Sustainable hoboism

**Gorillo** · 10-16-2003, 11:39 PM

This is a question for the community. A question of great importance and who's answer has potentially great repercussions.

How can one sustain a ski hobo existance ?

A few (serious )options I've considered :

Mixing pleasure and work:

- Guiding career : work up to the ACMG, missing a few glacier tours. Was shut down this year around, seems they don't recognise touring in Chile...
- Running a Ski Shop : some options are floating around
- Running a ski touring operation : got a sweet business plan in hand ( a whole years work) involves ACMG also.

But as a good friend mentionned when you mix both together you sort of loose the pleasure side of it all. Any imput on that would be appreciated from you industry professionnals out there.

Making lots of coin fast and taking the rest of the year of just spending

- Treeplanting (hard but heathy)
- Drug traffiking ( illegal with the potential of missing a season)
- ???what else is there

Must also work way to reduce those expenses during the year

Gear:
- Either work in a ski shop or have great connections in the industry ( I hate mooching but you got to do what you got to do)
- ?suggestions?

Travelling:
- Work for a travel agency or airline
- How does the freelance reporting work ?

how have you out there found that balance. What works for you and what doesn't. ?

**FreakofSnow** · 10-16-2003, 11:54 PM

My answer: Forest firefighter

Making lots of coin fast and taking the rest of the year of just spending
>>> work for 6 months, save it all, don't spend much at all because you are working the whole time =$$$=

**Beaver** · 10-17-2003, 12:07 AM

Night/afternoon janitor at the hill. You still get your mornings to ski and you are finished early enough to go to the bar. Most ski hill employees get gear discounts around town.

Cat driver, you are comming off shift in the morning. Catch a few hours of the best pow then go home to sleep until your next shift.

Bartender

Don't be a liftee unless you can do it max 2 days/week. You will go crazy watching all the happy people comming down covered in pow.

**splat** · 10-17-2003, 12:22 AM

Funny you mentioned working the airlines. Someone recently told me you can pull two days a week as a stew and have free flights virtually anywhere. Work with all those women, fly to pow, eat airline food. Reminds me of a buddy who was a semi-washed up pilot in his 30's due to his drinking - used to jump seat somewhere and back if he was broke, just so he could get the meals and hope to bed a stew.

**Mulletizer** · 10-17-2003, 03:50 AM

I've thought about this a lot. This idea minimises work. First, to make this existence really sustainable I reckon you need to own a house to avoid rent, freeing your future from working more. That can be pricy but building your own ain't. A really cheap way of doing this is with straw bales (don't mock this - it's for real, search google), you can do it yourself and it's ultra-warm in winter. your heating bills will be minute.

Second, buy a really big, economical chest freezer. Start digging the land, grow a shedfull of vegetables, eat cheap, freeze loads for winter. This is cheap, rewarding. Buy a load of meat wholesale from a restaurant supplier and freeze it too. This costs about one quarter the supermarket cost over here.

Ski lots, don't work too much more than you need to buy insurance, extra food, pass (or skins). Think carefully about whether you need a car.

OK, that's a pretty extreme level of bumism but you can take what you want from my ideas. Location requires some careful thought. I'll be experimenting with this sometime in the next few years.

M

Edit: I an idjit.

**acostiga** · 10-17-2003, 06:31 AM

find a sugar momma and marry her.

**iceman** · 10-17-2003, 07:23 AM

Start a landscaping business. Smoke dope, listen to tunes, cut grass, ski all winter.

**dude_le_skibum** · 10-17-2003, 07:28 AM

but then again, summer is almost better then winter to ski, you need at least 4 months off. 2 in summer 2 in winter minimum the best would be 3 and 3.

**Benny Profane** · 10-17-2003, 07:28 AM

I'd like to hear from the present and former bartenders. I've been offered to be "trained" by a buddy at his place in my spare time, and I see It as the most viable way to make some money in the mountains.

**iceman** · 10-17-2003, 07:40 AM

Benny, it depends on your personality. If you are able to be around large quantities of booze and people drinking (and offering to buy you drinks) without turning into a lush, go for it. I tended bar in school and for about four years afterwards. I barely escaped with my life. I definitely couldn't go back. But that's me.

**Benny Profane** · 10-17-2003, 07:47 AM

Yeah, I've heard it's dangerous, but I'm a mature old man, so I'm pretty sure I can control that part.

I'm only in it for the money and women.

**iceman** · 10-17-2003, 07:55 AM

It's seductive, man. You get off work late, with a wad of cash in your pocket. You're all amped up from hustling all night, it's two o'clock in the morning and the only other people around are bartenders and waiters, most of whom are lushes. It's real easy to go to bed at dawn and wake up at two o'clock in the afternoon with a horrendous hangover and no money left. It's not like that for everyone, but it was for me.

Be careful is all I'm saying. It's a good gig if you can handle it.

**mildbill.** · 10-17-2003, 08:33 AM

Originally posted by iceman
It's seductive, man. You get off work late, with a wad of cash in your pocket. You're all amped up from hustling all night, it's two o'clock in the morning and the only other people around are bartenders and waiters, most of whom are lushes. It's real easy to go to bed at dawn and wake up at two o'clock in the afternoon with a horrendous hangover and no money left. It's not like that for everyone, but it was for me.

and i'm sitting at this desk WHY?

**Tical** · 10-17-2003, 08:48 AM

Originally posted by mildbill.
and i'm sitting at this desk WHY?

LoL..

**The Reverend Floater** · 10-17-2003, 09:31 AM

Phil,

Check your email...

**truth** · 10-17-2003, 09:58 AM

Originally posted by mildbill.
and i'm sitting at this desk WHY?

Because living the vampire life will kill you. Been there done that...it's not a sustainable long term plan.

**splat** · 10-17-2003, 09:58 AM

Originally posted by iceman
It's seductive, man. You get off work late, with a wad of cash in your pocket. You're all amped up from hustling all night, it's two o'clock in the morning and the only other people around are bartenders and waiters, most of whom are lushes. It's real easy to go to bed at dawn and wake up at two o'clock in the afternoon with a horrendous hangover and no money left. It's not like that for everyone, but it was for me.

Be careful is all I'm saying. It's a good gig if you can handle it.

You're quite right, ice. As a virtual non-drinker, I did pretty good bartending at the Battered Beaver. Over $200/day in tips. And I really had fun. But my whacky gf who owned the place had an issue with trusting people and would never hire a relief for me, so day after freakin day I watched my friends come in, boot up and come back covered in white. That bothered me so much I got drunk a few times on shift, but still had fun and absolutely no mercy for gaper assholes. If I could have worked the night shift or only three days a week, it would have been nice. Eventually I walked and got on a plane to Cham so I could get some fuckin skiin in.

**char** · 10-17-2003, 10:15 AM

Originally posted by FreakofSnow
My answer: Forest firefighter

Making lots of coin fast and taking the rest of the year of just spending
>>> work for 6 months, save it all, don't spend much at all because you are working the whole time =$$$=

I've got to agree. If you get on a shot crew you can make some serious money. Don't expect to see any of your freinds or family for that 4 months though.

**The Reverend Floater** · 10-17-2003, 10:17 AM

My roommate works at a pretty popular watering hole here and makes between $200-$450 a night.

**trainnvain** · 10-17-2003, 10:21 AM

Originally posted by Benny Profane
I'd like to hear from the present and former bartenders. I've been offered to be "trained" by a buddy at his place in my spare time, and I see It as the most viable way to make some money in the mountains.

That's all I've done for the past 8 years. Money is always enough to live on (live in a tourist area though, so I have to be careful with money management.), I've always got my morning into mid-afternoon free, Beer bartering will get you tunes, shop deals, etc.
You get to know lifties, very important. You don't even have to barter with marketing people, you just say things like "Well just give us promo/comp tickets to give to tourists that haven't tried your place." So they give ya some, giving shit away is all I ever see those people doing (I would too if my job duration average was 24 months). Women, yes. Waitresses, no (easy trap, the veteran one will tag ya and everytime a fresh young new one comes along, she'll be right there to tell them they shouldn't If you've pissed the vet off). Cougars, I have my 5th amendmant rights.
Yes, like IM said I've had many o' night followed by a 2 in the afternoon raging hangover and the reminder of eating convenience store micro food drunk out of my mind at 4 am in the morning and other such things. But that's why they have the slow season.
Bottom line is:

days on the hill last year: 70something
money spent on pass:199
money spent on other tix (excluding big vaca):200 range
skis: bro deal (for the cost of a promo case and a coupla meals)
Vacation time: 4 weeks off (usually 2 different places)
Not having to ski on a Saturday in years: priceless

**ak_powder_monkey** · 10-17-2003, 01:59 PM

live in a tent, kill animals and pick berries for foodfake your own death so you don't have to pay taxes, get just enough money to buy your gear and passes

**Gorillo** · 10-17-2003, 02:16 PM

Food for thought ! Thanks

Bartending ain't for me last time they let me do that I made 100$ and opened the bar. I just like seeing drunk happy people. Making people pay for shit is not my thing. That why I'm having a hard time in retail... can never make the person pay full price, I feel bad about it everytime.

Right now what I'm planting trees in the spring and that can bring between 250$ & 450$ a day. Do that for two months. That finances Chile for the summer. I'll look into fires crews but I heard they paid a little less than planting. Anybody have hook ups ? But I ain't digging trenches... I'll smoke jump or rap-attack or initial attack but not gonna be ground crew. I think I prefer planting.

Then fall ski shop work but that don't finance shit but new gear...

Ah the wonders of life, we'll see what it brings... ! Maybe we all go skiing in my touring lodge Chile someday ! I might keep travelling and see what the world has to offer for a while. Like hooty said : " oooh let here be....!"

Who's up for Iran ?

Ross thanks for the mail...maybe...in Iran we test it out !

**joshbu** · 10-17-2003, 02:58 PM

- Fishing crew. Probably equally dangerous as fire fighting. Just different.

- Union construction. Work lots of OT in the summer.

- Contract Internet work : sheet. I'd love to hook that up myself, if I knew how to get started.

As near as I can tell, once you have a house/dwelling paid for, you have LOTS more options. So, buying a joint is my near term goal.

**Benny Profane** · 10-17-2003, 03:15 PM

Originally posted by trainnvain
That's all I've done for the past 8 years. Money is always enough to live on (live in a tourist area though, so I have to be careful with money management.), I've always got my morning into mid-afternoon free, Beer bartering will get you tunes, shop deals, etc.
You get to know lifties, very important. You don't even have to barter with marketing people, you just say things like "Well just give us promo/comp tickets to give to tourists that haven't tried your place." So they give ya some, giving shit away is all I ever see those people doing (I would too if my job duration average was 24 months). Women, yes. Waitresses, no (easy trap, the veteran one will tag ya and everytime a fresh young new one comes along, she'll be right there to tell them they shouldn't If you've pissed the vet off). Cougars, I have my 5th amendmant rights.
Yes, like IM said I've had many o' night followed by a 2 in the afternoon raging hangover and the reminder of eating convenience store micro food drunk out of my mind at 4 am in the morning and other such things. But that's why they have the slow season.
Bottom line is:

days on the hill last year: 70something
money spent on pass:199
money spent on other tix (excluding big vaca):200 range
skis: bro deal (for the cost of a promo case and a coupla meals)
Vacation time: 4 weeks off (usually 2 different places)
Not having to ski on a Saturday in years: priceless

Priceless advice. Thanx. May I ask where you work? (at least a state)