Surviving the Off-Season – The Dirtbag’s Guide

Limbo is the worst. And in mountain towns, the seasons that are affectionately referred to as “spring” and “fall” in other parts of the world are nothing short of catalysts for throwing people into limbo.

If it weren't for the abundance of t-shirt shops, it would be easy to confuse Jackson in the off-season with a ghost town. Photo by Tracy Hunter.

If you’re like a lot of skids, you probably work seasonal
jobs in the summer and winter, which means that once May arrives you have a lot
of spare time, but probably not a lot of resources. Maybe you should have
thought twice about buying the whole bar a round on closing day. Now, you have
to find the yin and yang of the offseason, the balance. In mud season cash is
slack, but trips are appealing. You have plenty of free time, but the snow is
shit and the trails are too wet to ride. Here’s how to get through the offseason
without going crazy and running down your already measly bank account.

This place is better than your frigid, vacant mountain town--at least during the off-season. Photo by Bridgette Warner

This one takes a little bit of foresight, because you need
to have enough scratch to get yourself out of town, but, if you can swing it,
get on the road. Preferably somewhere warm and dry: Mexico, Moab (hey, all your
friends are probably already going), or Maui. It’s doesn’t really matter where
you go, but getting out of town will make the time pass faster, and your
feet/upper half of your face could probably use some time in the sun.

Pick up a hobby. After all, idle hands are the devil's workshop. Photo by Kasper Sorenson.

Not to sound like your mom, but since you’ve got all this
time on your hands, maybe you should do something constructive with it. May is
an excellent time to get good at something (note: Instagram is not a hobby and
neither is working on your edit). You get extra credit if your hobby is
something actually useful. Learn to play the guitar or fly fish or start a
garden. Bonus points for those last two because then you can feed yourself and
save money this summer.

Now that the tourists are gone, you can finally afford to grab a burger and drink a PBR here. Photo by Steven Karsten.

One of the best things about the off season is that all
those restaurants you can’t afford to eat at when there are tourists in town now
have low season specials just for locals. Take advantage of two-for-ones or
some other deal restaurants cook up to keep people coming in the door when the
tourists are out of town.

With nights like these, there are plenty of reasons to give thanks. Photo by Zach Dischner.

While you’re doing all that eating and drinking, consider striking up a conversation with the bartender or server. There’s a good chance they’re bored, and if they’re working now that probably means they work all year round, and, come August, that bartender buddy might remember that you entertained them when they wanted to die from lack of entertainment. That might equal free drinks.

The people who stick around between seasons are the people who are going to stick around. They’re not the just-out-of-college kids who ski for a season then leave, and they’re the people who are going to be your buddies for the long term. This is bonding season.

Don't be deceived--rather than a shot for a Toyota ad, this is one of those moments where you should get all introspective and finally make something of yourself. Photo by Zach Dischner.

Oh shit, should you actually have gone to law school?
Does your dad mean it when he says he’s proud of you? Is it weird that your
longest relationship only lasted three weeks? Do you even like ski
mountaineering, or do you just like talking to people about “objectives?” Now
is the time to ask yourself the hard questions. Because they’re probably not
going to cross your mind when you’re working back-to-back river trips every day
from June to September.

Yep--the weather's getting good so get off your ass. Photo by Richard Masoner.

I know, ugh, shut up. But it sucks to be sucking wind
when you’re frothing to get out on your bike. And it’s even worse if you get
hurt because your body can’t keep up with your early season enthusiasm. Fall
mud season is prime time for ski conditioning, and in the spring, it’s good to
get out early so you’ll be in shape for riding, climbing and paddling.

This is the key to sustainable seasonal employment:
figuring out how to make money. Things are cyclical, so you always need to be
looking slightly ahead to the next season. There are a few things you can do to
help yourself out.

Parlay your skills: Work in a shop in the winter? Those
skills are probably transferable. You’re much more hirable if you have relevant
experience, so play to your strengths.

Hit up people you know. Connections are how you get jobs,
so start chatting up long time locals, and people who have the kinds of jobs
you want. Hopefully, they’ll put in a good word.

If you want to do something different, get on it early:
If you, say, want to be a raft guide this summer, you’re going to need to plan
ahead. Don’t wait until now to start figuring it out. Oh, wait, sorry.