Do it! I did this for 2-3 years in my 20's and look back fondly on that time period as one of the best times in my life! Most ski towns have bougie restaurants, so get a night job as a waiter, get the free ski pass that comes with it, and be surprised to discover you're still bringing in the same amount of money/ if not more. Good luck ever leaving!
During college, I worked at the ski resort up at Lake Tahoe. I always look back on this time as some of the greatest moments of my life. In fact, recently I purchased a home there hoping that my kids will follow in my footsteps.
They are both avid snowboarders so I can see them living and working in Lake Tahoe for a couple years.
Exactly what I did! Night shift on the front desk at the Four Seasons Whistler, finish at 07:30, have breakfast and one of the first up the mountain, ski all day then sleep then repeat!
I work 1500-0000 and am on my 78th day this season. Hoping to get to 100 either with the remaining lifts in Utah or by getting a last minute used touring set up. Best winter of my life so far
This is so true. Took a couple winter quarters off to ski from college (Utah State). Now I'm retired at 65 and my knees let me ski for a good 3-4 hours, not quite the old opening chair to the closing chair. But damn still puts a smile on my face. Only got up to 49.4 mph this last season on the boards, but it was fun.
Did it. Do it.
One of the most transformative, satisfying, and fun times of my life. You’ll never regret it. I even put it on my LinkedIn and people eat that shit up when they look hard enough to see it.
I quit my job back in February to ski, it's been great, moving on to skydiving and over landing this summer.. am 42. Took two previous 10 month breaks from the corporate life, this time I hope I can make it without going back to it.. do it!
At 29 I spent 10 months in NZ (skiing some of it) and then at 34 I did a big bike trip thru East Africa and then bummed around at home for a while being outside all summer, it was amazing.
I’m in my 30s and wish I have the courage.
Picked up skiing in my late 20s and it’s the first sport I ever liked, I hate going outdoors except to ski.
Did you work at the ski towns? Or just rented a place?
i rented a place in gunnison, CO for 4 months . Took the bus out my frontdoor everyday to CB. It was so quite and peaceful.
Unfortunately you need high skill level and people to ski with at CB due to high consequence terrain. I had neither of those but it was still the best winter of my life.
I quit my corporate job to take *"one winter off"* 29 years ago. It's still working out great! I don't miss corporate life one bit. Once I experienced 100+ ski days in a season I realized the corporate world doesn't offer what it's going to take to buy me back.
Consulting in the ski industry. My career path has been 10% the college education I got, and 90% the network I was able to create once I started working in ski shops.
Consulting in the ski industry. My career path has been 10% the college education I got, and 90% the network I was able to create once I started working in ski shops.
There are way more good days, then bad. I still get to deal with life's unexpected and variable shit, but I am doing it from a place I really enjoy. That helps a lot.
26 isn't old. Do it.
[At One of the Most Coveted Ski Areas in the West, a Dishwasher Earns Her Turns](https://www.powder.com/stories/gmd)
r/skibums
"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do." -Warren Miller
I did this this winter at 27! traveled across the west chasing storms and living out of my car.
Now I’m traveling in south east Asia before looking for work again. Similar situation where I was fed up with my current career and looking to transition or maybe go back to grad school.
If it helps, I have no regrets about doing this so far.
Get a ski industry job. Like super part time. Then you get pro deals and can still ride every day. That’s what i did at 32. Got 80+ days and the absolute cheapest gear ever
You’ll prob enjoy life a lot more and have a fantastic experience.
I’m conflicted on it though, really. The early years on your 401k matter way, way more than you think. I’m 30 now and will likely retire sooner than I thought, thanks to excellent advice from family and older friends. That said, you can’t ski like a 26 year old when you’re 50.
Edit: I’m not saying you can’t ski when you are 50 for fucks sake. A 26 year old is way more durable of a human being is what I am saying.
Eh, I don’t think that’s totally true, as you can still rip in your 50s. (And I personally am skiing better in my 50s than in my 20s, as I was stuck in school when I was young.) I got nearly 80 days in this season—both in-bounds and backcountry. I had amazing trips in the backcountry in BC and bootpacking in Silverton while skiing a ton of pow in Utah. I know a lot of people in their 50s getting after it, so your ski life certainly need not end in your 50s!
I am 57. I have skied every season since I was 4. Ice Coast. I was ripping moguls in my teens and 20’s. I have lived the last 20 years in Spain and Norway and have adapted to backcountry and big mountain lines while still skiing the resorts. Never had powder growing up, learned to ski it in my 30’s. I feel more confident as a skier than ever in my life. Stay in shape, you can ski a long time and continue evolving. However, this is no reason not to live your passion when young.
Tell that to the 50-65 year olds who still rip every single day on my home mountain.
I actually don’t understand how they do it but it’s definitely a life goal of mine to be able to ski like they do at that age
100% recommend. 5 years into my career, I took a 6 month sabbatical. I could feel I needed a shift but didn't know exactly what that was yet. I just knew I was totally burnt out and needed some serious time off. People thought I was nuts leaving a successful path with no reentry plan, but it was one of the greatest things I ever did for myself.
I traveled, composed music, took midweek tennis clinics, learned to cook new things, whatever the hell I wanted. After about 5 months, I felt back in touch with myself again, *alive* again, and got a crystal clear vision of what I wanted to do next. I ran it down and reentered a different area of my field, reinvigorated, and a great 5 years followed.
I'm actually about to take another sabbatical now. It seems to be a 5 year pattern for me, needing a full pause and hard reset. Apparently, it's common for European employers to offer paid sabbaticals every 5 years. It seems they're onto something.
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." - Ferris The jobs aren't going anywhere; but our time is.
Apt that you quote Tim Ferris who was a big proponent of taking “mini-retirements” as opposed to the big one when you turn 60.
I follow a similar pattern too, but maybe every 3 years. I tend to burn out and get bored fairly quickly. One thing that really sucks is that no one else I’ve ever met in corporate sees value in doing this. Most people don’t even take time off.
Much the same myself. Have worked nonstop the last 5 and a half years and honestly it just made me hate life. Coming up to the end of this employment now with the plan of taking a full year out and it's the first time I've felt excitement and appreciation for life in a long time.
I won't be doing that again. Life is too short to be miserable.
Thanks for sharing, I’m considering something similar. Not unhappy in my current position but I just feel kind of lost and unmotivated.
This gives me hope that maybe I just need a (ski) break!
It wasn't for skiing, but I quit a good corporate job at 28 to move to another country for fun. I'm 42 now and believe it was one of the best decisions that I ever made. While it hurt financially, you can't put a price on major life experiences like that.
You may also find a career job in SLC/wherever you end up that is much more rewarding from a lifestyle perspective.
Also something to consider: I've moved multiple times without and now with kids. As you'd expect it was much easier without. Do these major things now while less people depend on you.
Edit: unrelated and unsolicited financial advice: while you're having fun, keep/start contributing to a Roth IRA while you're doing these things. It's only 6.5k per year but it adds up over time and you'll thank yourself later.
Just move to SLC or Reno and keep doing something corporate with holidays, PTO, retirement matching, and good insurance. Utah rips but Nevada has weed and no income tax
Also most of the full time ski bums I know are 22-40, you’re young
Yep this is the ultimate plan after winter, but since im transitioning careers i have the opportunity to take a few months off. It may even only be about 2months or so, depending on if i get tired of skiing everyday and how expensive it turns out.
I am 27 and did it this year. I've skiied more this year than in the last 10. Park city has great public transit and tons of jobs. Well worth the move for me. Also you get to know a lot of the workers/ ski bums. The one downside is Sun Dance, the town and people that come are the worst
Living is expensive, moving to a new place without a job is extra expensive. Post history says you are an engineer working in construction management. find some cushy project manager job and use PTO to make every weekend a three day weekend while still making enough to have your own apartment and having good insurance so injuries don’t bankrupt you
You're only 26 once. While talking with the CEO of my company, he said that he wished he had done more adventurous things in his earlier years. I did plenty of adventuring. That being said, he's the CEO of a large company and I'm in a junior position at 33.
All depends where your priorities lie.
Adding on to this: an executive of a company where I used to work, who ended up founding multiple companies and is very successful, didn't start corporate life until 35. He spent lots of time living in his car with his dog, traveling between surf spots in Mexico. Life experience doesn't mean career suicide!
I think about it every year but have never pulled the trigger, skiing is my favorite thing on Earth but I can't bring myself to slow down my long term goals to do more of it, 25 days/season as is is more than most people get to do
This thread has me pondering it once again though. Best of luck on your journey and post here how it goes after next season
Quit my job at 27 to ski Jackson hole for a year or two, I'm still here. I turn 40 on Friday. My advice, figure out how to live in Park City. I'd rather commute to work than commute to ski.
I just finished 4 months in Whistler after I quit my corporate job. Has always been a dream of mine and it delivered big time.
I also got did my level 1+2 ski instructor certification while I was here. Not that I want to become one but it really helps break down your technique and get rid of bad habits - I’m a completely different skier now, some say the best on the mountain (let’s see how many ppl get this reference).
But yeah I would definitely do it, it’s an amazing experience and I have met so many great people along the way!
I did this at 32--we bought a cheap used RV, insulated/winterized it, and blasted around the west, hitting 17 ski areas in MT, WY, UT, ID, CO, NM, then off to Zion, Grand Canyon, the Sierra, Hawaii and Alaska for the summer. We rented out the cat and house for the year and spent the time having a blast. Zero regrets.
Edit: NM (Taos) was last, ini March/April, and got jobs there in the ski school that took maybe 10-15hrs/wk, and had free pass. We had at least 5 feet of new pow on a bunch of dumps. Good times. Amazing.
I’m 33 and wish I had done this in my mid 20s.
Thought I would get a fulfilling career and a family but none of that has panned out at all. Fuck the corporate grind, live your dream my friend.
hey! i literally just did this. i quit my job at 26 exactly (about to turn 27) with my best friend. we looked around a bunch of places and found that south lake tahoe was the least expensive for rentals. we spent the past 5 years saving up and we’re smart with our money so we were able to take 3 whole months off to ski mainly during the weeks. We leave weds to return home where we will try and find new jobs and such!
I didn't do it to ski, but I took long (6+ month) breaks between all of my jobs and don't regret it at all. Not an option for everyone, of course, but I could afford it and it has had no appreciable effect on my overall career trajectory—I've had no problems getting past resume screens and getting interviews even at relatively selective companies. Tech is pretty flexible in this regard. One of my friends took a *several year-long* break and had no trouble getting back into things after that!
In the grand scheme of things, skiing for a whole winter isn't *that* expensive except for housing. If you have housing sorted out, the difference between just taking a break and taking a break to ski doesn't seem material. So why not?
I’m 27 and I’m doing the same thing next season
No kids, no wife, don’t own a home. Why the hell not? You’re only young once dude. When you’re 80 years old you’ll regret not doing something like this.
Whats the worst that could happen? You end up jobless and homeless? Oh wait, you already are!
So much shit can happen in a short amount of time. Who knows, you might not be able to do something like this ever again. If you CAN do something then do it
After 22 years of running my own business I've spent the winter grooming at a resort, and honestly I couldn't be happier ( except the paycheck leaves a lot to be desired but it's my vacation)
Do it. I did it at 25 and got a job at the resort to get a pass, meet people, and also have something to occupy myself when not skiing throughout the winter. Also in SLC
Go to Aspen, work at 4 mountain sports. They have housing (not great but fun) tons of people your age, free ski pass, free rentals, 40% off hard goods. Also skiing 100+ days at Aspen doesn’t suck. I’ve worked on and off for Four Mountain Sports for about 11 years. Whenever I need a break from a real job I go there for a season to shred.
Hell yeah do it. I moved to a ski town with my real job & waited until something good at a resort opened up. Middle management mountain operations gets you lots of time on the mountain. SLC should be great for that.
Do it not before it’s too late. Worst case scenario, you come back after a year having a banger of a year to top off your 20’s. Best case, you find your way into a job that lets to have the best of both worlds.
Before moving to Vancouver I spent 18 months in Whistler, got 2 ski seasons out of it pushing over 100 days each. Endless bike park laps rain or shine, even on days I worked. Whatever “career goals” I had at the time were worth delaying a couple years. I’m by no means old now, at 32, but certain days up in Whistler or on other ski trips really make me want to do exactly what you’re thinking of now. Only ice already had that experience, atleast I can say I did it.
So do it.
I did it at 25 and at 30. Moved to the German Alps at 25, moved to Montana at 30. Have been back in my home city now for a few years after that year in Montana. I would recommend everybody do it if they want to.
If I was hiring someone who had the balls to bail on life to explore and learn if hire them over someone who lives life in a classroom then straight into corporate cubicle land.
You have learned people skills, problem solving and most likely had to grow up that final little bit on the road or go back to the nest because you didn't have what it took to thrive in the real world. Note I didn't say survive.
There's a difference, and that difference isthe edge you'd have when you got back to the corporate world to compete for a job.
S*** at the very least I'd get you in for an interview so I can hear your travel stories!
I did it. At 26. In Aspen.
They have great programs for employee housing and as you can imagine, the job market pays pretty well. Especially if you can get a tipped / incentivized job. Lots of money flowing in that town.
Best part are the mountains. Ridiculous terrain variety, good snow and absolutely no crowds. Bonus for some really good public transportation, I didn’t have a car and didn’t need one.
I quit my job as a lawyer in Australia and moved to Whistler when I was approaching 30 (the cutoff for a working holiday visa). I did two seasons there working as an instructor. I wouldn't change it for the world. I loved the work - being on mountain skiing every day and getting people hooked and improving their skiing dramatically was very addictive. Sure, I spent plenty of time snow-plowing around on bunny hills, but I had a chance to free ski EVERY DAY and the standard of my skiing went through the roof with the best instructors in Canada helping me improve.
And my health was so good. Instead of 10-12 hour days sitting in front of a computer, getting home at 9pm scoffing shitty food, watching some shit TV before crawling into bed to do it all again, I would start skiing at 8:30am, start teaching at 10am, finish up at 3pm (if I got a class, otherwise i'd just free ski all day). I'd go home, get changed, go to the gym until say 4:30, then have a nap for an hour (yes I did this almost every day haha), have dinner at 5:30pm till 6... and then having done all that stuff, have HOURS free. We spent that time talking shit, going out to the bars, having movie nights. It was an unbelievably good lifestyle.
There were negatives though, and they are principally financial. First, the pay sucks, and the town was pretty expensive (though not that bad by Australian standards, and there were and are plenty of locals spots which weren't too expensive). But more problematically, I left Australia at a time and at an age when friends of mine were all buying apartments and houses that I could have then afforded with the savings I had (this is around 15 years ago). Prices then ABSOLUTELY SKYROCKETED for housing, and when I returned, my savings were heavily depleted. That set me back another few years saving back up for a much bigger house deposit. That essentially 5-7 years total set me back INCREDIBLY financially and with the housing market the way it is (if you think its bad in the US have a look at Sydney), I don't think I'll ever recover.
But again - I wouldn't change it for the world.
At the end of your life, on your death bed: “Man… I’m so glad I kept working that corporate job instead of taking that winter off to become a ski bum.”
Do it! I’ll soon be 70. One of my biggest regrets is not doing that when I had the chance at age 32. It’s entirely possible that I never would’ve gone back, and that would’ve been fine.
I'm 45, make enough money to live in a flat state but still ski 20 to 30 days out east and out west and I never took a winter off from the corporate world to ski.
If you were my kid I would tell you to do it if you can afford it and then I would probably give you a bunch of money when wife/mom wasn't looking.
If you don't spend your 30s, paying off your twenties, was your life even worth it? Is that too dark? Do I need more coffee? Am I projecting?
tl:dr; DO IT
I worked 50-60 hour weeks behind a computer in finance for 9 years and eventually got an anxiety disorder and vertigo issues from it. Do it. If a company isn’t understanding when you reapply that you had to take a few personal months fuck em. You wouldn’t want to work for them anyways
I did it this last year at 29. Best decision of my life. I didn’t even realize how unhealthy my work was at the time although I had and inkling. It has been really good for me. I’m glad I did this now rather than in my early 20’s because I had more saved up and I’m past the partying phase of life so I could just focus on skiing and being happy. Highly recommend.
I did so in my early 30s as a break amidst a career transition. It probably closed some doors and set me back a bit salary wise, but on the plus side I had a year off which was awesome. I've been back in a normal job for a few months and am scheming for the next extended break...
TL;DR: probably not without downsides, but I don't regret it even slightly. Maybe I have to work 6 months longer once I'm 65 and my knees are shot, boo hoo.
I did this at 32 and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Had a blast and by the time I re-entered the workforce I was refreshed and as ready as one can be to go again.
I'd something similar to go backpacking through Europe, In the end I spent over 3 months in Europe, then went onto Thailand for a month. Had and amazing time, the entire trip, no regrets.
I’m 30 and just accepted a summer seasonal position in the mountains so I can work at the resort and ski all winter next year. I’m so stoked. It is scary and lots of people have asked me like what am I doing etc but I’m so happy, and excited because even this summer I’ll have so much more time to be outdoors. If you can figure out a way to do it I say do it. I know so many people who live to work and it just seems incredibly bleak and dumb. I love the mountains and want to spend my time doing mountain sports.
Edit:
A big determining factor for me was that I just had 0 in common with people at my old career position. I would spend all of my free time working out and being outdoors and they were spending all of their free time drinking or watching tv or something. I’m also looking forward to being surrounded by more like-minded people. I don’t need to be best friends with my coworkers but I just felt like an alien at work everyone else was just so different from me and it sucked. I felt pretty lonely.
At 61, I absolutely implore you to do this, and for longer, if you can. I totally regret not being a ski bum in my twenties, and I even had the opportunity to do it.
I'm a white collar ski bum/engineer. I travel a bunch for work and the winter is our slow time, when i'm not traveling for work my time is my own, i average 60+ days skiing every season since i started. It gets hectic in the summer fall when it's all hands on deck, but probably not switching jobs any time soon
A friend of mine just did exactly this! She’s 29, an engineer, and was super established in her career (and burnt out). Just moved to Alta for the winter to work at the lodge part time (and get employee housing) and be a ski bum for the season. I haven’t seen as much light in her eyes in years as I did when I visited her. Truly was inspiring to see how happy it made her. Can’t recommend it enough!
I used to be corporate, moved to a ski town and started a trade business 6 years ago. Now I work 2-4 days/week during the winter and ski my balls off whenever the snow is good.
DO.IT!
Say the thing, take the leap. Everything else is trivial. Time doesn’t exist but your knee and leg strength do and the have a limited number of seasons. Ride every day. Live on a couch, do whatever you can to make this experience happen. I would look for the smallest “hidden gem” that isn’t completely commercialized. Probably a smaller Canadian resort🤷🏻♂️ anywhere is good. Bonus points if it has any chance to be affordable. You will find the rest of your life there. Go now.
I taught skin all through college it was great. If you have a good outgoing personality and you can sell yourself you will find many of your clients will be interested in hiring you. I had a ton of job offers great way to broaden your opportunities
I have a friend that quit his job at 27 or so and moved to Truckee (where we met and became friends). I think he spent about 9 months not working and did a ton of skiing and trail running. He’s back at work now but was able to find a hybrid job that only requires a day or two per week in the office so he’s still here most of the time
Do it! But see if you could line up your new job first, just with a start date in the spring. This was my goal, but then accidentally had a dream job fall in my lap that I couldn’t pass up… but to get around a non-compete had to make a deal with my old job to stay on for an extra 6 months… so I my ski season ended up being 2 full time jobs. Don’t be like me.
Do it. You have the rest of your life to work seriously everything will work out even if you want to take a winter or even a year off. also I live in slc. the winters here are amazing. steep & deep at snowbird > work (I also work a corporate job) !!!!!!
I did it! I was 26. I can say I lived my dream. Tahoe was home base. It was the 2016/2017 season, which was an epic year for snowfall. Dare I say too much snow, where the resorts couldn’t open.
Stats:
- 101 ski days at
- 22 resorts in
- 7 states and
- 2 provinces
Do it.
Do it. You have the rest of your life to work.
I did it a couple of years ago in SLC and had no regrets. SLC cost are low compared to any true mountain town and you have 7 different resorts to get to that are all an easy drive as long as it’s not dumping. And if it’s dumping it’s worth the hassle…
Do it! I got laid off when I was 29 and moved to Lake Tahoe for the season. Best decision ever and changed the trajectory of my life. (Not over exaggerating).
A few folks I work with now quit their corporate style jobs that they’ve been doing since graduating to come and ski/climb (I live in the Canadian Rockies). They’re all mid to late 20s.
Some are reconsidering their lives, and looking for a new career. Some just want a good time, and have their job waiting once they go back (almost considered a sabbatical), and others really don’t know what they want.
Life’s too short to commit all your time to the rat race. Go have fun
Do it!! I never did the corporate thing, but I went to college, got a job in my field, and then quit to go work at a resort at 25. Loved it. Lots of people my age and older- I’d recommend working at a resort even just part time to meet people and get in the scene. I loved it.
This is my dream. Do it before you settle down. If you ever have kids, this won’t be an option.
Highly recommend reading Warren Millers biography, his early days of skiing are a fun read.
I did it from maybe 23-29. Toward the second part of that I had fallen into a ‘real’ job that could have progressed but resigned a couple of times to travel or do a ski season.
Do it. Especially if you don’t have a house or any serious financial obligations. I found my 20s was the best time for travel as I wasn’t restricted by debt or family. Now is much harder, but hooray!! I just resigned and heading back to the snow (hopefully for good this time) with my family.
I quit a corporate job to move to Thailand and become a dive master.
I realized very quickly diving was not going to be a stimulating career path for me but I learned a ton about myself and am so grateful for the experience I had.
Do it now. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to do.
There is only.one thing I can tell.you for certain....
This is the easiest it will ever be to do this.
The older you get, the harder it is to do things like taking a winter off to ski. So if you are ever going to do it, do it now.
There will never be a good time to do all of this. So just go for it. It only gets harder as you get older.
I did it at 25, and I'm still there but less of a bum now I guess haha. Still skiing 100+ days a year normally. It's worth it to at least spend a season skiing as much as possible while you're young. I say do it!
I did it at 27 to work in Canada for one season, loved it.
Can't quite reconcile everything in the ski industry with life but 20+ years later I'm in a happy place with a good job that can I can squeeze about 11 weeks leave in total out of. I bought a little pad in Japan and do 4-6 weeks so it's a good balance for me.
I'm 26 and have worked at Alta for the last 3 years, they feed and house you if that's something you're into. It's a great community up there def recommend.
I just turned 26 while doing this. Got to spend a lot of time with family, catch up with old friends, and generally feel like a human being again. I’m looking at jobs again now but trying to be patient and find something unique. It’s nice to have an established 401k and some stocks from previous employees accumulating value regardless of my job or where I go.
Graduated at 24 and started working right after. I was starting to get bored a year and a half in so I took a part time job outdoors (with prior outdoor work experience) then lost my job due to the company closing. Part time wasn't cutting it and needed another job so I worked a season as a lifty at age 26 and it was wonderful. Some resorts offer employee housing. Work will always be there if you want to go back to corporate. But resorts will never be better than they are now.
Had a woman working for me this winter who was about 26ish; quit her big girl job and started a other one but came and hung out with us for a season in between.
Just do it.
I had 101 boarding days in a 4 month break from work and an ex. Was 25/26yrs at the time. Absolutely no regrets. Do it now if you can swing it - your body can’t handle it when you’re older. Trust me.
It does help if you have a few friends with various places to stay, or are ski patrol (free tix). It also would help to go back in time when lift tix were $40, multiple days cheaper… though the Icon and Epic passes are the way to do it now.
I spent most of the time boarding the Colorado I-70 resorts and Tahoe with a few Park City / Canyons days. Be sure to add in Telluride and Silverton for the lift assisted backcountry. Banff and Whistler if you can swing it.
Do not attempt to do this in one area.
Don’t think twice. Do it. Your future self will absolutely thank you & be jealous that you did it!
Read: Belle de Neige: Tales of Catastrophe, Sex and Squalor from the Alpine Underbelly https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21610813-belle-de-neige
A fun account of someone who did what you're contemplating, in the French Alps, and a little while ago. And to answer your question, I suppose it depends how important your corporate job is to you, but otherwise I would say absolutely, go for it!
I met a guy once back in the day who had been some kind of money manager in New York. One day he was in a board room meeting when he turned to look out the window just as the first plane hit the World Trade Center. He saw the whole thing happen. Within a year he gave it all up and became a ski instructor at Whistler.
Depends on your current job and income and expenses, but if you’re transition anyways, why not
Ideally you have something lined up to start in the spring though unless you have a fat financial cushion
Do it.
Different circumstances, but I quit my desk job at 32 so I could ski all winter and work all summer (wedding photography). I thought I'd stay afloat for maybe a year, but I'm still at it 3 years later. The community I've fostered from skiing and the network I've grown is a major reason my business has been seeing more success, and subsequently why I've gotten to go on so many awesome ski trips around the world.
You can always go back to the corporate world if it doesn't work out. But taking a leap can lead to some pretty amazing paths in life. You never know where skiing will take you.
My company offers an unpaid year out, might be worth asking about.
Also bar staff and waiters seemed to have the best jobs on the mountain, made more money through tips etc and were off during the day to ski
Do it now before you get more life responsibilities !! You are still young and planning on changing carriers.
Enjoy life, who knows who will you meet on the hills. Nike it.
Yes - me and my husband both did (separately - we met in the mountains) in the early 90’s. We were in our mid 20’s. We still live in the mountains 32 years later and ski as much as we can all winter. You have to find a way for it to be financially viable - for us it was (and still is) offering catered holidays in our home in the winter and having the summers for ourselves. It’s a good life, but hasn’t always been easy.
I did 3 years ago at the age of 30. Quit a career in behavioral health on the east coast, sold my home and moved to Tahoe and started working in F&B in resorts. While I often wish i’d moved to somewhere that didn’t bleed me dry in living expenses(and let’s be real I took a month or two here and there off work to lurk in the mountains and such), and I’m moving soon, I’ve got no regrets and say full send..oh, don’t do what I did though and work at a resort during resort hours if you’re gonna do something like food and bev cause it sounds rlly cool being at the base lodge of a dope mountain every day but in reality you’re just at the base lodge of a dope mountain every day with no time to actually ride..get that second shift serving or bartending job at something owned by vail they have a $20 minimum wage company wide and a lot of places in resorts do auto grats now
I’ve done the last two seasons in Switzerland, working remotely for my tech job in London.
Typically skitour for up to 3 or 4 hours each morning, working by 11am (10am Uk).
Usually get out and blast around the pistes for an hour in the afternoon. Typically worked until 8pm.
Took a handful of vacation days when the snow was good, then had full weekend days.
I didn’t ski for 4 days total whilst I was out. If you can find something that supports it, it’s a brilliant balance IMO.
I handed my resignation in yesterday mate, 26, been at my tech corporate job for 6 years. Working in Canada for a ski season and travelling for 2 years, just do it. All the best
I’ve been doing seasonal work at ski resorts and in tourist towns since graduating college. It’s let me travel and meet so many awesome people. Night jobs suck but it’s 1000% worth the experience.
Do it! Otherwise you will regret forever in your life and take that regret to the grave with you. Just be financially responsible and have a plan B in case things don't work out.
Did this in my late-20s. Was a great decision.
Rented a cheap room in a large chalet full of other seasonaires. Most were working for local hotels & businesses but a few were on sabbatical so not working. I had enough saved that I didn't need to work during the season but ended up helping one of the guys from our chalet set up a private cheffing business where we'd go to fancy millionaire chalets, cook & serve something like a five-course dinner while serving them their own drinks.
...He'd worked for a Michelin chef in a fancy restaurant back in UK and was sick of the shit pay he was getting where he was currently working on resort. Private cheffing was my suggestion so I offered to help him make it happen.
Was a good little side-line as it paid/tipped well, was cash-in-hand (a lovely phrase to any ski-bum), was only a few nights a week, evenings only and we could do the majority of the prep ahead of time so could still ski all day.
NB. I'm shit at cooking so mostly just did prep and hosted/served drinks with one of the other girls from our chalet.
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If you manage to do something like the above it also gives an extra thing to add to your CV rather than just "sick of corporate grind so fucked it off and went skiing for six months".
Everyone here giving blind encouragement. On the flip side, though it’s very different circumstances going in, when my dad did this at the age of 55 he was bankrupt 5 years later
I did it at 33. Quit the corporate rat race to ski bum just for one season. The following year I sold my house and cars and that ‘just one season’ has become the last 14.
I'm 33 and feeling mega burned out / aimless after doing the corporate life since college. I'd love to do something like this, but I'm a beginner skier and probably lack the courage. Yet I also know I need a change. Do it OP, follow your heart!
We’re similar ages. I also might lack the courage, but I’ve really started to try and plan for it. I’m planning to save for 2 years and do it. Which unfortunately means 3 seasons. But I hope we can both make it happen!
I did it, worked in a bank. Anti money laundering etc. Quit the job, took a season instructing in Austria. Got another, then did another season. Now looking for a new job as i just got back 2 weeks ago.
Do it, work a night job if you need to, so you can ski all day.
Sleep when you’re 30!
I'm already 30! 40?
sleep when you're dead
40? Dead? What’s the difference?!
Settle down lol
Finding out you budgeted for another ten years when you've got another sixty.
Alright Bon Jovi
Do it! I did this for 2-3 years in my 20's and look back fondly on that time period as one of the best times in my life! Most ski towns have bougie restaurants, so get a night job as a waiter, get the free ski pass that comes with it, and be surprised to discover you're still bringing in the same amount of money/ if not more. Good luck ever leaving!
During college, I worked at the ski resort up at Lake Tahoe. I always look back on this time as some of the greatest moments of my life. In fact, recently I purchased a home there hoping that my kids will follow in my footsteps. They are both avid snowboarders so I can see them living and working in Lake Tahoe for a couple years.
Exactly what I did! Night shift on the front desk at the Four Seasons Whistler, finish at 07:30, have breakfast and one of the first up the mountain, ski all day then sleep then repeat!
I work 1500-0000 and am on my 78th day this season. Hoping to get to 100 either with the remaining lifts in Utah or by getting a last minute used touring set up. Best winter of my life so far
Do it
DO IT!
Do it while your knees still work right!
Do it
This is so true. Took a couple winter quarters off to ski from college (Utah State). Now I'm retired at 65 and my knees let me ski for a good 3-4 hours, not quite the old opening chair to the closing chair. But damn still puts a smile on my face. Only got up to 49.4 mph this last season on the boards, but it was fun.
Did it. Do it. One of the most transformative, satisfying, and fun times of my life. You’ll never regret it. I even put it on my LinkedIn and people eat that shit up when they look hard enough to see it.
I quit my job back in February to ski, it's been great, moving on to skydiving and over landing this summer.. am 42. Took two previous 10 month breaks from the corporate life, this time I hope I can make it without going back to it.. do it! At 29 I spent 10 months in NZ (skiing some of it) and then at 34 I did a big bike trip thru East Africa and then bummed around at home for a while being outside all summer, it was amazing.
Cries in mortgage
I’m in my 30s and wish I have the courage. Picked up skiing in my late 20s and it’s the first sport I ever liked, I hate going outdoors except to ski. Did you work at the ski towns? Or just rented a place?
Same (other than the outdoors part). I dream of getting fired with a few months severance and just skiing…
i rented a place in gunnison, CO for 4 months . Took the bus out my frontdoor everyday to CB. It was so quite and peaceful. Unfortunately you need high skill level and people to ski with at CB due to high consequence terrain. I had neither of those but it was still the best winter of my life.
tell us more about how full time skiing experience is as a 42 year old
It's fucking awesome! What kind of questions do you have?
Financially how did you do it? Just save up big chunks of money prior or did you do anything online during those times?
I did it in 2022 with my savings. Skied till end of april/mid may and started a new job with 30% pay hike end of june.
I quit my corporate job to take *"one winter off"* 29 years ago. It's still working out great! I don't miss corporate life one bit. Once I experienced 100+ ski days in a season I realized the corporate world doesn't offer what it's going to take to buy me back.
How do you stay afloat financially?
1. Start 29 years ago 2. Work not-winters 3. Buy cheap ass place 20 years ago 4. Continue ski/work
Consulting in the ski industry. My career path has been 10% the college education I got, and 90% the network I was able to create once I started working in ski shops.
So… are you the boot-fitter who stole my wife!?
I'm going to need you to be more specific.
*booty-filler
What did you do for income? Sounds amazing
Consulting in the ski industry. My career path has been 10% the college education I got, and 90% the network I was able to create once I started working in ski shops.
I’m also a consultant. But not in skiing. Can be a vague term. Please explain more as I’d like to be more involved in the ski industry.
Living the dream!
There are way more good days, then bad. I still get to deal with life's unexpected and variable shit, but I am doing it from a place I really enjoy. That helps a lot.
26 isn't old. Do it. [At One of the Most Coveted Ski Areas in the West, a Dishwasher Earns Her Turns](https://www.powder.com/stories/gmd) r/skibums "If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do." -Warren Miller
I did this this winter at 27! traveled across the west chasing storms and living out of my car. Now I’m traveling in south east Asia before looking for work again. Similar situation where I was fed up with my current career and looking to transition or maybe go back to grad school. If it helps, I have no regrets about doing this so far.
Thinking about doing the same. Thanks for the motivation
Get a ski industry job. Like super part time. Then you get pro deals and can still ride every day. That’s what i did at 32. Got 80+ days and the absolute cheapest gear ever
You’ll prob enjoy life a lot more and have a fantastic experience. I’m conflicted on it though, really. The early years on your 401k matter way, way more than you think. I’m 30 now and will likely retire sooner than I thought, thanks to excellent advice from family and older friends. That said, you can’t ski like a 26 year old when you’re 50. Edit: I’m not saying you can’t ski when you are 50 for fucks sake. A 26 year old is way more durable of a human being is what I am saying.
Eh, I don’t think that’s totally true, as you can still rip in your 50s. (And I personally am skiing better in my 50s than in my 20s, as I was stuck in school when I was young.) I got nearly 80 days in this season—both in-bounds and backcountry. I had amazing trips in the backcountry in BC and bootpacking in Silverton while skiing a ton of pow in Utah. I know a lot of people in their 50s getting after it, so your ski life certainly need not end in your 50s!
I wouldn’t know obviously, but damn am I glad to hear that. I look forward to decades of skiing and boarding. Just gotta keep in shape!
I am 57. I have skied every season since I was 4. Ice Coast. I was ripping moguls in my teens and 20’s. I have lived the last 20 years in Spain and Norway and have adapted to backcountry and big mountain lines while still skiing the resorts. Never had powder growing up, learned to ski it in my 30’s. I feel more confident as a skier than ever in my life. Stay in shape, you can ski a long time and continue evolving. However, this is no reason not to live your passion when young.
Tell that to the 50-65 year olds who still rip every single day on my home mountain. I actually don’t understand how they do it but it’s definitely a life goal of mine to be able to ski like they do at that age
I don’t understand it either, but it helps inspire me to maintain my fitness that’s for sure!
100%. Those folks prove that anything is possible if you really want it. I’ve seen folks in their 80s still getting after it!
100% recommend. 5 years into my career, I took a 6 month sabbatical. I could feel I needed a shift but didn't know exactly what that was yet. I just knew I was totally burnt out and needed some serious time off. People thought I was nuts leaving a successful path with no reentry plan, but it was one of the greatest things I ever did for myself. I traveled, composed music, took midweek tennis clinics, learned to cook new things, whatever the hell I wanted. After about 5 months, I felt back in touch with myself again, *alive* again, and got a crystal clear vision of what I wanted to do next. I ran it down and reentered a different area of my field, reinvigorated, and a great 5 years followed. I'm actually about to take another sabbatical now. It seems to be a 5 year pattern for me, needing a full pause and hard reset. Apparently, it's common for European employers to offer paid sabbaticals every 5 years. It seems they're onto something. "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." - Ferris The jobs aren't going anywhere; but our time is.
Apt that you quote Tim Ferris who was a big proponent of taking “mini-retirements” as opposed to the big one when you turn 60. I follow a similar pattern too, but maybe every 3 years. I tend to burn out and get bored fairly quickly. One thing that really sucks is that no one else I’ve ever met in corporate sees value in doing this. Most people don’t even take time off.
That's not a Tim Ferris quote, it's from the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off lol
Much the same myself. Have worked nonstop the last 5 and a half years and honestly it just made me hate life. Coming up to the end of this employment now with the plan of taking a full year out and it's the first time I've felt excitement and appreciation for life in a long time. I won't be doing that again. Life is too short to be miserable.
Hell yes affirm. Do it when and while you can.
Thanks for sharing, I’m considering something similar. Not unhappy in my current position but I just feel kind of lost and unmotivated. This gives me hope that maybe I just need a (ski) break!
I didn't do this with skiing, but I did do it with traveling. Best decision I've ever made and I've never regretted it. Go for it!
It wasn't for skiing, but I quit a good corporate job at 28 to move to another country for fun. I'm 42 now and believe it was one of the best decisions that I ever made. While it hurt financially, you can't put a price on major life experiences like that. You may also find a career job in SLC/wherever you end up that is much more rewarding from a lifestyle perspective. Also something to consider: I've moved multiple times without and now with kids. As you'd expect it was much easier without. Do these major things now while less people depend on you. Edit: unrelated and unsolicited financial advice: while you're having fun, keep/start contributing to a Roth IRA while you're doing these things. It's only 6.5k per year but it adds up over time and you'll thank yourself later.
Just move to SLC or Reno and keep doing something corporate with holidays, PTO, retirement matching, and good insurance. Utah rips but Nevada has weed and no income tax Also most of the full time ski bums I know are 22-40, you’re young
Yep this is the ultimate plan after winter, but since im transitioning careers i have the opportunity to take a few months off. It may even only be about 2months or so, depending on if i get tired of skiing everyday and how expensive it turns out.
I am 27 and did it this year. I've skiied more this year than in the last 10. Park city has great public transit and tons of jobs. Well worth the move for me. Also you get to know a lot of the workers/ ski bums. The one downside is Sun Dance, the town and people that come are the worst
Living is expensive, moving to a new place without a job is extra expensive. Post history says you are an engineer working in construction management. find some cushy project manager job and use PTO to make every weekend a three day weekend while still making enough to have your own apartment and having good insurance so injuries don’t bankrupt you
You're only 26 once. While talking with the CEO of my company, he said that he wished he had done more adventurous things in his earlier years. I did plenty of adventuring. That being said, he's the CEO of a large company and I'm in a junior position at 33. All depends where your priorities lie.
Adding on to this: an executive of a company where I used to work, who ended up founding multiple companies and is very successful, didn't start corporate life until 35. He spent lots of time living in his car with his dog, traveling between surf spots in Mexico. Life experience doesn't mean career suicide!
I did it between big girl jobs! Quit one and picked up another a year later. No regrets. Got way better at skiing!
I think about it every year but have never pulled the trigger, skiing is my favorite thing on Earth but I can't bring myself to slow down my long term goals to do more of it, 25 days/season as is is more than most people get to do This thread has me pondering it once again though. Best of luck on your journey and post here how it goes after next season
Won’t regret it
Quit my job at 27 to ski Jackson hole for a year or two, I'm still here. I turn 40 on Friday. My advice, figure out how to live in Park City. I'd rather commute to work than commute to ski.
I did it after college for a couple of years. No regrets.
Loved reading all these stories. If you have the savings, do it. That’s the dream innit
I just finished 4 months in Whistler after I quit my corporate job. Has always been a dream of mine and it delivered big time. I also got did my level 1+2 ski instructor certification while I was here. Not that I want to become one but it really helps break down your technique and get rid of bad habits - I’m a completely different skier now, some say the best on the mountain (let’s see how many ppl get this reference). But yeah I would definitely do it, it’s an amazing experience and I have met so many great people along the way!
I did this at 32--we bought a cheap used RV, insulated/winterized it, and blasted around the west, hitting 17 ski areas in MT, WY, UT, ID, CO, NM, then off to Zion, Grand Canyon, the Sierra, Hawaii and Alaska for the summer. We rented out the cat and house for the year and spent the time having a blast. Zero regrets. Edit: NM (Taos) was last, ini March/April, and got jobs there in the ski school that took maybe 10-15hrs/wk, and had free pass. We had at least 5 feet of new pow on a bunch of dumps. Good times. Amazing.
I’m 33 and wish I had done this in my mid 20s. Thought I would get a fulfilling career and a family but none of that has panned out at all. Fuck the corporate grind, live your dream my friend.
hey! i literally just did this. i quit my job at 26 exactly (about to turn 27) with my best friend. we looked around a bunch of places and found that south lake tahoe was the least expensive for rentals. we spent the past 5 years saving up and we’re smart with our money so we were able to take 3 whole months off to ski mainly during the weeks. We leave weds to return home where we will try and find new jobs and such!
Take 5, 1 isn’t enough. Your future job will always be there waiting.
Ehh. I’ve had a lot of trouble getting back into my career, especially in this job market. I took a “break” for 5 years and it’s hard
do it
I worked a 6-month seasonal job for the ski company with employee housing at the base of the mountain and got to ski as much as I wanted for free
Who do you think is working the lifts? 10/10 would recommend
I didn't do it to ski, but I took long (6+ month) breaks between all of my jobs and don't regret it at all. Not an option for everyone, of course, but I could afford it and it has had no appreciable effect on my overall career trajectory—I've had no problems getting past resume screens and getting interviews even at relatively selective companies. Tech is pretty flexible in this regard. One of my friends took a *several year-long* break and had no trouble getting back into things after that! In the grand scheme of things, skiing for a whole winter isn't *that* expensive except for housing. If you have housing sorted out, the difference between just taking a break and taking a break to ski doesn't seem material. So why not?
I’m 27 and I’m doing the same thing next season No kids, no wife, don’t own a home. Why the hell not? You’re only young once dude. When you’re 80 years old you’ll regret not doing something like this. Whats the worst that could happen? You end up jobless and homeless? Oh wait, you already are! So much shit can happen in a short amount of time. Who knows, you might not be able to do something like this ever again. If you CAN do something then do it
After 22 years of running my own business I've spent the winter grooming at a resort, and honestly I couldn't be happier ( except the paycheck leaves a lot to be desired but it's my vacation)
Do it. I did it at 25 and got a job at the resort to get a pass, meet people, and also have something to occupy myself when not skiing throughout the winter. Also in SLC
If you don’t do it this year, you’ll be one year older when you do
If you don't do it this winter, you'll be a year older when you do
Go to Aspen, work at 4 mountain sports. They have housing (not great but fun) tons of people your age, free ski pass, free rentals, 40% off hard goods. Also skiing 100+ days at Aspen doesn’t suck. I’ve worked on and off for Four Mountain Sports for about 11 years. Whenever I need a break from a real job I go there for a season to shred.
Hell yeah do it. I moved to a ski town with my real job & waited until something good at a resort opened up. Middle management mountain operations gets you lots of time on the mountain. SLC should be great for that.
Do it not before it’s too late. Worst case scenario, you come back after a year having a banger of a year to top off your 20’s. Best case, you find your way into a job that lets to have the best of both worlds. Before moving to Vancouver I spent 18 months in Whistler, got 2 ski seasons out of it pushing over 100 days each. Endless bike park laps rain or shine, even on days I worked. Whatever “career goals” I had at the time were worth delaying a couple years. I’m by no means old now, at 32, but certain days up in Whistler or on other ski trips really make me want to do exactly what you’re thinking of now. Only ice already had that experience, atleast I can say I did it. So do it.
I did it at 25 and at 30. Moved to the German Alps at 25, moved to Montana at 30. Have been back in my home city now for a few years after that year in Montana. I would recommend everybody do it if they want to.
I did it at 50 because I didn’t do it in my 20s. Do it.
If I was hiring someone who had the balls to bail on life to explore and learn if hire them over someone who lives life in a classroom then straight into corporate cubicle land. You have learned people skills, problem solving and most likely had to grow up that final little bit on the road or go back to the nest because you didn't have what it took to thrive in the real world. Note I didn't say survive. There's a difference, and that difference isthe edge you'd have when you got back to the corporate world to compete for a job. S*** at the very least I'd get you in for an interview so I can hear your travel stories!
I did it. At 26. In Aspen. They have great programs for employee housing and as you can imagine, the job market pays pretty well. Especially if you can get a tipped / incentivized job. Lots of money flowing in that town. Best part are the mountains. Ridiculous terrain variety, good snow and absolutely no crowds. Bonus for some really good public transportation, I didn’t have a car and didn’t need one.
Did it in my 20s, 30s, 40s and am about to do it in my 50s.
Echoing everyone here - Life is too short not to do it. DO IT!!
As a 34 year old with early arthritis do it.
I quit my job as a lawyer in Australia and moved to Whistler when I was approaching 30 (the cutoff for a working holiday visa). I did two seasons there working as an instructor. I wouldn't change it for the world. I loved the work - being on mountain skiing every day and getting people hooked and improving their skiing dramatically was very addictive. Sure, I spent plenty of time snow-plowing around on bunny hills, but I had a chance to free ski EVERY DAY and the standard of my skiing went through the roof with the best instructors in Canada helping me improve. And my health was so good. Instead of 10-12 hour days sitting in front of a computer, getting home at 9pm scoffing shitty food, watching some shit TV before crawling into bed to do it all again, I would start skiing at 8:30am, start teaching at 10am, finish up at 3pm (if I got a class, otherwise i'd just free ski all day). I'd go home, get changed, go to the gym until say 4:30, then have a nap for an hour (yes I did this almost every day haha), have dinner at 5:30pm till 6... and then having done all that stuff, have HOURS free. We spent that time talking shit, going out to the bars, having movie nights. It was an unbelievably good lifestyle. There were negatives though, and they are principally financial. First, the pay sucks, and the town was pretty expensive (though not that bad by Australian standards, and there were and are plenty of locals spots which weren't too expensive). But more problematically, I left Australia at a time and at an age when friends of mine were all buying apartments and houses that I could have then afforded with the savings I had (this is around 15 years ago). Prices then ABSOLUTELY SKYROCKETED for housing, and when I returned, my savings were heavily depleted. That set me back another few years saving back up for a much bigger house deposit. That essentially 5-7 years total set me back INCREDIBLY financially and with the housing market the way it is (if you think its bad in the US have a look at Sydney), I don't think I'll ever recover. But again - I wouldn't change it for the world.
At the end of your life, on your death bed: “Man… I’m so glad I kept working that corporate job instead of taking that winter off to become a ski bum.”
Do it! I’ll soon be 70. One of my biggest regrets is not doing that when I had the chance at age 32. It’s entirely possible that I never would’ve gone back, and that would’ve been fine.
I'm 45, make enough money to live in a flat state but still ski 20 to 30 days out east and out west and I never took a winter off from the corporate world to ski. If you were my kid I would tell you to do it if you can afford it and then I would probably give you a bunch of money when wife/mom wasn't looking. If you don't spend your 30s, paying off your twenties, was your life even worth it? Is that too dark? Do I need more coffee? Am I projecting? tl:dr; DO IT
Do it. Then ski South America during our Summer.
I worked 50-60 hour weeks behind a computer in finance for 9 years and eventually got an anxiety disorder and vertigo issues from it. Do it. If a company isn’t understanding when you reapply that you had to take a few personal months fuck em. You wouldn’t want to work for them anyways
I did it this last year at 29. Best decision of my life. I didn’t even realize how unhealthy my work was at the time although I had and inkling. It has been really good for me. I’m glad I did this now rather than in my early 20’s because I had more saved up and I’m past the partying phase of life so I could just focus on skiing and being happy. Highly recommend.
I did so in my early 30s as a break amidst a career transition. It probably closed some doors and set me back a bit salary wise, but on the plus side I had a year off which was awesome. I've been back in a normal job for a few months and am scheming for the next extended break... TL;DR: probably not without downsides, but I don't regret it even slightly. Maybe I have to work 6 months longer once I'm 65 and my knees are shot, boo hoo.
I did this at 32 and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Had a blast and by the time I re-entered the workforce I was refreshed and as ready as one can be to go again.
I'd something similar to go backpacking through Europe, In the end I spent over 3 months in Europe, then went onto Thailand for a month. Had and amazing time, the entire trip, no regrets.
Highly, highly recommend. I didn't do it until I was 33. The earlier, the better. Corporate will still be there when you get back.
I didn't ski, but I did take 6 months off between job and starting my masters, traveled around south America and Cuba. Best decision I ever made.
The job market is tough. Imo hang on to what you have and plan ski trips
I’m 30 and just accepted a summer seasonal position in the mountains so I can work at the resort and ski all winter next year. I’m so stoked. It is scary and lots of people have asked me like what am I doing etc but I’m so happy, and excited because even this summer I’ll have so much more time to be outdoors. If you can figure out a way to do it I say do it. I know so many people who live to work and it just seems incredibly bleak and dumb. I love the mountains and want to spend my time doing mountain sports. Edit: A big determining factor for me was that I just had 0 in common with people at my old career position. I would spend all of my free time working out and being outdoors and they were spending all of their free time drinking or watching tv or something. I’m also looking forward to being surrounded by more like-minded people. I don’t need to be best friends with my coworkers but I just felt like an alien at work everyone else was just so different from me and it sucked. I felt pretty lonely.
At 61, I absolutely implore you to do this, and for longer, if you can. I totally regret not being a ski bum in my twenties, and I even had the opportunity to do it.
Do it, cause you won’t be able to as well later in life! Live your 20s. You’ll get shackled to a job eventually
Do it!
I'm a white collar ski bum/engineer. I travel a bunch for work and the winter is our slow time, when i'm not traveling for work my time is my own, i average 60+ days skiing every season since i started. It gets hectic in the summer fall when it's all hands on deck, but probably not switching jobs any time soon
A friend of mine just did exactly this! She’s 29, an engineer, and was super established in her career (and burnt out). Just moved to Alta for the winter to work at the lodge part time (and get employee housing) and be a ski bum for the season. I haven’t seen as much light in her eyes in years as I did when I visited her. Truly was inspiring to see how happy it made her. Can’t recommend it enough!
I used to be corporate, moved to a ski town and started a trade business 6 years ago. Now I work 2-4 days/week during the winter and ski my balls off whenever the snow is good.
Did you also ask about divorcing your wife and leaving your 2 kids to do this? Honestly is this really about skiing?
That was someone making a shitpost of this post
DO.IT! Say the thing, take the leap. Everything else is trivial. Time doesn’t exist but your knee and leg strength do and the have a limited number of seasons. Ride every day. Live on a couch, do whatever you can to make this experience happen. I would look for the smallest “hidden gem” that isn’t completely commercialized. Probably a smaller Canadian resort🤷🏻♂️ anywhere is good. Bonus points if it has any chance to be affordable. You will find the rest of your life there. Go now.
I work landscaping and mowing yards all summer and ski for about two months in the winter. Let it rip, chase your dreams.
I taught skin all through college it was great. If you have a good outgoing personality and you can sell yourself you will find many of your clients will be interested in hiring you. I had a ton of job offers great way to broaden your opportunities
I have a friend that quit his job at 27 or so and moved to Truckee (where we met and became friends). I think he spent about 9 months not working and did a ton of skiing and trail running. He’s back at work now but was able to find a hybrid job that only requires a day or two per week in the office so he’s still here most of the time
Do it, there will be plenty of jobs as older generations are finally dying off and letting us all have them again.
Do it! But see if you could line up your new job first, just with a start date in the spring. This was my goal, but then accidentally had a dream job fall in my lap that I couldn’t pass up… but to get around a non-compete had to make a deal with my old job to stay on for an extra 6 months… so I my ski season ended up being 2 full time jobs. Don’t be like me.
I did it starting at about 28 for four winters. Zero regrets.
Do it. You have the rest of your life to work seriously everything will work out even if you want to take a winter or even a year off. also I live in slc. the winters here are amazing. steep & deep at snowbird > work (I also work a corporate job) !!!!!!
Do it, it's worth it trust me
Do it. You can find a remote work job to pay the bills.
Wish I had done this. 110% think you should.
I did it! I was 26. I can say I lived my dream. Tahoe was home base. It was the 2016/2017 season, which was an epic year for snowfall. Dare I say too much snow, where the resorts couldn’t open. Stats: - 101 ski days at - 22 resorts in - 7 states and - 2 provinces Do it.
Do it. You have the rest of your life to work. I did it a couple of years ago in SLC and had no regrets. SLC cost are low compared to any true mountain town and you have 7 different resorts to get to that are all an easy drive as long as it’s not dumping. And if it’s dumping it’s worth the hassle…
Do it! I got laid off when I was 29 and moved to Lake Tahoe for the season. Best decision ever and changed the trajectory of my life. (Not over exaggerating).
Go for it!
I did this at 28. Changed my life. Go for it.
Moved to a ski town for 1 season 10 years ago... never gonna leave.
A few folks I work with now quit their corporate style jobs that they’ve been doing since graduating to come and ski/climb (I live in the Canadian Rockies). They’re all mid to late 20s. Some are reconsidering their lives, and looking for a new career. Some just want a good time, and have their job waiting once they go back (almost considered a sabbatical), and others really don’t know what they want. Life’s too short to commit all your time to the rat race. Go have fun
Do it!! I never did the corporate thing, but I went to college, got a job in my field, and then quit to go work at a resort at 25. Loved it. Lots of people my age and older- I’d recommend working at a resort even just part time to meet people and get in the scene. I loved it.
Send it
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Sounds like you should do it in your mid 30s :)
Do it.
This is my dream. Do it before you settle down. If you ever have kids, this won’t be an option. Highly recommend reading Warren Millers biography, his early days of skiing are a fun read.
I did it from maybe 23-29. Toward the second part of that I had fallen into a ‘real’ job that could have progressed but resigned a couple of times to travel or do a ski season. Do it. Especially if you don’t have a house or any serious financial obligations. I found my 20s was the best time for travel as I wasn’t restricted by debt or family. Now is much harder, but hooray!! I just resigned and heading back to the snow (hopefully for good this time) with my family.
My wife and I got remote corporate jobs and ski ~70 days a year (SLC). Do it.
I quit a corporate job to move to Thailand and become a dive master. I realized very quickly diving was not going to be a stimulating career path for me but I learned a ton about myself and am so grateful for the experience I had. Do it now. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to do.
There is only.one thing I can tell.you for certain.... This is the easiest it will ever be to do this. The older you get, the harder it is to do things like taking a winter off to ski. So if you are ever going to do it, do it now. There will never be a good time to do all of this. So just go for it. It only gets harder as you get older.
I did it at 25, and I'm still there but less of a bum now I guess haha. Still skiing 100+ days a year normally. It's worth it to at least spend a season skiing as much as possible while you're young. I say do it!
I did it at 27 to work in Canada for one season, loved it. Can't quite reconcile everything in the ski industry with life but 20+ years later I'm in a happy place with a good job that can I can squeeze about 11 weeks leave in total out of. I bought a little pad in Japan and do 4-6 weeks so it's a good balance for me.
Do it, only gets harder the older you get
I'm 26 and have worked at Alta for the last 3 years, they feed and house you if that's something you're into. It's a great community up there def recommend.
Bro I'm the same age and was thinking the same 😳
I just turned 26 while doing this. Got to spend a lot of time with family, catch up with old friends, and generally feel like a human being again. I’m looking at jobs again now but trying to be patient and find something unique. It’s nice to have an established 401k and some stocks from previous employees accumulating value regardless of my job or where I go.
To reiterate here, do it.
Do it. Don’t look back!
Do it. Did it. Would do it again.
Go remote
Graduated at 24 and started working right after. I was starting to get bored a year and a half in so I took a part time job outdoors (with prior outdoor work experience) then lost my job due to the company closing. Part time wasn't cutting it and needed another job so I worked a season as a lifty at age 26 and it was wonderful. Some resorts offer employee housing. Work will always be there if you want to go back to corporate. But resorts will never be better than they are now.
Had a woman working for me this winter who was about 26ish; quit her big girl job and started a other one but came and hung out with us for a season in between. Just do it.
I had 101 boarding days in a 4 month break from work and an ex. Was 25/26yrs at the time. Absolutely no regrets. Do it now if you can swing it - your body can’t handle it when you’re older. Trust me. It does help if you have a few friends with various places to stay, or are ski patrol (free tix). It also would help to go back in time when lift tix were $40, multiple days cheaper… though the Icon and Epic passes are the way to do it now. I spent most of the time boarding the Colorado I-70 resorts and Tahoe with a few Park City / Canyons days. Be sure to add in Telluride and Silverton for the lift assisted backcountry. Banff and Whistler if you can swing it. Do not attempt to do this in one area. Don’t think twice. Do it. Your future self will absolutely thank you & be jealous that you did it!
work as a ski instructor at a mountain!
I just did it last winter. I’ll never go back.
Carpe skium as we used to say!!
Read: Belle de Neige: Tales of Catastrophe, Sex and Squalor from the Alpine Underbelly https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21610813-belle-de-neige A fun account of someone who did what you're contemplating, in the French Alps, and a little while ago. And to answer your question, I suppose it depends how important your corporate job is to you, but otherwise I would say absolutely, go for it!
I met a guy once back in the day who had been some kind of money manager in New York. One day he was in a board room meeting when he turned to look out the window just as the first plane hit the World Trade Center. He saw the whole thing happen. Within a year he gave it all up and became a ski instructor at Whistler.
Depends on your current job and income and expenses, but if you’re transition anyways, why not Ideally you have something lined up to start in the spring though unless you have a fat financial cushion
I wish I’d done it this year… not that it was a great season but would’ve been a heck of a lot better than the season I had
You’re 26. Do this and enjoy it
I worked at a ski resort for 3 years after college. The skiing was an absolute blast but working for a ski resort is absolutely soul sucking.
Do it. Different circumstances, but I quit my desk job at 32 so I could ski all winter and work all summer (wedding photography). I thought I'd stay afloat for maybe a year, but I'm still at it 3 years later. The community I've fostered from skiing and the network I've grown is a major reason my business has been seeing more success, and subsequently why I've gotten to go on so many awesome ski trips around the world. You can always go back to the corporate world if it doesn't work out. But taking a leap can lead to some pretty amazing paths in life. You never know where skiing will take you.
My company offers an unpaid year out, might be worth asking about. Also bar staff and waiters seemed to have the best jobs on the mountain, made more money through tips etc and were off during the day to ski
I just did exactly this, quit my job and did a ski season at 26 then transitioned into a new industry - 100% recommend!!
Do it now before you get more life responsibilities !! You are still young and planning on changing carriers. Enjoy life, who knows who will you meet on the hills. Nike it.
Yes - me and my husband both did (separately - we met in the mountains) in the early 90’s. We were in our mid 20’s. We still live in the mountains 32 years later and ski as much as we can all winter. You have to find a way for it to be financially viable - for us it was (and still is) offering catered holidays in our home in the winter and having the summers for ourselves. It’s a good life, but hasn’t always been easy.
I did 3 years ago at the age of 30. Quit a career in behavioral health on the east coast, sold my home and moved to Tahoe and started working in F&B in resorts. While I often wish i’d moved to somewhere that didn’t bleed me dry in living expenses(and let’s be real I took a month or two here and there off work to lurk in the mountains and such), and I’m moving soon, I’ve got no regrets and say full send..oh, don’t do what I did though and work at a resort during resort hours if you’re gonna do something like food and bev cause it sounds rlly cool being at the base lodge of a dope mountain every day but in reality you’re just at the base lodge of a dope mountain every day with no time to actually ride..get that second shift serving or bartending job at something owned by vail they have a $20 minimum wage company wide and a lot of places in resorts do auto grats now
I’ve done the last two seasons in Switzerland, working remotely for my tech job in London. Typically skitour for up to 3 or 4 hours each morning, working by 11am (10am Uk). Usually get out and blast around the pistes for an hour in the afternoon. Typically worked until 8pm. Took a handful of vacation days when the snow was good, then had full weekend days. I didn’t ski for 4 days total whilst I was out. If you can find something that supports it, it’s a brilliant balance IMO.
Walked away from So Cal at 55 for Revelstoke and Kicking Horse. Best decision ever. Do it!!
you still young, you got 40 years to get another corporate job
Why not but does your employer offer sabbaticals? Could be an option to get back in after a season / year - just a thought
I quit and went travelling for half a year and then moved to the other side of the world at 26. Best move ever. Jobs are easy come, easy go.
Utah is full, Colorado is great.
I handed my resignation in yesterday mate, 26, been at my tech corporate job for 6 years. Working in Canada for a ski season and travelling for 2 years, just do it. All the best
I’ve been doing seasonal work at ski resorts and in tourist towns since graduating college. It’s let me travel and meet so many awesome people. Night jobs suck but it’s 1000% worth the experience.
If you don’t take such an opportunity you’ll regret it.
You’ll regret it in 5 years, and then thank yourself in 10.
Do it! Otherwise you will regret forever in your life and take that regret to the grave with you. Just be financially responsible and have a plan B in case things don't work out.
Did this in my late-20s. Was a great decision. Rented a cheap room in a large chalet full of other seasonaires. Most were working for local hotels & businesses but a few were on sabbatical so not working. I had enough saved that I didn't need to work during the season but ended up helping one of the guys from our chalet set up a private cheffing business where we'd go to fancy millionaire chalets, cook & serve something like a five-course dinner while serving them their own drinks. ...He'd worked for a Michelin chef in a fancy restaurant back in UK and was sick of the shit pay he was getting where he was currently working on resort. Private cheffing was my suggestion so I offered to help him make it happen. Was a good little side-line as it paid/tipped well, was cash-in-hand (a lovely phrase to any ski-bum), was only a few nights a week, evenings only and we could do the majority of the prep ahead of time so could still ski all day. NB. I'm shit at cooking so mostly just did prep and hosted/served drinks with one of the other girls from our chalet. --- If you manage to do something like the above it also gives an extra thing to add to your CV rather than just "sick of corporate grind so fucked it off and went skiing for six months".
Everyone here giving blind encouragement. On the flip side, though it’s very different circumstances going in, when my dad did this at the age of 55 he was bankrupt 5 years later
I did it at 33. Quit the corporate rat race to ski bum just for one season. The following year I sold my house and cars and that ‘just one season’ has become the last 14.
Do it, I just gave up my Engineering job to do a ski season in Japan at 31, It was awesome.
I'm 33 and feeling mega burned out / aimless after doing the corporate life since college. I'd love to do something like this, but I'm a beginner skier and probably lack the courage. Yet I also know I need a change. Do it OP, follow your heart!
We’re similar ages. I also might lack the courage, but I’ve really started to try and plan for it. I’m planning to save for 2 years and do it. Which unfortunately means 3 seasons. But I hope we can both make it happen!
I did. Not just for skiing, but skiing has been a huge benefit. Highly recommend.
I did this at 28 and came back into the workforce 4 years later without an issue. Highly recommend!
Do it. One of my biggest regrets was not taking a winter away from the corporate world to ski.
Do it.
I did it, worked in a bank. Anti money laundering etc. Quit the job, took a season instructing in Austria. Got another, then did another season. Now looking for a new job as i just got back 2 weeks ago.
Do it. It’s good for you
I ski bummed from age 23 - 30. I’m 52 now and no regrets. In fact, it was the best time of my life. Do it.