The reason pro skiers and snowboarders and surfers seem like they make a lot of money is that they don't need the same stuff that regular people need all the time. Most pro extreme sports athletes get clothes, luggage, airfare, and equipment to do their job for free. Throw in a average salary like 40-50K and a lot of them can afford a mortgage with utilities, furniture, food, etc. I know people who only make 35K a year and they can afford a mortgage, a car, all the necessities, and extra that they don't need. To be a pro extreme sports athlete, you don't have to make that much money. Many things just get handed over to you because of the hookups you have in the industry. Besides that,how expensive is it for your family to grow up in Vail, Tahoe, Mammoth, Chamonix, Are, etc. etc? I don't think any of those places have many "poor" people. And to be able to ski all day every day, which is why the pros are the pros and the regular kids are regular kids, costs a lot of money. It just takes a little thought to put it in perspective, so after my rant, my conclusion is that many pro extreme sports athletes (nowadays, since most extreme sports nowadays begin as expensive hobbies before one turns pro) have some opportunities and grow up in the right environment to be successful at what they do, so they don't really need too much money. But I'm pretty sure that Sammy Carlson and Seth Morrison had part time jobs in high school.
