So You Wanna Be A Ski Bum?! 10 Things You Need To Know.

[montanamike]

there's a lot of 'guidelines', but really, you just need to quit the normal sucky job, move somewhere you can ski, and do that every day. when the snow goes away, go to work. if you have to plan more than that, then you aren't going to be a 'ski bum'

[Slaag Master]

I'm pretty sure skiing was fun before rocker, sidecut, fat skis, and modern boots existed.

Alf Engen back in the day


Stud Alf and the girls at sun valley



you know it!

[ill-advised strategy]

Let me guess. You just finished school and are deciding what to do next.

[45hill]

Shred an ACL or snap your back and you'll find yourself unable to bus tables while facing $15,000 in additional debt.

My ACL cost $49,875. Ski town hospitals are not cheap but they do have good Orthopedic surgeons.

[adam]

Alf Engen back in the day


Stud Alf and the girls at sun valley



you know it!

Looks like it was awful!

[Benny Profane]

My ACL cost $49,875.

Cost you a lot more than that, which you know too well.

How'd you pay for it?

[beaterdit]

I got one fro about that, the other for about half that, same doc. Maybe I got a repeat customer discount?

[nicolaib211v]

My ACL cost $49,875. Ski town hospitals are not cheap but they do have good Orthopedic surgeons.

Watch out for that diagnosis though.

I blew my knee in Canada a couple years ago in Kimberly (I was in Fernie, I just took a day trip. Kimberly sucks). Went to the clinic in Kimberly and the doc told me that he didn't know what he was doing so he was going to send me to Cranbrook. Okay. Get to Cranbrook, sat in the emergency room for SEVEN HOURS. Finally lied about my pain to get me in. Doc took one look at me, asked me 2 questions, gave me pain meds and told me to come back tomorrow for a grand total of 14 seconds of Doc time.

Came back the next day, 6 more hours of waiting, and a different doctor looked me over, told me I had blown my MCL, gave me a brace and told me to leave it on for 8 weeks and come back. Season over.

Went back 8 weeks later, took off the brace, good to go the doc says. When you get back to the states, he says, go have someone take a look at it to make sure it's healing properly.

Back in the states I had a doctor look at it 2 months later. He moved my leg around twice, told me I blew my ACL, too, and that I needed surgery ASAP. MRI confirmed it. Probably should have gotten an MRI in the first place, but in Canada it'd been a 4 month wait to get one.

tl;dr - A doctor in a ski town missed the fact that I blew my ACL. Added 6 months recovery time.

[Loinlover]

Two words.

Massage Therapist

Every ski-town is chock full of spas at resorts. You get tips + more than minimum wage. Sure it takes less time to get in to the air force than it does to take the classes to become a massage therapist.

Or take the time to become your own boss, get a LLC. Rent an office to work out of and live out of it. Write off everything as a business expense that you ethically can write off (the place you live out of, cell phone, etc). Make your own hours, and in the summer time say fuck it, no where to huck it, and relocate to a beach town.

I am just saying. I know a girl who worked at a Waldorf Astoria snazz ass resort, and she was always sitting comfortable financially, and she was getting 2 days off a week at least to ski.


Its not a core job where you get to sit and bus tables all fucking day, but it'll pay more, and you'll get to rub down a few hotties.

Just ask yourself as a man, do you want to pay $100 an hour to be rubbed by another man? I didn't think so....most of your clients would be females I would like to hope.....

[GPendleton]

Good advice if you are trying to do multiple years. Poor advice if you are trying to do a season - its too hard to get all the training done. It takes many months and thousands of dollars. My sister has hers - not a cake walk.

[45hill]

Cost you a lot more than that, which you know too well.

How'd you pay for it?

My wife is a teacher in Mammoth and we have great insurance. I didn't pay a dime.

Disability checks suck when you're a bartender. It's nice to be working full time this summer.

[Slaag Master]

...and when you do stumble upon a few bucks remember the old cowboy movies - stock up on dry beans, rice, spaghetti, canned tuna, soap, listerine, and ptex.

[Skidog]

Probably should have gotten an MRI in the first place, but in Canada it'd been a 4 month wait to get one.

Ahhh govt managed health care at its best..

Get ready Americans...this is what we have to look forward to....Thanks Mr President.

[Slaag Master]

...and duct tape

[45hill]

.....and condoms. Ski towns have very high STD rates.

[Lone Star]

typical question posed to graveyard shift manager at a fun snowy 'pro-bro' ski area in the west by hotel guests and pro-bros alike: "dude, i couldnt work your job.. how could i get to party with anybody?"

if you want to ski, you can find a decent job with great ski hours. if you want to party, quit bitching about not getting to ski enough.

[Slaag Master]

when i am a ski bum as opposed to a working man i buy everything except underwear at di.

[DoWork]

Seriously? Like what? You're in big fucking trouble if you're learning life lessons from TGR.

Hey, you've got some poop on your lip...

[pfluffenmeister]

...and duct tape

.....and condoms. Ski towns have very high STD rates.

... and duct tape condoms.

[BakerBoy]

Hey, you've got some poop on your lip...

As much as it might disappoint, I can verify its not from kissing your ass.

[astralboy15]

^ ryland bell - work hard to play hard; it actually works - he manages to pull it off nicely.



a friend of mine in a dentist and can and does ski 90+ days a year. work for yourself, ski as much as you'd like.

[skifishbum]

SLC sucks, Utah sucks, throw out all the mormons and i'd move to SLC tomorrow.

Horray for mormons otherwise the collins line up would be into the gmd lot and demand would surely lead to weed $$$$$ increases.
Decent article I'd add your never to old and what he lurker dude said working @ a resorts cool, meet a lot of good peeps and other perks don't abuse the barter system. Don't treat people as tourons.

and for the two words jong

mine
Marry Well

[Freuchen Icepick]

Good writing for sure, but mang sort of a grim perspective. Apart from being verbose, pessimistic and omniscient, well, I say bravo!

[bennettc14]

So what's wrong with working a good paying job in the NE and taking off work to ski the storms? Am I and my mountains not core enough? Do ski bums decide whats core? I enjoyed the post, I myself am friends with a bunch of post-grad JHMR "locals," they can have it.

[grskier]

Two words.

Massage Therapist

Every ski-town is chock full of spas at resorts. You get tips + more than minimum wage. Sure it takes less time to get in to the air force than it does to take the classes to become a massage therapist.

Or take the time to become your own boss, get a LLC. Rent an office to work out of and live out of it. Write off everything as a business expense that you ethically can write off (the place you live out of, cell phone, etc). Make your own hours, and in the summer time say fuck it, no where to huck it, and relocate to a beach town.

I am just saying. I know a girl who worked at a Waldorf Astoria snazz ass resort, and she was always sitting comfortable financially, and she was getting 2 days off a week at least to ski.


Its not a core job where you get to sit and bus tables all fucking day, but it'll pay more, and you'll get to rub down a few hotties.

Just ask yourself as a man, do you want to pay $100 an hour to be rubbed by another man? I didn't think so....most of your clients would be females I would like to hope.....

every ski town has a bunch of these people out of work...

I get at least 2 days off a week to ski and I am an engineer...

And you think rent for a place is just something you can just pony up... rent in ski towns is ridiculous...