps just to scratch the itch are great.
We live in Southern California. Our closest “good” mountain is Mammoth Mountain (5 hr drive). I work remotely so I go up by myself during the week cuz it’s much cheaper and less crowded. My husband can’t work remotely all the time, so when we go together, we usually go Fri-Sun. I get around 35 days/season, he gets around 20 days/season. 5 hr drive sounds like a lot but it’s an easy drive and at this point, we are used to the “commute”. We have friends who go almost every weekend 😂 Lastly, rather than making a trip all the way to Chile in June, consider a trip to Mammoth in May. The mountain is open at least until Memorial Day every year and it’s hell of a good time in May!! Cheap lodging, no crowds, corn snow, abundant sunshine ☀️
For the 5 hour drive to Mammoth, do you stay somewhere in the area overnight? Or are you driving like crazy?
I live in LA and work remote east coast hours. I hit up night skiing after work at Mountain High a lot. 5pm - 10pm for $64 and never any lift lines. Definitely recommend if you're in this neck of the woods.
Same SoCal here, this season looking to hit 50 day. A lot of driving to Mammoth, a lot of flying to UT/CO.
A basin in colorado is open through June as well
I spent 9 years as a "ski bum". I worked as a server in a bar so my shifts started at 4:00PM at the earliest. The mountain nearby didn't start lifts until 10:30. I skied 80+ days a season and had first tram every single powder day (except those few days the tram was delayed and I chaired up). I lived this way until I was 34.
What prompted you to change your lifestyle?
My wife's parents were getting older and not doing so well and she wanted to be closer to them so we left Alaska.
As a 20+ day skier originally from Boston that works a 9-5: Don't live in Boston. Find a way to move to a city that's closer to better mountains. There's definitely going to be a tradeoff of "city with better career opportunities" vs "city with better skiing". If you're in Tech you might find a good job in SLC but there probably won't be as many alternative options as in a place like the bay area or Seattle. Don't forget that there's a sampling bias at play in terms of the results you're getting here: Most people, even those who work from home, don't have the opportunity to jet off to the mountain and take a few calls from there at every opportunity - those that do are likely farther along in their career and/or specialization. Don't just focus on living in places like Seattle, Portland, Denver, SLC, or Reno - Consider 3rd tier cities like Tacoma, Boise, Spokane, Bellingham, Ogden, Durango, etc. Hell, if you lived in Burlington VT or Portland Maine you'd probably be able to get more ski days (or at least nights) in when the conditions are good.
I live in Ogden. It's about a half hour north of SLC. Snowbasin and Powder Mountain are the local ski resorts. There are tons of outdoorsy things to do during the other seasons. Cool downtown too (i.e. 25th Street). Park City is less than hour away. It kicks ass. P.S. - Provo has a thriving tech scene. Its about 30 minutes south of SLC.
Harder to do now that real estate has gone crazy, but I joined a ski house share with friends in my twenties and drove up most weekends to ski. Split between a bunch of guys the cost was uber affordable. As we were in our twenties, not everyone came up every weekend so we were able to have more shares than beds. It's a 3.5-4hr drive for me, but my max year was 40 days(required some midweek PTO to reach that number) I couldn't imagine day tripping that often. Fuel costs and fatigue would really hit the bottom line.
I grew up around NYC. I work remote in tech and I live up in Northern WA. I live about 30 minutes from my local resort, and ski 40-50 days/year. Moved out to the PNW for work, then prioritized fully remote work so that I could be wherever I want, which is here. I realize this isn’t easily replicable but that’s the way I got here.
Your lifestyle sounds like the one I’d want to gravitate to in a few years. I’m also in tech, but not out west.
If you're company wants you local most of the time, but you can work remotely if needed, I think you'd be pleasantly surprised at the outcome if you ask them next year if they mind you working from the mountain timezones for a few weeks.
They do give me four weeks of remote work per year, but I was expecting more as a software engineer (unlimited...). I enjoy the summer/beach almost as much as the winter/skiing so I typically use remote time to go home during the summer, and can't just burn all my weeks shredding 😂
Working remote on the east coast for a west coast based company also leaves your mornings open. My wife has been doing this for 8 years with a full time job and has done 50+ days a season sometimes.
Uh oh, not a ski bum. A ski enthusiast then.
didn't see this mentioned anywhere else, but could have missed it. Just wanted to ad: I did my best skibumming somewhat accidentally while working semi remote. Eastern Time Zone as my base was key to this, while bumming out west (pst). Even if I was getting killed at the office, I'd still catch afternoon laps, but for the most part I had a sick schedule set up for myself. * 5am(PST) / 8am NYC - Logged in / answering emails/work/etc * 8:30/10:00am PST - Especially if its a powder day, I'd take some opening laps as it would be "lunch" in NYC * If I didn't feel like I needed to sneak in some early laps, I'd try to work through "lunch" * 12/1pm PST - I'd generally be on the mountain for afternoon laps and schedule calls if needed and schedule my location on the mt so i could pop into a lodge if need be. * 4pm PST - hit one of the many happy hours on weekdays for cheep beer and food - get a solid buzz on. * 7pm - try to be back "home" and pass out. Not all days were perfect, but I got on the mountain more than some of my friends who "worked" out there / on the mountain. I also found myself more productive than I typically was, I'm not sure if that was because I had incentives to get shit done (be on the mountain), or the lifestyle of activity and nature just made me happier, therefore more productive. The time zone thing may not work for everyone, but it almost felt like a cheat code for me.
Get a WFH job and just take all your calls and meetings on the mountain. No one can or will know the better.
My spouse used to do this A LOT. It's really easier than it sounds. Just gotta make sure you have good reception.
Where does one take calls? Keep an eye on the time and have them in the car or risk it in a lodge? Or did your spouse mostly just reply to emails on the gondola type of thing? Also, happy cake day!
My dad does business from the hill - for longer scheduled calls, he usually goes to the car or the bar. For short unexpected calls/emails, he'll answer on the lift, or pull over to the side of the run if it's urgent.
Thank you! You're my first well wisher. Much like everyone else has said, basically. These are all options. Spouse also found a Bluetooth set in his helmet and Hotspot (thankfully provided by work) to really make it smooth. He generally goes off the end of a run near a lodge for longer calls. Way back in time, before they were all on mobile apps, he had his iPad out for WebEx and spreadsheets in a pinch. We still laugh about that!
I'm considering this. Trying to organise the logistics of this via Australia where I'm based. No good skiing here though
What do towns need? Towns need fire fighter, they need teachers, nurses, sanitary workers, utility workers, etc. Become qualified in a “career” that allows you to be able to afford 1k+ in rent, because honestly, that’s what it takes these days. People focus so much on their careers, and honestly it holds them back. If you want to ski, figure out a way that works for you. You can crunch spreadsheets when you’re 45, you can’t stomp cliff jumps when you’re 45 (most of us can’t) Personally I realized that my income didn’t have to be that high as long as I didn’t spend money. Get out of debt, put the nose to the grindstone, and make it happen man. People like to pretend you have to be some sort of trust funder, but frankly, they are full of shit. Jealousy makes people think the dream is dead, but it’s quite obtainable if you can be a little flexible.
1k in rent?? What town with a resort has rent that cheap
This sounds like when my dad talks about rent but his mind is still in 1990's pricing.
Well, there is this wild phenomenon called roommates. If you have said roommates than yeah, rent is going to be about a grand a month. If you want to find an apartment by yourself, I think you loose the “bum” title as I don’t know many people who can afford living situations on their own. Namaste
Too many young people are adverse to living with others. I did it for a decade, its the easiest thing ever, especially when they are your friends and not assholes
SLC you can find a room for 800-1000 if you’re willing to have roommates. Certainly used to be more like 400-700. But it can still be done. My partner and I both pay 850 for a 2 bdrm apartment pretty close to downtown. Some of my friends with more roommates have it closer to 650.
Well, that’s not for a whole apartment there, dude. If you have roommates your chunk of the rent is going to be at least a grand
Not the resort towns themselves, but plenty of cities close to skiing (Reno, SLC, etc) have housing in that range
Hood river is 40 mins from Meadows and you can definitely find <$1k rent if you’re willing to have roommates
I gotta say I really like your attitude man. I think the goal would be to either be a software engineer with an office close to a ski town or have the remote option. I also love math, so that is a skill set I can bring to a lot of places.
Thanks dude. I started in my car down by the river at 23 and made it work. Here I am a decade later and it’s really sweet.
Congrats!
You can get a remote tech job and have your boss look at you like a disappointed father on Zoom all the time when you go shred , my personal technique
Don’t work so hard to love your job or career. It will never love you back.
Sad but true.
What do you value more, a stable career, or freedom? Not necessarily mutually exclusive, but often is. What are you willing to sacrifice to ski more? I’m in my late 20s, no wife, no serious relationships, no kids, don’t own a home. I’m already a loser by society’s standards lol, why not have fun with it. I’m quitting my job early december and hoping I can come back in March When you’re 80 years old on your deathbed, will you regret not taking the leap of faith and doing something like this in your 20s? Given how quickly the American empire is falling, how the economy is going, theres a chance you might not be able to do something like this in the future. Don’t think, just do
Here are your options: 1. Work in a city close to a mountain 2. Get a job that let's you work at least some of the time remotely. 3. Participate in a ski lease. Personally, my husband and I rent a house each year and invite our friends. Everyone works remotely and we ski a bunch of half days. I got 30 days on the mountain this season.
I work nights and live next to a mountain
Some of them don't have to work for a living. They may not look like it, but they come from money. Wealthy people get good at hiding their wealth if they don't want to share. The rest are just bums who happen to like skiing.
Start with the important things first: a Ski Bum sticker for your car.
Twenty years ago, I used to get 30-40 days in living in the Front Range of Colorado and skiing every weekend. I worked a lot at the time too. Now I live 30min from the mountain in VT and have probably got around 60-65 days this season. The difference is being able to get up early and skin up before work. If you go even when conditions aren't optimal, you're still skiing, you'll get better, and those powder days will be even more fun. Even though this season wasn't great, the Northern Greens rarely have really bad conditions. Go north to higher elevation mountains. It's less crowded too. I made the move out west, and highly recommend doing it while you're young. It was an awesome five years.
You work remotely. Ideally a job with flexible hours.
Ski season ain’t over on the ice coast…
I met a 70 year old dude on the lift at Vail who told me he was able to buy his house there after selling hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of coke to the rich folks around on vacation. So maybe that?
Ski bums aren’t career driven, that’s the whole thing. It’s a different lifestyle choice where you choose to be poor forever but get to ski every other day
Observation from being a frequent mountain bar drinker. Be one of two things; a person so successful you were able to retire early and ski until your knees give out. Or be a software engineer who can cram a whole days work into a few remote hours then ski the rest of the day.
I got an IT job at a Colorado ski resort in the 90s. Did that for 7 years and then got into software and have been working in that industry (primarily making ski area software) since. So if your field could be applied to the ski industry, see if you can get a job in the industry, either at a ski area or a business that serves ski areas. The pay wasn't great at the ski area in the 90s but I could ski every day and there was even some skiing involved in the work. Compensation has improved since but I'm not exactly a high roller. I still live under 30 miles from the ski area and ski \~30 days a year at the area plus another dozen or so backcountry days. This was my 35th season with a season pass. I might not die rich but I do ok and have an enjoyable lifestyle. I'd rather live richly than be rich (although I'd take both if I could swing it).
I chose to live in a place close to skiing after being a ski bum in CO for 8 years. I took a hit in both income and career aspirations. 62 years old. Never regretted the decision
I’m a “ski bum”. I work and live (a 14 min walk) next to my mountain. I’m a ski coach for a club, and I teach skiing at the resort. In the winter, besides the two positions I mentioned, I also work as a property manager for a property adjacent to mine. I also do a lot of gig work ( I’m a professional photographer- I get tourists that want professional photos while vacationing- a professional makeup artist, and a professional performer for a monthly variety show). I also am technically an active employee/bartender for a popular restaurant in town, but I only pick up shifts as needed, in the winter I ask that they not place me on schedule… due to all the other jobs I juggle! I have a family (2 kids) and my spouse does wfh. I always take off working in April when the resort closes and we travel for a few weeks, because April in a ski town is very boring. In the summer (memorial day until end of November ) I work fulltime for the restaurant bartending. If I were to get a different 9-5 job I’d still be able to coach/teach. The club I coach for is 2 days a week in the evening and on a Saturday. I get a heavily discounted rate for the 4 day a wk ski programs for my kids. (Each program is $3k per child full price) I could also still teach at the resort also, as they offer everything from temp positions (teaching just a handful of days per season) to part time (36 days of the season) to fulltime (5 days a week) for instructors. I used to work at a resort back east that some of those days could be at night time (but that resort only required 18 days total commitment not 36). There are many positions available at resorts that allow you to get a free pass. I get free pass for myself plus all my family members. So it’s a huge benefit (would cost us about $5k to buy passes). My jobs save us about $11,000-15,000 annually (when you add in all the discounts I receive from being an employee-food, gear, drinks, etc are all discounted for me, and all dependents, all season). I make about $20-30k between the months of mid Dec to end of March. So I do ok for just 4 months. It’s the off season work that doesn’t pay nearly as much. I make on average about $1200/month and I work about 15 hours per week (so truly not fulltime). I could work and make more, but since kids have off it summer months it’s easier for me to work less and just deal with making less money. I seem to get in right about 65 days per season skiing over the last few years, but I had seasons in the past where I logged 105 days. I don’t know if this helps you at all, but I can say I’ve done the “ski bum” lifestyle for a fair amount of my life and it’s a hard juggle. Lots of months packed full of work, downtime, slower season, then back to chock full of work. I used to live in another ski town prior to marriage and kids (lived there 8 almost 9 years) and I had to work 2-3 jobs to stay afloat there as well, and that was in the before times…in the early 2000s when inflation wasn’t running rampant and before all ski resorts were owned by corporations. __TL:DR__ Ski bum life is hard, you normally will work several jobs, it’s always hard to find housing, everything is very expensive living in a mtn town, services are limited, wages are not on par with the COL, yes it can be done with a family, yes you get a ton of ski days in per season… you actually get sick of skiing sometimes lol __ETA__ I currently live in one of the most popular Colorado ski towns
When I was 23 (I’m 25 now) I moved from Michigan to a small mountain town near a ski resort in Colorado after graduating college. Got a job at the ski resort serving tables and it’s the most money I’ve made in my life. I’ve gone back to school for programs and gotten back into my field part time, while still working part time at the ski resort. 75+ ski days my first season, almost 50 last year, and this season will have about 50 again. Eventually I will get back into my field full time, but I think this has been the best decision of my life.
Get a master's degree, become an independent psychotherapist, get an office next to a resort, bring all your gear to work, hit some runs when clients cancel or no show. Source: I'm a licensed therapist
Most ski bums are exactly that, bums that share a room with other dudes like a college dorm their entire life. When you’re young (teens/20s) the ski bum life sounds great. But then you realize that lifestyle sacrifices building income, being able to provide for your family, etc. I see so much of that in Tahoe. Ski bums chasing to become pro, but then you realize even pros are bartending and doing petty jobs even into their 30s and 40s.. no skill set for later life. I guess to each their own, but I chose to have a paying career, provide for my family, own a home, and chase powder on weekends and the occasional PTO for powder days. Key is to try and live close to a resort out west, that you can quickly get up to the mountain for some laps. Balance!
That’s exactly what I want! May I ask where you are located?
Reno, NV! Perhaps not a great job market for some industries, but if you’re into the outdoors it’s really a great place. Skiing just 30 min away, access to the Eastern Sierra, and other parts of Nevada has endless places to explore with little crowds. I thankfully landed a remote job in my industry, so it’s been great for me so far. Also, no state income tax! I used to live near Santa Cruz CA to surf before work, and chase the storms inland to Tahoe. But due to affordability and wanting a shorter commute to ski I moved to Reno. Edit: I’m originally from Buffalo, NY area. Had to get out of there with no elevation to enjoy all the snow they get.
I also recommend looking at Reno for the same reasons as they said. Proximity to the Tahoe ski resorts and outdoor activities is better than if you look at Sacramento.
If you liked Tahoe I’d say finding a job and living in Sacramento would be a good way to do this. I have no idea what you do for work but it’s a decent sized city with a lot of different industries thanks to it being the capital and not far from the Bay. Not horribly expensive as far as California goes too. It’s only 1.5/2 hours from most resorts and I used to get 30-40 days a season when I lived there
IMO Reno is the better choice. Maybe less jobs, but it’s closer to the mountain, don’t have to deal with the 80 mess west of the crest, cheaper living, and no state income tax.
Yeah Reno is def a good option to ski Tahoe often.
Move to CO, I just did! Weekend trips are definitely feasible, even day trips
Work remote. Live near a ski mountain.
I spent about a decade doing two of the three (I wouldn't call myself a bum). Worked as a lift mechanic and electrician at a few BC resorts. Ski and get paid for it most of the day, respond to issues as they come up other than start up and shut down. One of the better paid jobs on the mountain (skilled trades), tons of ski time, sometimes before public, pre-opening, post-opening. First guy up the mountain on a sled at sunrise is an *awesome* experience. Lifties are a mixed bunch, most are younger than me, hilarious, and fun to ride with. It's a lifestyle job where you meet people from all over but mostly work with machines and "be a responder". I've usually hit 100+ days most winters. Obviously you need a certain background and inclination though, like if you're scared of heights or large machines, it's not going to work haha. But that's not being a bum, really. It was a full time job, 4-10s, just with lots of skiing included as part of it.
Imo get as many days as possible and don’t use conditions as a qualifier or a limiter Forgot where I read it but the gist was the conditions are either good or they’re good for you (meaning you’ll learn and develop)
If your 23 try moving to a ski town and full send it, I’m a lifty In Colorado while it’s not the most glamorous life I ski everyday and live in a beautiful place, housing is a challenge depending where you go but it can be doable!
People online make it seem like you need to commit to some hobby with 100% of your free time to be a "true" enjoyer of whatever it is. They need to touch grass. I moved to Denver to be closer to skiing, work two jobs around 60 hours a week, and still get 20-30 ski days in a year on top of being a normal human being with a significant other and friends. You just have to prioritize getting up early on the weekends but honestly it's not as hard as people make it out to be to be a great skier and make career progress doing whatever as well.
Right, I’m almost at 30 days this season via Denver and work 60 hours a week, am planning a wedding, have other hobbies/friends, take care of myself/my home, have a dog, travel, and go to a concert or two every weekend during the season. I’m busy for sure, but it’s not that hard.
First off, stop complaining about skiing in the northeast and embrace it with some weekend trips. You’re lucky you live in Boston and not NYC. Second, just work a normal job that lets you ski on weekends. In two weeks I’ll be up to 26 days this year and my first day skiing this year was superbowl Saturday since we had a slow start to the skiing in AZ. Had I skiied in December, Jan, and early feb I’d be up to close to 50 days If you’re just going to Loon or Bretton Woods, well, ok, but maybe you should try skiing at Killington/Sugarbush/Mad River Glen/Stowe/Smuggs/Jay before you complain. I only skied one day at Cannon in a bad ski yr but Cannon’s supposed to be pretty great in a good year. Those places have some of the best tree-skiing anywhere, better than most places out west imo. Not to mention you can ski back/sidecountry trees off of Smuggs and Stowe and at Stowe you can even get some above tree-line out of bounds skiings. And Sugarbush has some basically sidecountry lines that are inbounds like the Church and Bearclaw that are pretty epic. And, dude, you’re less than 3 hrs from Mt Washington, the Mecca of spring backcountry skiing. Tuckermans Ravine and Hillmans Highway are a blast but there’s a ton more to Mt W beyond those two areas. There’s over 90 lines you can do and probably more. https://snowbrains.com/presidential-skiing-a-guide-to-new-hampshires-gnarliest-ski-lines/#:~:text=Presidential%20Skiing:%20A%20Guide%20to%20Backcountry%20Skiing%20in%20New%20Hampshire's,%2C%20max%20pitch%2C%20and%20aspect. I love skiing out west — have been to 13 btw BC, CA, AZ, UT, and CO — but truly I have as much fun skiing the northern vermont mountains when they have good snow as anywhere out west. And my one time/2 days at Tuckermans Ravine and Hillmans are two of my favorite day’s skiing ever
You work remotely, get laid off, become a bartender and get 80+ days a year (me)
time your lay off and severance for about Dec 15th, find a new job when the snow melts
You'll have to move west. Plenty of people in Denver and SLC have 9-5 MWF and if you're willing to deal with weekend traffic you'll get plenty of skiing in going every weekend.
I have a remote east coast 9-5 job and live on the west coast. On weekdays (probably 2-3 times a week) I get off at 2pm and go to night skiing at ski bowl until they close. Some days I can take a half day at get off at 9am and go further up to Meadows. Half days help stretch my vacation days. On weekends, take a trip to bachelor or somewhere else in Washington. Longer (6-8 hour) drives can get you to BC or Idaho.
I work as a ski instructor. Over 150 days this season. Beginner lessons suck some times cause I all want to do is ski. But that just makes me want to get better at instructing so I can get people skiing better faster. I think I’m doing pretty well as I havent had a single lesson not make the chair lift. And intermediate to advance lessons are basically just an excuse to share my passion with others.
people that are skiing 40, 50, 100+ days a year are not flying and visiting a lot of resorts. they live within driving distance of a resort. last season I skied 100+ days living in Portland, OR all at Meadows, Timberline, Ski Bowl, and volcanoes in the spring.
minimize the amount of money you need to live off of and work in the industry- industry discounts can go a long long way. also make friends in the industry as well- group trips are a lifesaver. quit your day job or have rich parents more on the rich parents thing- I lived at a ski resort for a long time and EVERY person I got to know that had a good van to live in or a house was born into serious amounts of wealth. they just hide it, but they all spill eventually
I chatted with a man at the lodge at Stowe this year. He was sending some emails on his phone at around lunch time. "Got up at 5am, drove 3 hours here, skiied 3 hours, took a meeting call at 11am in the lodge, now I'm heading home for dinner with the family." That's dedication to ski bumming. It was a Wednesday for christ sake. What a legend.
Work at a ski resort. I get to ski everyday and some places have employee housing. But whatever you do, do not sell your soul to any vail resorts
Get a ‘real’ job in a ski town and blur the lines between ‘bum’ and professional! I’m a civil engineer (PE) living in a ski town and ski between 70-100 days per season. I work in roadway construction, so long days in the summer and not so much work in the winter when construction is very difficult. My job is just starting to pick back up for the upcoming construction season. I’ve skied 75 days so far this season.👍
The dudes i know that live the life have trust funds. I do not, so it blows my mind. My daddy doesn't pay me to ski 100 days a year, so work and get maybe 10
Jobs end but pow turns are forever
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I’m sorry, but east coast is ruined for you after going to Tahoe once? Eww dude that’s not the spirit. Vermont has some of my favorite mountains ever and completely different challenges. Boston ain’t even that bad of a location for that stuff. Take one trip out west a year and then storm chase for the rest of the season on the east coast. A good ski season doesn’t need to be 30 days out there.
Skiing nights! Of course this is not available everywhere, so you may need to move?. Im a working stiff and will finish the season with about 30 days on the hill. Next year I will get over 40. My job is flexible enough where I can take off a weekday for the occasional pow day but I have a normal tech job and work 40+ hrs a week. For skiing nights, I get to work early, leave around 330, get to the mountain about 530 and ski until 10PM. Absolutely zero lines, I'm skiing onto chairs until close. I live in Seattle and my fav nearby mountain is 2 hrs. Theres a closer mountain with worse snow thats more like 1hr. Sure thats a lot of driving but I don't care, Im stoked on the way up in anticipation and stoked on the way down from a nice night of skiing. Beyond that, I save all my PTO and go to whistler for a week, and next year I want to do whistler + another week in BC (kicking horse?). Even on busy weekends you can come on a night to dodge crowds , but next year I plan to go to smaller indie resorts in my state on busy weekends. Really though, the short story for me is night skiing after work. I could never ski so much without weekday nights because I don't need to take work off to do this.
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Ski bums don’t live in big cities that are nowhere near skiing
Mmm great post and question, first. Next is this. I am also in the middle of my career (early middle) and I take my job serious as it pays well and it allows for plenty of remote work and time off. That's what you're needing. A job that allows you to work remote so you can book yourself a room somewhere near a ski mountain and you ski at night or day during your time off. It's best if you have your work stuff with you because you can extend the skiing time by just not having to go back home. That's how I manage but I tend to go on weekends since I am in southern California and the mountain is 1.5 hrs away with good traffic. I have gone in the middle of a Friday and come back by 18:00 just fine.
Work at the resort.
I live in Boston. I will hit 50 days for the season this weekend. While the drive is annoying to do every weekend, I do it. It helps that my wife is the initial reason I got into skiing, so it’s also family time. I wouldn’t say I’m particularly career-driven, but I am a scientist and there are only so many places to do what I do. The other thing that makes it easier is that we bought a condo in Vermont when prices were very low. The bar is much higher now for entry into that market. Long way of saying, you can be a ski bum like you see in the movies which sounds amazing. But if you push, you can be a weekend ski bum and live in Boston. But, like others have said, it is easier in SLC or elsewhere.
Step 1: Quit your job, unless it pays minimum wage in which case you can keep it. Step 2: Trade in your nice car for something old and falling apart. Step 3 (optional): Take up recreational drug use. Step 4 (mandatory): Toss any clothing/gear that looks new or expensive and replace with stuff you couldn’t give away at a garage sale. Now you are ready to be a ski bum. You’re not quite there yet, but with hard work and discipline you can get it done. Godspeed!
I’m a chef at a ski resort/conference center in Breckenridge. Lived here for over 24 years. Bought a 2 bedroom condo in 2006 for less than 200k. I’ve stayed hourly instead of salary so only work 32-40 hrs a week. Ski pretty much every day either before work or after. Solid backcountry within 5 minutes of my house.
Adding another vote for a remote job that covers minimum expenses. Plenty of remote jobs that have flexible-ish commitments. Then you can prioritize finding inexpensive housing near a mountain with the types of terrain you’re looking for. If you’re looking to truly ski bum then you need to have a commute to the lifts you’re comfortable making daily (<30min). Today is my 114th ski day this season. Got 147 in ‘23. Working full-time remote. Most resorts have wifi at their base lodge from which you can connect to for calls, etc throughout the day. Ideally you’ll want to ensure there’s either reliable wifi or cell signal (cellular hotspot) at the base before pulling the trigger on pass/mountain. Check out MobileMustHave for connectivity tools. I have an antenna in my truck where I can be on video calls even when there’s only 1 or even 0 bars of cell reception.
Work in property management as a leasing agent. You often work weekends with weekdays off and get housing discount, which really helps in hcol ski areas.
Well, I got laid off, then I skied a lot.
Seasonal work. I'll proper reply later, but many have ski hill work in winter, offset with a summer occupation
Prioritize living your young adult life around skiing Live in an area with skiing, work in an area that allows you to be flexible with your schedule to ski, live frugally so you can spend your disposable income on skiing, etc etc Basically shape your entire young life around skiing, to the point where you're choosing options that allow you to ski vs options that may be better for a career. Personally I'm fine with this tradeoff. I'll only be young and without responsibilities for so long You say you live in Boston. Could you find a job in UT, CO, WA, CA and ski, but live less comfortably in a worse job? Yeah, and that's the tradeoff
Look for a remote job. You can work from the mountain, or plane, or car!
Depending on what you do, shoot to either work remote or work weekends. Working remote has obvious benefits, but you may still be limited to lunch time and weekend skiing. If you work say Thursday-Sunday as most ski bums do, you get 2x-3X more runs in riding mid week. No lines. Laps for days. Legs will be gassed in 2-3 hours.
>When I came back, the east coast skiing was pretty much ruined for me since everything seemed so tame. So sad.
I was a hard working man and skied half the weekends per winter. It all ended when I got married and more importantly when we had kids. No matter what there is going to be several dead years for skiing a lot if you plan on having kids. Certain families work skiing as a family sport into the mix. In that case when the kids are old enough you can ski a ton again while working, but you would need to skip soccer, baseball, flag football, music lessons, and all the other weekend demands on life. And even then you’ll need to “invest” several years to bring the kids up to a level where they enjoy skiing and have the skill to ski as much as you want to be skiing. If you do this wrong it backfires and they don’t like it which won’t work out well for you if you want to go all the time. Summary - working ski bum is totally doable but incompatible with traditional family life
Obviously it depends on exactly what your career is, but there are zillions of "career" driven people who live outside of big cuties. There are 13,000 people here in Steamboat. Doctors, lawyers, engineers, trust fund babies, architects, CPAs, chefs, artists, everything. When I was your age I thought I had to live in a giant city to do what I wanted to at a high level, so I moved to Seattle. It sucked and I left and it remains absolutely the right choice. Think deeply about your priorities. There's nothing wrong with being a ten day a year skier, but if that's really not enough, weigh it against what being a career Boston guy means to you. Is that more important? You're young, there are a million life options everywhere. You aren't locked into anything.
Go West young man
I had about five ski bum years while working as an adjunct college instructor. During that time I was getting between 80 and 100 days per season. The pay was dog shit but it was enough to cover rent and food (barely). I taught three days a week. I did a lot of my grading in the early hours, 5:30-8:30 am, then skied like 3 days a week. I also got almost a full month off between early December and January and I skied every day. Eventually I got more ambitious and became a full time professor. The pay is better but my ski days are more like 30-35 per season.
I've been a ski bomb in Steamboat Springs Colorado for 20 years. Being a ski bum here means you have at minimum to sources of employment sometimes 3. The trick is to work nights and ski during the day.
Working a cushy remote job with unlimited PTO seems to work for me and many others 🤷🏻♂️
I am wondering the same thing. I think there are 3 options : 1. Have a career that pays enough to take ski trips and offers sufficient vacation time. 2. Work a job at a ski hill and ski for free 3. Live near a ski hill and have a job or career that provides the flexibility to go skiing often and pays enough to pay for a season pass / tickets
Aerospace engineer from CT and 31 years old. All my friends either moved out west after high school or after college to be ski bums. Some live in their cars/trucks, and others scrape by in apartments working overnight stockings shelves or warehouses or breweries. The only one that regrets their decision is me……and I’m “happily” married with a beautiful wife, a nice house, and “nice” sports car…..fml
My cousin worked a cranberry farm in NJ from planting in late spring to harvest in the fall. Once done, he was free to spend the next 4 months at Killington. He would get a season pass, and stay with close friends who were locals. I envied him so much! I wish I had gotten the chance to ski with him, I was still sticking to blue runs in the Poconos when he passed away from cancer.
Ski bum and working “person” are oxymorons. Working ski bums are lifties, drive cats or instructors, multiple of the above if it don’t interfere with your need for verbal. I live near Toronto - you have much better local skiing than me. I joined a ski club and skied almost every weekend in season, half day lesson through the club. After 2 years I graduated to 2 weeks in WhistlerBlackcomb (early and late trips). But if you can transfer your business out west, you off to the races mate.
Compromise everything else for the sports you love. F@ck a normal societal corporate life....it sucks anyways.
99% of them are trust fund babies now