well, i tried the real world...

[Two06]

I work seasonally. Stockpile cash all summer and then freedom for 6 months. I usually travel in the Fall and ski bum at Whistler all winter. I'm lucky because I've built my house painting business to the point where I don't work demanding hours so my summers are pretty fun too.

I often struggle with the balance between my athletic, financial, and spiritual goals. I've decided that for the next 10 years (I'm 25) I'm content to be successful enough to fund my skiing and travelling. I only have so many years of physical prime, and I intend to make the most of them.

[neck beard]

For me a big thing is not really just the frequency that I ski, but the fact that I sleep and wake in a ski and mountain snow environment every single day from seeing the very first flake hit the ground, to the last patch of slush melt. If I lived 60 minutes drive away and had a normal job and skied 40 days of weekends a season, I'd be disconnected from the mountains, just a visitor. They could be the best 40 days of the season, and I could earn a normal income or more, but I would still be disconnected. I don't like the thought of that.

If yer can't be happy in a ski town skiing often, especially if you have a bigger objective than to just slide on snow, then it is a reflection of yourself, not the ski town. There is a time for everything in life, and if it doesn't work for you now, maybe it will work when you change a little in the future.

[rideit]

And bonus, if you are a few minutes away from great skiing, you are a few minutes away from great Mt. biking. Lots of hotties on the trails, too.

[Slaag Master]

p.s. i just said all that stuff cause my back east GF was sittin' in. gotta go - dentist appt first thing then off to my asset planner!!!!!!

[Benny Profane]

It all depends on finding a good gig. Fighting fire, as mentioned above, worked out well for me. Still, I had to sacrifice summers to that, and put in some serious office time office time to make it pay off in the long run. I wonder about some of the 60-something's I know that are still scrabbling to get by, but maybe that's just my smug kicking in. it's nice having a nest egg.

Yes it is.

[meatspicy]

wow. this thread really blew up. i didnt think anyone was even going to read it

im gonna go back and try to get a more legit job this time. i dont mind if i have to work a lot of hours out there, i just need to be "in it" again. part of the reason i left the first time around was cause i was tired of fondling strangers feet for a living. the other reason i left was for a girl (stupid). but whenever i go back and visit, all my buddies fuckin kill me on the bootpack and i cant ski half as well as i could when i lived there.

i still havent broken the news to my current employer but ive made my decision already. just gotta lock down a place, a job, and get my mug back at the 'winder

[Rossymcg]

i live in england so the nearest mountains to me are scotland 6hrs away (snow very sketchy), the alps 12hrs drive or 1.5hrs on a bird, i've got a house, a good life, im a self emplyed chippy and earn good money, this coming ski season i'm sking in france 15 days, then sneak another week in italy and weekend in poland, that will be some 25ish days skiing, it will leave me gagging for more but then summer comes and i'll be going diving in eygipt and a road trip through europe plus other weekends away,
the ski everyday life seems so good and i watch videos of folk shredding it free as birds,
and i'd be lying if id say i dont think about it everyday, jacking the lot in and moving to a ski village, but im unsure if mylife would be better, yes ski more but thats all id have is skiing

[concretejungle]

and on and on and on....


Jesus H motherfucker, can't even joke around in this place anymore before everybodys nutsack gets all twisted up. Fuck off all of you and your fucking circle jerk about how much cooler you are. Sorry I tried to be funny, I didn't know I was taken so seriously around here.

Meat Spicy hit me up if you're ever up this way and want to shred the pow or harvest the poon, as has been said, there are some classy ladies up here. Last time I checked the "Real World" was a stupid fucking show on MTV about the biggest douchebags on earth.

You forgot about the Jackson "corer than thou" attitude. It's the mecca the woman are endless, it never rains and fucks up their snowpack, it's always a bluebird pow day, etc. That said I can't wait to road trip down there this winter.

OP, good for you. Do what you want and live your life either way you don't have to justify yourself here. There are plenty of people who are happy to work a less stimulating job and ski a bunch and for some that doesn't work and they need to be doing something they love. For us we just packed up the family and moved to a town closer to skiing and the wife has a good job and I got a job doing something that pays the bills and gives me great days off with room to grow in the company. It was weird to explain to our non-skiing friends that we pretty much were moving for access to skiing and a smaller town to raise our daughter because we lived in a pretty sweet place with great friends but it's been a blast and I can't wait until the snow flies.

Congrats and best of luck.

[Harry Tuttle]

I'm fucking psychic.

I was going to ask how you did that.

[MTNow]

A big time JONG here, but I would like to relay what has worked for me in terms of obtaining a good work life (ski) balance.

If you can get a job in the mining industry, it can set you up for some good days on the hill because most mining takes place in the mountains (right?).

Two places I have worked and work now which give me good chunks of time off.

!) Henderson Mine/Mill Colorado (Climax Molybdenum/FreePort McMoran). The Mill is off of Ute Pass and the Mine is right below Jones Pass. The Climax mine on Fremont Pass has been reopened as well. I worked at the Henderson for a few years, got 4 day weekends twice a month (plus regular ones)-and plenty of time for post work back country laps during the Spring. Now that Climax has reopened on Fremont Pass, possibilities are even better.

2) I am currently working at the Golden Sunlight Mine west of Bozeman (Barrick Gold). This place pays great for Montana (20.00 an hour to start-even the admin assistants). The schedule is a dream for me (assay lab)-12 hour shifts with 7 days off in a row each month plus 2 3 day weekends. Great Bennies too.

That week off every month makes for some good days of skiing. And we only work 14 out of 28 days. The way the schedule works if I take 4 days of vacation during the right time of the schedule, get two weeks off. Hell there are some old timer with 5 weeks of vacation a year who get 10 weeks of the year off with full pay. After you get used to it, 12 hour shifts aren't too bad.

I feel very lucky-no I don't ski 100 days a year, but 40+ is pretty fair (most during the week) and not to be locked up in Cube in a Big City(been there done that and it sucked)-and am getting ahead financially. Plus looking out at the Tobacco Roots all day ain't too shabby either.

Summers are pretty fine too-

If this was too long sorry-just trying to give some useful info.

[Danno]

I was going to ask how you did that.

what, you don't believe in my psychic powers?

I don't know if it was a forum glitch or if he posted then deleted and reposted. All I know is I saw an AZ post, responded, then mine came first.

[Scotsman50]

i live in england so the nearest mountains to me are scotland 6hrs away (snow very sketchy), the alps 12hrs drive or 1.5hrs on a bird, i've got a house, a good life, im a self emplyed chippy and earn good money, this coming ski season i'm sking in france 15 days, then sneak another week in italy and weekend in poland, that will be some 25ish days skiing, it will leave me gagging for more but then summer comes and i'll be going diving in eygipt and a road trip through europe plus other weekends away,
the ski everyday life seems so good and i watch videos of folk shredding it free as birds,
and i'd be lying if id say i dont think about it everyday, jacking the lot in and moving to a ski village, but im unsure if mylife would be better, yes ski more but thats all id have is skiing

I think your life would be better if you learnt basic spelling, punctuation and grammar. Baby steps...!!!

[Island Bay]

For me a big thing is not really just the frequency that I ski, but the fact that I sleep and wake in a ski and mountain snow environment every single day from seeing the very first flake hit the ground, to the last patch of slush melt. If I lived 60 minutes drive away and had a normal job and skied 40 days of weekends a season, I'd be disconnected from the mountains, just a visitor. They could be the best 40 days of the season, and I could earn a normal income or more, but I would still be disconnected. I don't like the thought of that.

If yer can't be happy in a ski town skiing often, especially if you have a bigger objective than to just slide on snow, then it is a reflection of yourself, not the ski town. There is a time for everything in life, and if it doesn't work for you now, maybe it will work when you change a little in the future.

^ This makes a lot of sense to me.

It's a pain in the neck for me to even get to the snow; either a 4.5hr drive to the North Island volcanoes, or a 3.5hr flight/drive to the South Island club fields. What I do get is a view of my (very uncrowded) home break from my house, surfing without having to drive, knowing exactly what the tides, swell and winds are doing, ie being connected.

After a long hiatus from skiing, which happily ended in 2010, the mountains are exerting their pull again, and plans/dreams are being concocted to allow us to spend winters in a mountain town. Tricky business in NZ, though.

[gaijin]

I often struggle with the balance between my athletic, financial, and spiritual goals. I've decided that for the next 10 years (I'm 25) I'm content to be successful enough to fund my skiing and travelling. I only have so many years of physical prime, and I intend to make the most of them.

I'm 36 and weigh the same as when I was 22.

You're doing it right, getting your schedule set up. But prime can be misinterpreted and misleading. I think you have another 20-25 years of physical prime, not just ten if you keep it up. I know guys who moved to the city and let it go, though. I personally wish I still had your schedule because I'm the best skier on the mountain.

Don't forget that skis today are way easier to rip on than they were 15 years ago. We may very well be ripping big lines in our 60's if the tech also continues to excel at helping us. I finish lines these days hauling ass through deep Japow forests and think "wow, this is way too easy." whereas 15 years ago I'd have been exhausted after a couple of laps in that snow. (and let's not forget the potential medical revolution we may see in the next 20 years in regards to physical ailments.)

Now fear on the other hand may or may not be the thing that forces you to tone it down a bit. Most older guys I know just get tired of injuries and decide their risk tolerance is a bit lower.

Jimmy Chin: "When you're twenty you think you're immortal... wait that's not right. I mean, you have no concept of mortality." from here:


You can stay fit for a really long time, I'm finding. I know some ex-world cup racers from the Japan team here that are in their 50's and 60's and rip hard. It's inspiring. I just hope I can keep it that long.

[schwerty]

What kinda work were you doin in the "real world", Meatspicy?

[MTT]

good luck, I got lucky in that after years of being a Road Warrior, I now work remote, so I have the Job and the location.

Seems this is the way to go if you need to make $$ but want to live in the Mountains.

And I chose to live near the mountains not in the Mountains because its much cheaper.

But I understand your need to get back to the place you love. I chased the Job around the country for many years, and quite honestly, it was a waste of life.

Sitting here now I wonder why did I do that to myself?

[The Suit]

Everything can be fun.

I started a company when I was 23. Lived and breathed that job until I was 33. It was tons of fun and I have lots of great memories.

For the past 17 years I've been a bum - almost 11 of them living in Jackson. I've skied a lot, fished a lot, hobbied a lot, helped raise my kids, did some investing, helped out some startups, helped out some non-profits. It's been tons of fun.

Now I'm 50 and I just started a software company with my brother-in-law. I travel to San Francisco every other week 'cuz that's where the company is based. Lots of nights I sit in my office typing away at a computer until past midnight, trying to produce something useful while catching up on 20 years of advances in software development. It is seriously a shitload of fun. I love it.

Anybody who thinks there's only one true path to happiness is wearing blinders. My only problem is that I've accumulated such a long list of stuff I love to do. From cubicles to skiing - it can all be great.

Welcome back, meatspicy. Don't be afraid to change again in the future. See ya' in the tram line.

[stalefish3169]

This is mostly what I look at for 9 months of the year.


This is mostly what I look at for the other 3.



Sounds like the meatspicy is doing the right thing for meatspicy. But for the rest of you, don't believe for a second that you can't achieve happiness without giving something else up. Keep in mind though, that dreams don't come true overnight unless you're really really lucky. Hell, I got really really lucky, but both of the photos above are the result of over 10 years of busting my ass!

[skinnyskier]

After 4 years of college, a 2 year "post bacc," 4 years of professional school, 7 years of training and 4 years of private practice in the big city, I finally landed my dream job in north Tahoe last year. I put my time in, I only took a small pay cut, and it rocks living up here. There is no way I could get in an on call, 2.5 hour mountain bike ride no more than a half hour descent to the car back in the big city. One of the nurses at work pointed out that he has 125k vertical feet on Strava this season as do at least two docs so the people keep it real.

And no, it ain't dentistry.

[Rossymcg]

I think your life would be better if you learnt basic spelling, punctuation and grammar. Baby steps...!!!

"punctuation spelling and grammar thats for people that give a fuck, i was far to busy at school trying to get my hands down girls pants for bothering with that, now if you didn't understand what i wrote dont worry your sweaty sock self about it and spend some more time with a dictionary,

[dre4]

I have been struggling with this too. Going on my third season of ski bumming right now, I am not sure if I can keep doing it. Really hope I find a way to stay in or at least near the mountains.

true but at least you did it and that regret will never nag you

[Dr. Emmet Brown]

From a one and done JH bum, good on ya!

[Meadow Skipper]

After 4 years of college, a 2 year "post bacc," 4 years of professional school, 7 years of training and 4 years of private practice in the big city, I finally landed my dream job in north Tahoe last year. I put my time in, I only took a small pay cut, and it rocks living up here. There is no way I could get in an on call, 2.5 hour mountain bike ride no more than a half hour descent to the car back in the big city. One of the nurses at work pointed out that he has 125k vertical feet on Strava this season as do at least two docs so the people keep it real.

And no, it ain't dentistry.

I wondered what became of you.

[ex-powderbroker]

After 4 years of college, a 2 year "post bacc," 4 years of professional school, 7 years of training and 4 years of private practice in the big city, I finally landed my dream job in north Tahoe last year. I put my time in, I only took a small pay cut, and it rocks living up here. There is no way I could get in an on call, 2.5 hour mountain bike ride no more than a half hour descent to the car back in the big city. One of the nurses at work pointed out that he has 125k vertical feet on Strava this season as do at least two docs so the people keep it real.

And no, it ain't dentistry.

But the nurse is really a dude?

[satori]

This is a good thread. I spent the last 2 winters in Alta, and in a way it ruined me; like you said it's pretty much what's always on my mind. I was a junior when I headed off for my first year, and now I'm back in school at the University of Georgia. I changed majors from bio to geology, it's a lot more my style. I'm enjoying UGA because it's a great place, but it's not Alta. Alta is my mecca, or any place with deep snow and big mtns for that matter. I'm looking at probably 2 more winters in the south before I stuff all my shit in my car and head west. I'm not even considering any cubicle jobs, I would die in that kind of a work place. If it wasn't for the endless supply of SEXY women and world class kayaking, I would have evaporated a few months ago.

Enjoy Jackson. My time in Alta shifted my perspective on life. I'll take bankruptcy of purse over bankruptcy of soul any day

Glad to see another DAWG on this forum!! Athens, Ga is one of the finest college towns in the country, and could, conceivably be #1 if it was in the mountains somewhere...

This thread is makin my mouth drool and heartbeat rise just thinking about quitting this fuckin job. To the OP, I look forward to the day I can start the same thread as you, and I hope you have the quality of life you're after, fuckin enjoy it!! I know my body is green from head to toe!