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I'm calling BS on that but then again, I never asked for a 4 month pass. My wife is cool as shit, she and our kids all love to ski. Still, she realizes that 20 resort days with the family is fun but isn't quite going to do it for me. My biggest problem with my wife is convincing her she needs an AT setup so I can get the family out on a yurt trip later in the spring.


That is some wisdom right there. It took me a few extra years to grow up but now I've got a "real" job I don't hate. Damn good pay, I get 3 weeks vacay, 401k, health insurance, etc. Basically all the shit I couldn't give a feck about when I was 20 years old. All I had to do was figure out what I wanted to do then go get an education.
As for ski bum jobs, you can't beat waiting tables and bartending, days off nights on and good money though most people don't have the stomach to work and party that hard.

Joey Vosback talks about Balance:

See [vimeo]/53801127[/vimeo]

http://vimeo.com/53801127

How do I get vimeo to post correctly?

I solved this by moving to Lyngen "Norways Alaska", if you live in the right place you can ride all year round

You have to add www into the link

Ride both Nth and Sth Hemis
We get snow from June till Nov
You can ride all year , just need an air fare!

Originally i was a mason in the midwest. Awesome pay and bennys, and every winter off. Never worked full time through a winter in my life.

Right now? A good combination of a strong sugar momma, good friends, an early instalment of retirement while trying to be a contractor. Keep the wants to needs. Try to produce our own produce, and lot of frugality.

I make less money then working for a big company, but the personal freedom far outweighs any monetary gain.

Bout to head out to ride pow with my competition. Another snow seeking
Mason who puts in as many days as anyone else.

Work hard - play harder.

I dropped out of college to become a ski bum. Seriously.
I've skied all my life. It was actually a part of the PE program when I was in 1st and 2nd grade - Portland, OR. - Mt Hood

I attended one year of college. I studied architecture. I met another ski addict in college and we formed a plan
to ski for the season at Jackson Hole for winter quarter the next year.

I never returned to school.


Now, 22 years later, I work for a school(not the one I went to),
live in my college town - which I vowed to leave and never return - and ski just about every week during the winter and well into the summer.

For the past twenty years, plus.



...













Skiing (snowboarding - forgot where I was posting...) means a lot to me. Some folks in life will not appreciate that comment...

Skiing has never left my mind - throughout my life.
It is my favorite. It is what I do best.
I've spent ski seasons being a liftie, burger flipper, etc.

I wanted more.

Once I got into the backcountry scene - that changed everything.
I like the adventure. The intrigue.
Life is what you make of it.
One round.

Make it worth it.

If there is one thing I can stress here is don't necessarily make having a 401k, or "safety nets" really part of your equation. I just turned 40 this year, and I believe I've found my true path. I made a point to take 7-10 weeks off this year(over half is unpaid). Every path is going to be different for each individual. You have to break the paradigm that's been forced down our throats since we were born..The age old get a job, get married, save til' your 65 and then retire is exactly the type of indentured debt slaves "they" want us to be...don't buy into that bullshit, and think for yourself. The great pioneer Craig Kelly said once(and I paraphrase) "We tend to fight the true path that we were meant to be on"

Buy a little land outright, build your own small efficient home, grow your own food, embrace the hunter/gatherer lifestyle, work part time/seasonal. You can pass this lifestyle onto your children. Don't be afraid to fail in your attempts, and don't let any person tell you that you're crazy for wanting to be in the mountains year after year. Break the mold, take a chance....don't be afraid to be broke..what's the worst thing that could happen besides dying...Live on your feet, or die on your knees. Your karma will thank you.

Good resources for adapting a permaculture lifestyle. www.permies.com

I am happy to work. I enjoy the challenges, like having money, and feel satisfied maximizing my intellectual potential to support my family. The way I see it, everyone's gotta work, just make sure you do something u like. I was bullshitting with Jim Zellers once and asked why he didn't do anymore Himilayn expeditions. His reply, "the sponsors/fiming make it unenjoyable".

I guess some people can not work and live off the land, u just better not be mooching off the rest of us. If u need a doctor, shot yourself cause I don't want to pay for your treatment.

I'm a family man who enjoys my kid pursuits as much as mine. It's not my job that limits my days in the mountains, it's my choice to be a Dad and husband. I miss them to much when I'm gone a lot.

All this being said, I usually snowboard 30+days and live 2 hours from 7k feet. i also play on a 30 over soccer team that a blast.

It's awesome your searching for that. The best way is to live your endless winter in everything you do. I take the mentality I get while riding to the river, the hiking trails, on runs, and to work. I love my job as a firefighter/paramedic. If you have any interest in ems or the fire service I would look into it. Awesome schedule, rewarding work, adequately removed from the the rat race. Good luck in your search.

Eco_Ripper..gotta make something right with that statement, and clarify my previous statement. Small scale farming, and permaculture and raising your own food in a hunter gatherer scenario is hard work. Just the hunting alone is hard work.(if done respectfully)

I was born and raised around Midwest Polish farmers, and with the permaculture stuff I do at my cabin, HugelBeds, Rocket Mass Stoves, swinging chainsaws, hauling cubic tons of rotted wood, smashing rocks with a sledge hammer, hauling shitloads of dirt, building a greenhouse...etc etc. Keep in mind all those projects above were done last spring, summer, fall.

Now add onto that when I get to that point: raising chickens, tending to crops, hunting, fishing, and then take that produce to farmers markets.

Ale Capone had a great statement in a conversation about this..."Old school is the new school".

Now if I decide to go full on Aboriginal...I'll camp in your backyard, and eat ALL your local wildlife, drink your beer. That way if you shoot me...I can mooch off you some more

Merry Christmas Eco_Ripper... those slippers I got from you are SWEEET!

Splitrippy- I subscribe to the slow food movement. We grow fruits and veggies, raise chickens, etc.


My main point is that if one is not gonna contribute to society, don't come begging with your hand out when times get tough.

I wasn't trying to say, "get a job with a 401k, get married, shop at WalMart, eat shitty food, retire at 65..." like the intro from Trainspotting or something. My point was more like what I wanted at 19 is not what I want at 39, and that life is good.
As others have said, liking what you do for a living is key. To me savings and insurance aren't about safety nets but about being responsible to my family, I will not burden them if i can avoid it. Everyone gets sick and everyone dies.
I try to work hard, play hard, do the next right thing. I got to ride with my wife and kids over 20 days last season, that was a good winter. This one is starting to shape up pretty nicely too...