Ski Bum Rap

Ever since my days as a competent student in middle school, I have been told that my future included exceptional SAT scores, acceptance into a top university and an impressive, dependable job with the possibility of promotion. But experience has taught me that more options are available to a bright young man who knows he has room to grow.
I aspire to the life of a ski bum.
The term was first coined and glorified in the ’70s, when groups of powder fanatics eschewed dull day jobs and headed to the mountain in throngs to live up the lifestyle. They earned money from dishwashing and bus driving and spent it all to pay for a pass. Many took beat-up vans on the road to experience snow from Virginia to Alaska.
Unfortunately, today’s world no longer affords the carefree alpine hero his dream so easily. These days, a successful ski bum is never going to be a bum. But the job a ski bum chooses is certainly one of the most crucial aspects of his lifestyle. The job must provide adequate pay and purely night hours. Dave Kovall, a self-proclaimed ski

bum who spent a winter in Whitefish, Montana, has specific advice: “Good ski bum jobs include front desk at a hotel at night, bell hop at night, bus boy, cook or waiter. If you want to ski during the day, you can’t work an office job — you want a job where you can work at night.”
If you think being a ski instructor is a good option, think again, Kovall warns. “Working for a ski mountain has the advantage of a free ski pass, but you will probably not get to utilize the pass much,” he says.
Many of the typical ski bum jobs — waiter, cook and bus driver — are conventional jobs, and plenty of people live comfortably on these wages in the real world. It’s a fairly simple trick to sacrifice a nicer car and adopt bland food and drink in order to afford boots, bindings and a pass.

If you want to be a ski bum, there are some basic rules to follow. First, shun the dream of being itinerant. One of the principal costs of bumhood in the ’70s was transportation, and that was when gas prices were reasonable. Although hopping from ski resort to ski resort with a band of friends is the ultimate road trip, the cost of individual day lift tickets is not compatible with not holding a steady job. In the West, many of the big-name mountains run as high as $70 a day. The best plan is to find a mountain you love and settle in for the season.
Next, ski bums should live in a place that will allow for year-round occupation. Any residence on-mountain will charge you egregious rent, and there will be a wider selection of housing at lower altitudes. The same goes for job opportunities: The selection, as well as the pay, will likely be better off the mountain.
One of the best ways to fund winter fun is to work hard during the summer. While the winter will be limited to night shifts, off-season workweeks of 60 hours or more can help to accumulate a substantial savings to ease the winter months.
The sad truth is that ski bumming isn’t always something to jump right into. Josh Verdon moved to Whistler, B.C., trying to find a place to ski for the rest of his life. He started his occupational career as a dishwasher in a local restaurant and slowly worked his way up to become the head chef. “That took waiting,” he says, but now he can ski almost whenever he wants. “It doesn’t matter what your trade is when you’re on the [mountain].”