College or Ski?!?

HippyKiller007Hey guys…So I'm a senior in HS from MN and I'm graduating in 2 weeks. Everyone is pushing for me to decide what I am going to do next fall. Here's the thing..I don't really feel ready for college yet. And even if I was I don't really want to stay here in MN and go to school because skiing is such an important part of my life and MN doesn't really cut it for me. If all else fails, I would be going to UMD Duluth in MN. They have Spirit Mountain which isn't all that bad but I really want to move out west and experience backcountry and the BIG parks like Keystone and Breck. I don't really want to hop right into college after HS because I am not motivated at all in my current situation. ALL I WANT TO DO IS SKI. I have looked at CMC (Colorado Mountain College) and was thinking that might work because maybe I could go to school part time or something. I just really don't know what to do. I was wondering if anyone else is in my situation and if you guys have any suggestions of what I could do? I know I need to get an education but I also REALLY want to ski as much as I can.

THANKS!

just do a couple of seasons then hopefully by then youve worked out what you wanna study and go back to college. thats what i did.

skiafterbanginjust do a couple of seasons then hopefully by then youve worked out what you wanna study and go back to college. thats what i did.

That's what I said 5 years ago... going into my 11th back to back winter next month :p

SkiingsnowThat's what I said 5 years ago... going into my 11th back to back winter next month :p

Thats exactly what I think will happen…haha

HippyKiller007Thats exactly what I think will happen…haha

not that there's anything wrong with that

HippyKiller007Thats exactly what I think will happen…haha

Do whatever makes you happy dude. If you can pull of ski bumming for your whole life more power to you.

Go skiing.

If you don't feel motivated to go to college your first year after high school, it's unlikely you'll ever be. There's a chance college might not be for you, but it's a risk either way you go. Also, with the forecasted "super El Niño" next winter is going to suck no matter where you go...

Do what you want to do, do what makes you happy. I know I'll be driving out west the day I graduate. (Not speaking in a literal sense)

Just take classes in the summer spring and fall, and take the winter off. That way, you can go live the skid life out west for the winter, and then come back and go to school the rest of the year

Go check out the University of Utah dude. Tom Wallisch took classes there while competing. I go there now and was able to get 70 days in this season while going to school full time. Its located in Salt Lake City, so Park City, Brighton, Alta, and Snowbird are all 30 minutes away. The perfect ski bum school.

70 days = weekend warrior/holiday status
ski bums = 2x that

GrahamGouldJust take classes in the summer spring and fall, and take the winter off. That way, you can go live the skid life out west for the winter, and then come back and go to school the rest of the year

got to school in the summer and fall. ski during the spring semester. most areas dont get popin till after x-mas anyways

Cant make a decision for you but I can tell you what I did. I too really wanted to ski, its super important to me but I was really pressured to go to school as well. I go to University of Minnesota Duluth (the option you mentioned). I too was resistant to go to school in MN, I was trying to go out west to CU Boulder or Boseman Montana, but both options were too expensive to me. Honestly though I regret nothing going here, Spirit mtn has a pretty killer park as the Midwest goes, theres tons of gnarly urban to hit, and there is a huge freestyle skiing community here. And Spirit is only 15-20min off campus so we hit it almost every day after class. My best friend goes to CU Boulder, and while he does get to ski Breck every week he usually only gets 1 or 2 days a week in, whereas me and the guys I ski with clocked over 100 days this season while being full time students. Hope some of this helps your decision a little

1 day of

=
a dozen in the midwest

it dosent seem like your ready for college so i would recommend living close to the mountains and maybe taking a couple community college classes. with that being said i was reluctant to start college also because i wanted to ski but there is plenty of universities in the U.S. that you can do both. For example if you want to ski breck and key, i would recommend maybe going to Denver U or boulder

you may not have motivation but the college aspect is well worth it. The way I look at it, you can still get solid skiing in while enrolled at college. Although it may not seem worth it at the time, you want to be able to afford skiing with ease in the future since it is so important to you. Also, isn't it a little late to be thinking about if you're going to school next fall?

Gap yah

TheWingmenCant make a decision for you but I can tell you what I did. I too really wanted to ski, its super important to me but I was really pressured to go to school as well. I go to University of Minnesota Duluth (the option you mentioned). I too was resistant to go to school in MN, I was trying to go out west to CU Boulder or Boseman Montana, but both options were too expensive to me. Honestly though I regret nothing going here, Spirit mtn has a pretty killer park as the Midwest goes, theres tons of gnarly urban to hit, and there is a huge freestyle skiing community here. And Spirit is only 15-20min off campus so we hit it almost every day after class. My best friend goes to CU Boulder, and while he does get to ski Breck every week he usually only gets 1 or 2 days a week in, whereas me and the guys I ski with clocked over 100 days this season while being full time students. Hope some of this helps your decision a little

Yeah man...Spirit is really sick...I just really want to get a lot of skiing in this next winter..and if you say you and your buddies got a solid 100 days in, that's pretty dang good. And I guess after getting school out of the way, I could move right out west after that and still get to experience the mountains! Duluth is really sick..I've seen some urban edits such as the STEPT crew when they did their Duluth segment. I would like to hear more about this freestyle ski program!!

If your tight on money for school and want to go to Duluth there is Lake Superior community college. Take the same generals but cheaper. Then just transfer somewhere when you figure what you want to or do two more at UMD. Also save a butt load of money. Not sure what the transfer details are these days but they use to be pretty good about accepting credits LSC via UMD.

If you really feel your not ready for college and your going to waste/miss classes then take a year off, move somewhere awesome to ski for a season. I feel it would be easier to tell family you don't feel ready for school vs telling them you failed half your classes due to skiing alot.

But like said above some people can ski alot and go to school. Just a matter of will power and effort.

don't listen to tha man, maaaaan. Do whatever you want. You're what like 18? I'm 22 and I haven't been to college yet. I've been skiing my face off every winter. As long as you don't get a girl pregnant or married, or make any commitments, you can be free to ski however long you want. College can wait. Cuz once you're done with college you are going to have bills, and once you have bills, you can't ski until you pay them off. So take it from a guy who was in your position a few years ago and DID NOT regret his decision to fool around and have fun while his friends were and still are faced with debt and responsibilities. College can wait until you're like 25 if you want. It's up to you, don't screw it up, kid

oh yeah and get a job at a ski resort, this is the most important way to get in over 100 days of skiing for free. it's also hella fun. pick your dream resort and live there, dude. it's super easy

you should look at westminister university here in SLC. i think they still have the program where you can ski a shitload and still attend classes. if you want to shred while getting an education, that might be the best option. just research what uni's might have those programs that let you ride. if not, just go out west somewhere and fix up a schedule that allows you to ski and learn. its a win win situation.

If you really don't want to go to college yet, wait a year and ski bum.

I would still go back to school though. It is better to have a four year degree and the option of ski town or real world than no degree at all. You don't want to regret not having options. If you really won't focus on school, however, your time might be better spent elsewhere.

I have a buddy who took a year off before college and skied. It really helped him focus when he went back to school.

As I said before, be careful of the urge to stay in a ski town forever. You may someday want the options a college degree brings.

My last day of HS is tomorrow. pretty stoked on that but i was in your same position in march. i wanted to get out of the midwest but didnt know what i wanted for school. looked at CMC u of u little to expensive for me. what im doing is getting my AA at a small community college(NICC) its in Peosta iowa. going to be living in dubuque, which is like a half hour from chestnut. after the two years hopefully i have enough money saved up and know what i want to do, and then transfer to U of U boulder or something. Somehow i want to live out west in the mountains

Ski! I just moved from Minnesota to Utah last fall. I quit school after graduating high school, no regrets. I'd rather do what I love (ski). Don't go to Colorado though. It's just a bunch of rich tourist gapers, especially the Vail resorts (Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone). Arapahoe Basin is cool but small and no park. If you want real skiing, come to Utah (or Squaw, Jackson, or anywhere in Washington).

yangumanenot that there's anything wrong with that

Take a year off. Take two, but be realistic with yourself about what you hope to accomplish with skiing.

Heads up, this is a long answer...

I went straight into university after high school. I ended up studying at the University of Calgary, where the drinking age is 18 and the ski club has 4000 members/partiers. My first impression was that it would be awesome, in hindsight I was wrong. I was all caught up in this 'status' thing about rocking straight into university, I had great grades in highschool, and I thought that that automatically translated to the next step.

I loved (love) skiing, but at that point I was no sponsor prospect, and as I said, college was on brain.
But man I was not ready! within a month I lost the 'passion' for going to classes, and wasted my time with sleeping in and partying. I ended up dropping out after the first year, and that was discouraging as fuck, and expensive. But you want to know the one best thing bout that year? I got my stoke on for skiing:) I found out that I was the best skier in the Uni Ski Club, and started thinking about entering the Red Mountain or Lake Louise Big Mountain comps.
When I flunked out the next summer, I really didn't know what to do with myself. I got a job at a sports store, pro-dealed some skis and some new gear, and fucked around until the snow fell in october and I moved back home to Red Mountain.

I got a last minute job as a liftie, and skied everyday. It was awesome! I started building jumps again, dropping cliffs, and getting upside down on every jump and lip I could find. I found a new crew to ski with through work, and really shined.

I ski bummed for the next three years, did the whistler thing for a season, and competed in Big mountain comps from Revy to Snow Bird. Never got around to learning too many park tricks, but stomped some double backs and broke some skis.

But I wasn't really going anywhere with it.. my friends through comps got sponsored, and while I got some free skis I never made it onto any teams bigger than the local boardshop. still, 100+ day seasons and plenty of stoke is nothing to shake your head at! At the end of the 4th season I felt like the oldest guy in town, and at 22 while everyone else my age was finishing their bachelors... I probably was.

So I went back to school, and now I am writing this post while in the last crunch of finishing my bachelors thesis. I've continued to hit up a few big mountain comps, and I blew my ACL pretending to be a park rat last january. All in all, I really value the years that I spent bumming. Every turn, cliff, spin and flip were worth it. 4 seasons with literally NO money also made me desperate for more.

DON'T go to school right away. Take a year and ski. You'll delay that tuition cost, and have fun while doing it. But be realistic as well. In hindsight I took too many years off, keep the dream going, but be a little bit real.

*edit, college of the rockies, don't you need to establish state residency to go there with in-state tuition? the smartest thing to do then would be to ski and live in colorado for a year and apply to school as a resident next year.

Whatever you do you'll have fun bud, but honestly, take that year off and treat yourself right, there's no reason to rush school, you'll live till you're 80 for fucks sake, by then this rush will all be relative

If you live near a community college, you could take a year to ski take a few core classes to get your non major specific credits done. And then go to a real college and save a ton of money by not needing to take those core classes

Go out west and establish residency. That way you can ski and then stay out west for school and get in state tuitionif you ever decide you want to pursue a degree.

gap year brew

if you're going to college with no real idea as to what you want to get out of it, and skiing is your number one priority, then get a job out west and ski bum for a little while. its not worth getting into a lot of debt for a degree that you won't use and didn't put work into. once you get tired of working terrible to mediocre jobs and you are ready to commit to something else then go to school with a plan.

HippyKiller007Yeah man...Spirit is really sick...I just really want to get a lot of skiing in this next winter..and if you say you and your buddies got a solid 100 days in, that's pretty dang good. And I guess after getting school out of the way, I could move right out west after that and still get to experience the mountains! Duluth is really sick..I've seen some urban edits such as the STEPT crew when they did their Duluth segment. I would like to hear more about this freestyle ski program!!

For sure dude, I don't think you would regret going here. I think my friend drew got a total of 109 days in (he had the most) and then the lowest number in our group was something in the 80s. I wouldn't say we really have a freestyle program here, there is a race team/program and a ski club. But there are a load of freestyle skiers here, often times we outnumber the snowboarders on the hill which was a big change to me coming from Hyland. Within the first two weeks of being here in fall I had already met a group of 5 other freestyle skiers who I ended up shredding with all winter long which was super cool. Also just for fun I'll throw in a couple videos we made, one mostly at spirit and one that was all urban! Hit me up with a PM if you have any questions about school here or just wanna talk about the skiing etc!

https://www.newschoolers.com/watch/702920.0/Duluth-Squad

https://vimeo.com/92642547

TheWingmenFor sure dude, I don't think you would regret going here. I think my friend drew got a total of 109 days in (he had the most) and then the lowest number in our group was something in the 80s. I wouldn't say we really have a freestyle program here, there is a race team/program and a ski club. But there are a load of freestyle skiers here, often times we outnumber the snowboarders on the hill which was a big change to me coming from Hyland. Within the first two weeks of being here in fall I had already met a group of 5 other freestyle skiers who I ended up shredding with all winter long which was super cool. Also just for fun I'll throw in a couple videos we made, one mostly at spirit and one that was all urban! Hit me up with a PM if you have any questions about school here or just wanna talk about the skiing etc!

https://www.newschoolers.com/watch/702920.0/Duluth-Squad

first embed didnt work so I'll try again..
https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/702920/Duluth-Squad

john18061806Also, with the forecasted "super El Niño" next winter is going to suck no matter where you go...

Can anyone tell me what a super el nino is?

go to school, its defiantly possible to ski and got to college as well, just make a preference. Is it a university were u can only ski once every couple of weeks due to distance or work load, or is it a community college where u can ski every weekend, and during the nights because who gives a a fuck.

maybe go to a college that is close to a ski resort?

Do what makes you happy. If skiing is it then do that! Get a job out west and do your thing. If skiing is it then live your life that way.

Caleb.Ego to school, its defiantly possible to ski and got to college as well, just make a preference. Is it a university were u can only ski once every couple of weeks due to distance or work load, or is it a community college where u can ski every weekend, and during the nights because who gives a a fuck.

Sure, get some credit at a community college, or get a job. But if skiing is what you want the most right now then go for it. You won't regret trying it out for one year. But commit yourself to a uni degree if you think you'll be second guessing the decision every year from late october to may.

Community colleges offer online programs that get you the same freshmen and sophomore credits cheaper amd more efficiently than traditional universities. That way you could live wherever you want and continue education for a couple years meanwhile figuring out what you want to do with your future. Assuming you do two years worth you walk away with an associates at least.

The one drawback I found early on was how easy it is to fuck up the time management when you don't physically go to class though. Added the time spent working to support yourself and riding it can be stressfull.

It's not for everyone, but can totally be done with motivation and organization.

Might not be worth shit to you but it's my 2 cents worth. Good luck with your decision and always enjoy and respect the shred even if life pulls you away for a minute.

Nah man but forreal, if you can get a job that will get you by without going into debt, go for it! College can wait a couple years. By the way, where do you live in MN?

Go to college so you can get a good job and ski forever

TAKE A GAP YEAR!

I am a freshman now, and I'm taking a gap year this coming year.

Everyone that I've talked to who was thinking about a gap year and did said it was the best decision they'd made. Everyone who didn't said they regretted it (myself included).

or go to college and meet cool people. Its up to you

HippyKiller007Hey guys…So I'm a senior in HS from MN and I'm graduating in 2 weeks. Everyone is pushing for me to decide what I am going to do next fall. Here's the thing..I don't really feel ready for college yet. And even if I was I don't really want to stay here in MN and go to school because skiing is such an important part of my life and MN doesn't really cut it for me. If all else fails, I would be going to UMD Duluth in MN. They have Spirit Mountain which isn't all that bad but I really want to move out west and experience backcountry and the BIG parks like Keystone and Breck. I don't really want to hop right into college after HS because I am not motivated at all in my current situation. ALL I WANT TO DO IS SKI. I have looked at CMC (Colorado Mountain College) and was thinking that might work because maybe I could go to school part time or something. I just really don't know what to do. I was wondering if anyone else is in my situation and if you guys have any suggestions of what I could do? I know I need to get an education but I also REALLY want to ski as much as I can.

THANKS!

I think you should choose to study first then after proceed in your dream of skiing as a carrier. Your idea of going to Colorado Mountain College is great,but choosing school as part time is not. If you're already near in a mountain, then you can ski every week or more often than you're in MN.

I'm in the same position as you. I made a thread about it a few months back. I have to pick between playing university football or skiing. I love skiing a lot more and i'm definitely leaning towards skiing. It just makes me a lot happier. You should just follow your heart. As cliche as that is it's true. Don't let other people influence you. Just do your thing man. In the end it's what makes you happy.

i went to westminster college in slc and skied 5 days a week and had a degree in 4 years.

People on NS are so short-sighted sometimes. First off, if you aren't willing to go to college now, you probably won't ever go. I'm not saying everyone needs to go to college, but you're closing a lot of doors if you don't go. I'd recommend finding something you're passionate about and choosing a school with the academics as your first priority, skiing second. You're going to poorly off financially and kicking yourself for it in twenty years if you don't think with the future in mind.

ObeseBunnyPeople on NS are so short-sighted sometimes. First off, if you aren't willing to go to college now, you probably won't ever go. I'm not saying everyone needs to go to college, but you're closing a lot of doors if you don't go. I'd recommend finding something you're passionate about and choosing a school with the academics as your first priority, skiing second. You're going to poorly off financially and kicking yourself for it in twenty years if you don't think with the future in mind.

See i just don't understand that idea. I know tons of people who have taken years off, had some fun, then after they have matured a bit and had their fix of ski bumming or partying or whatever, they go back to school with more drive to accomplish something. I'm genuinely curious, why is it that if he doesn't go now he won't ever go?

Don't judge college based on high school. High school is little more than socialized daycare where half of what they teach you are lies and the grades don't really matter. College, by design, is meant to actually make you a respectable, civilized human being. What you learn there enriches your day-to-day existence. Regardless of what your degree is, if you attend a competent school and put in a genuine effort with unfaltering curiosity, you evolve beyond being some hedonistic, passive consumer and become a well-rounded, thinking individual (in theory, at least).

karlmarxI'm genuinely curious, why is it that if he doesn't go now he won't ever go?

Because college largely sucks. If he's used to skiing and having fun as an independent adult, what short-term motivation will he have to suffer the grueling responsibilities of college? Sure there's exceptions, but the vast majority of kids who "take time off" just never go back because college involves working your ass off for no money (in fact they lose money). Can you blame them?

If he doesn't want to go, he shouldn't waste his time/money. You have to want to be there, otherwise it's a complete waste of time, even if he graduates.

I was in a similar dilemma when I was comin' outta height school in Wisconsin. So I went to community college for two years and lived at home and saved a buncha money (my parents are real cool so I didn't mind living at home, maybe you're in a different situation).

After 2 years at community college I moved to Keystone and took 2 seasons off of school, while gaining residency in Colorado...then sent it to Boulder where I go to school now!

It's been a great time, glad I had a few years off from school. I think you could benefit either way, it all depends what you make of the situation!

lIllIBecause college largely sucks

Well this is an interesting statement.