Living The Dream- Relocating to A Ski Town

[SirHeady]

I lived in Steamboat during the 500 inch season of 2007-2008 during a "sabbatical" from College.

It was the best year of my life- I now work for a start up E-Commerce Company as an Account Executive-Pretty standard first job out of school- but I have come to the realization that office life is not for me. I realized I need to use my self-determination to forge ahead and create a new reality for myself living in a ski town.

This is what I'm thinking- I would like y'alls feedback.

1. Get certified as an instructor and build up a fairly affluent clientele at a resort like Steamboat, Deer Valley (ugh), or a place like that. Use my connections back home (Atlanta) and through instructing to help propel a side job in real estate specializing in whichever ski town I am in.


2. Get a SBA loan and start a BBQ restaurant in Park City or Steamboat- There is no good, authentic Southern BBQ in the area and I think I can fill a niche in the market.

Anyone have any insight into the economics of a ski-town restaurant??

3. Attend CMC, take all the classes I can in Ski Area Operation, Ski Business, and Back Country guiding and hope to get some kind of professional job in the industry.

[BigDaddy]

Trial pic

Attachment 135323

[snapt]

professional job in the industry.

lol, best of luck to you. "professional" jobs in the outdoor industry that are salaried with bene's will have you spending more time at a desk than you thought possible.

[MakersTeleMark]

Double Z BBQ in Steamboat kicks ass.

[schuss]

If your restaurant is going to be successful, you'll have to work 60+ hour weeks and skiing is likely off the table.

If you want to ski, you need something that will only require nights, so basically just bartender/server type stuff.

[grskier]

If your restaurant is going to be successful, you'll have to work 60+ hour weeks and skiing is likely off the table.

If you want to ski, you need something that will only require nights, so basically just bartender/server type stuff.

Not true...

If you want to ski 100+ days per year yes, but you can still ski a ton without doing the night job thing.

I am an engineer, and before my daughter was born and I 'settled down' I was skiing 70+ days a year. Some of those days were heading out between meetings for my "lunch" break and only getting two bucket laps in on Ajax, but I was still getting out as much as possible.

Move to a ski town and get whatever job you can get, follow your ambitions from there.

[Chugach001]

I live in a ski town and my recommendation is that you take the long view. Ski towns are fun in your 20's but they are (mine) also great places to be married and raise kids and grow old. If you move to a ski town in your 20's, 95% odds are that you'll either leave when it's kid time or be stuck with low paying work for the next 30-40 years. Figure 5% actually pull off a good career long term in a small town that is over-supplied with smart people.

OR, spend the next 5 - 10 years developing a knowledge career that's transferable. I have friends and neighbors who ski plenty and are raising kids who are amazing skiers. They pull it off with jobs like; programmer, engineer, sales, consulting, trading, etc. Figure that one out and you can spend your life in a ski town.

[JayPowHound]

If you want to actually ski AND make reasonable $$ you might as well forget the instructing thing... not at all worth it imo

[BDKeg]

OR, spend the next 5 - 10 years developing a knowledge career that's transferable. I have friends and neighbors who ski plenty and are raising kids who are amazing skiers. They pull it off with jobs like; programmer, engineer, sales, consulting, trading, etc. Figure that one out and you can spend your life in a ski town.

this, a work at home job with flexible hours is crucial

[MixedLoad]

Disregard.

[bklyn]

Forget options 1,2&3 if you want to be out skiing when, where and how you like. If you are a masochist with an inheritance option 1 may work but the glory days of that profession are over. Plus, people that have been doing it for 20-30+ years have all those rich older clients on lock. You will only like it if you are a teacher by nature and your personal skiing/riding is second to that. Pro patrol skis/rides more but they require more skills (on snow and medical) and physical fitness.

Option 2 if you enjoy stress, long term debt and/or bankruptcy.

Look into a summer gig that pays enough for you to be free and clear all winter:
BBQ food truck if that interests you
Woodland fire
Water - river guiding, fishing, sailing crew
Ski town real estate is played out and also dominated by well established people, but you may do well in surrounding markets slc, den, sac and work mostly spring and summer.


Go into nursing or other work with 3/4 or nighttime shifts. My nursing friends (male and female) seem to ski the most out of all with traditional careers and don't have the stress of running a practice like the doctors do. Bartenders and food service ( everywhere except UT) get great tips and good schedules. Airlines, if you want to ski/travel.

Careers that give you time to ski/ work from 'home' and actually make money take a long time to cultivate and you'll miss many powder days between now and then. Most of those guys are on the phone, indoors on laptops, or with bodies ruined by too many years behind a desk to ski or ride bell to bell anyway.

If you have some coin and are handy your best real estate play will probably be to buy a 3/4 bedroom fixer upper house in a good location but not prime within 30 minute drive to the ski area. Be very flexible and friendly to ski bums/ seasonal employees looking for short term arrangements.

Do not work for the resorts if you are not willing/able to conform to their rules and internal culture.

[bwayne]

Reading these threads always make me depressed. I've been trying to figure out how to live a ski town without going into extreme debt for awhile

[DictatorShooter]

Stay with your existing "E-Commerce Company" and move into a position you can perform remotely. It's possible to ski 100+ days per year, and still work pretty much all of those same days, as long as you only ski a few hours/day and are willing to work early and late....and have the type of job that allows for that.

[alpinevibes]

Stay with your existing "E-Commerce Company" and move into a position you can perform remotely. It's possible to ski 100+ days per year, and still work pretty much all of those same days, as long as you only ski a few hours/day and are willing to work early and late....and have the type of job that allows for that.

This is ideal, and doable, especially with an "in" already. I know friends in Aspen who have leveraged office jobs of similar substance into work from home gigs.

Reading these threads always make me depressed. I've been trying to figure out how to live a ski town without going into extreme debt for awhile

Extreme debt? I think it depends on what your work and lifestyle expectations are. Only the few people who are lucky or trustfunded or retired can party+ski+travel constantly and work little or none at all. If you're not one of those, you need to pick what matters and focus on that.

There is plenty of work in ski towns to make money; it might not be ideal jobs, but you will survive if you want to. Depending on your choices, you will be able to either ski/hike/bike or party depending on your desire and schedule. The challenge is committing to your dream, accepting the difficulties and constraints, and seeing it through.

[XXX-er]

No one has brought up "marrying well"

I know multiple cases of male & female who have "attracted" a good standard of living by marrying doctors, rpfs, nurses, engineers, CA's, teachers

There are also auzzies and americans (carpathian is a prime example) who have married into universal HC, great UIC benifts all in a country where the dope grows freerange on the side of highways

its all good ...as long as you don't mind having to put out eh?

[iscariot]

...a country where the dope grows freerange on the side of highways

Awesome.


Reminds me of Dumb and Dumber: "Assspen. Where the beer flows like wine."

[alev]

If you do go with the ski instructing route, make sure you chat people up. Parents of kids you teach probably have money if they are taking a vacation to Steamboat (not always true, but in some cases, definitely). Parents love talking about themselves, and since you have nothing impressive to share (yet), ask questions, make some contacts, and impress some people to start building a base of contacts.

[Benny Profane]

Not true...

If you want to ski 100+ days per year yes, but you can still ski a ton without doing the night job thing.

I am an engineer, and before my daughter was born and I 'settled down' I was skiing 70+ days a year. Some of those days were heading out between meetings for my "lunch" break and only getting two bucket laps in on Ajax, but I was still getting out as much as possible.

Move to a ski town and get whatever job you can get, follow your ambitions from there.

Well, he's right about opening up a restaurant. That is serious work. Doesn't leave a lot of time or energy to ski, in the start up stage.

[jamesp]

There are also auzzies and americans (carpathian is a prime example) who have married into universal HC, great UIC benifts all in a country where the dope grows freerange on the side of highways

Australia also has free health care & better unemployment benefits than the great white north. Otherwise yeah, healthcare jobs pay better than most in small mtn towns & there always seem to be jobs esp for nurses. Nurses & teachers usually get paid pretty well (thanks to their unions).

[XXX-er]

but probably not so much skiing down under ... which is the point of the whole thread

I know young nurses up here who got jobs right out of school after their last practicum at the local hospitol, young teachers have it good also they can usually sub full time and get contracts pretty quick cuz all the boomers are retiring

they all complain there are no men ... in a ski town


edit : and of course the dope grows free range on the side of the highways

[Two06]

Decent employment in a ski town is difficult. I'd recommend hustling your ass off for the next few years and banking a bunch of cash so you can take the winter off. Start growing weed or something.