just wondering, how do people who ski ALL winter support themselves. they ski all day and have the money for it? i get that they have summer jobs to save money but is that really enough?
Ideally you live in a crappy hole in the wall with cheap rent. You swing a hammer all summer and pull as many hours as you can and save. During the season maybe work in a bar/restaurant/coffee shop a couple shifts a week for extra money and potential free food. I've observed that work for other people but have no firsthand ski bum experience.
Yeeeeeep . Live in a shit box and share rooms for cheaper rent. Work in hospitality from late afternoon until around midnight . Its actually a sweet way to live. Loads of fun
Live the van life. Buy a van, work for a year or two saving up money and then travel to ski mountains and sleep in parking lots. No rent other than insurance which you'd have to pay anyway for a car
I stacked 3K all summer long before moving out. When I moved out to west I got a job working as a snowmaker. Snowmaking was a great job because 1. It's at night 2. It payed well and I got a free pass+other benefits 3. It's only like 3 or 4 days a week.
Unfortunately I broke my collarbone in October and only got a few days of work in. Luckily I had the money I had saved up all summer to rely on. Currently not working at all and just skiing. I have enough money left to not have to work again till February.
I also try to save money by:
-Eating at free meals provided by churches/employers
-Doing old people shit like using grocery store cards
-NEVER spending money at ski resorts in any way (food,parking,etc).