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May, 2025

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Jobs that still allow plenty of time for skiing.

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.otto.
Posts: 3495 - Karma: 12,914
Ive been thinking about the future and the future of my skiing when im older, and was wondering what jobs that you can actually make a living off of that give you alot of time to ski.
11 years ago
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.otto.
Posts: 3495 - Karma: 12,914
ndyeThe best place in Breck to pick up a cougar is at blue river bistro preferably on 2 for 1 martini night. Would recommend highly


Best answer yet
11 years ago
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APunx176
Posts: 1189 - Karma: 2,628
If you manage to strike it big doing something like youtube, graphic design (self-employed), game-dev or web design (both also self-employment), then you can make a lot of money and still work around skiing.
11 years ago
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rynmartn
Posts: 2697 - Karma: 21
last_tangoServer at a high end restaurant. Ski till 2:30-3ish and work at night.


this, if your good with dealing people and stress. You'll make lots of money.
11 years ago
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rballs_
Posts: 709 - Karma: 2,992
Feel bad for you guys... My Home mountains (COP) is open until 10pm. And I'm an instructor there. It's a small hill but the park takes up half of if so its pretty solid.
11 years ago
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theabortionator
Posts: 52632 - Karma: 174,693
Heisenburg1 krone is only equal to .16 USD. So 22 would be worth about $3.50 in the states.QUOTE]


Min wage is over just over 130kr per hour, around $22usd. It's expensive living but save your pennies and you can bring back a fair amount of cheddar!

If you want to instruct, learn Russian, there's a massive demand in Europe.



Word. I didn't know you were talking USD. That's pretty solid.
11 years ago
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SFBv420.0
Posts: 2539 - Karma: 3,126
SwitchMisty540^ That's what I do. You can make bank if you are good and you work at a resort that generates a lot of ski school students. Entry level base pay is usually $10 - $15/hr + tips. Once you gain certifications and experience, as well as solid clients that know how to take care of you, you can easily make $15,000 - $20,000 in a season (roughly 5 months). When the season ends, find a summer gig in the ski town you live in or fly to the southern hemisphere and keep teaching.

There are plenty of jobs that afford you the opportunity to ski. This is one of the few where you get paid to ski. Pretty awesome if you ask me.

Oh and best tip?? $900 for 9 kids for 6 days (double what I got paid through the mountain). They had never seen snow when they met me and by the end of the week they could all very comfortably ski groomed blue terrain. Obviously this is the exception, not the norm. Most tips average between $10-$20 per student, per day (if that).


it totally cracks me up when psia dorks try and convince themselves and others that skiing all day or when you want for as long as you want, with who you want,
where you want.
is the same as skiing w/ clients.
it might work for desk jockies but true ski bums realize the difference.
i pound nails all off season and ski tech after the sun goes down and do my best to appease my spanser
the wife
11 years ago
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brett_f-Fan-Club
Posts: 53 - Karma: 316
SFBv420.0it totally cracks me up when psia dorks try and convince themselves and others that skiing all day or when you want for as long as you want, with who you want,
where you want.
is the same as skiing w/ clients.
it might work for desk jockies but true ski bums realize the difference.
i pound nails all off season and ski tech after the sun goes down and do my best to appease my spanser
the wife


I don't know, maybe some people enjoy skiing with random people, wanting to teach, maybe not on the blues and greens though.
Better that then flipping burgers or helping people on lifts. Free time can be spent doing what you said.
11 years ago
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SwitchMisty540
Posts: 1862 - Karma: 629
SFBv420.0it totally cracks me up when psia dorks try and convince themselves and others that skiing all day or when you want for as long as you want, with who you want,
where you want.
is the same as skiing w/ clients.
it might work for desk jockies but true ski bums realize the difference.
i pound nails all off season and ski tech after the sun goes down and do my best to appease my spanser
the wife


It really cracks me up when random people knock on something they know nothing about. While you're pounding nails in the "off season" I'm on the snow coaching kids in the park. Real ski bums have never heard of an "off season".

The kid asked a legitimate question and I offered a legitimate response. I didn't feel the need to go around criticizing the way other people live their lives. If you want to spend your life "pounding nails" so that you can ski "all day or when you want for as long as you want, with who you want, where you want," then have a blast. All I know is that at the end of the day, you pay the resort for that privilege while us dorks are getting paid to do it. Different strokes for different folks I guess.
11 years ago
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howlongcanausern
Posts: 4982 - Karma: 1,737
SwitchMisty540It really cracks me up when random people knock on something they know nothing about. While you're pounding nails in the "off season" I'm on the snow coaching kids in the park. Real ski bums have never heard of an "off season".

The kid asked a legitimate question and I offered a legitimate response. I didn't feel the need to go around criticizing the way other people live their lives. If you want to spend your life "pounding nails" so that you can ski "all day or when you want for as long as you want, with who you want, where you want," then have a blast. All I know is that at the end of the day, you pay the resort for that privilege while us dorks are getting paid to do it. Different strokes for different folks I guess.


how do you know somebody works in the ski industry?




don't worry they'll tell you
11 years ago
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SFBv420.0
Posts: 2539 - Karma: 3,126
aint paid a resort for a pass in the 19 ive been here skippy
ask employees at any resort which department contains the biggest collection assclowns ratchet tools and it's always gonna be ski school.
Done paid my bum dues and spent the last 5 seasons workin 4 or 5 hours a week for a pass to all the UT resorts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6fnellCsho
so tell us more how getting paid to mitten fetch in the park allows you the freedom to freeski as you please or how i don't know what i'm babblin about
11 years ago
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SwitchMisty540
Posts: 1862 - Karma: 629
momsspaghettihow do you know somebody works in the ski industry?




don't worry they'll tell you


Pretty sure that was the topic of the thread. Real nice how everyone just uses this as a forum to attack people they don't even know, instead of offering real advice to the people posing questions.
11 years ago
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SwitchMisty540
Posts: 1862 - Karma: 629
SFBv420.0aint paid a resort for a pass in the 19 ive been here skippy
ask employees at any resort which department contains the biggest collection assclowns ratchet tools and it's always gonna be ski school.
Done paid my bum dues and spent the last 5 seasons workin 4 or 5 hours a week for a pass to all the UT resorts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6fnellCsho
so tell us more how getting paid to mitten fetch in the park allows you the freedom to freeski as you please or how i don't know what i'm babblin about



I love how this thread turned into you babbling about how cool you are. We get it bud...you're cooler than the rest of us because you don't pay for a pass, pound nails in the off season, and work in a shop. Go ahead and keep talking smack to someone you don't even know. There are assclowns everywhere you look, not just in ski schools around the world. You seem like a prime example.
11 years ago
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saskskier
Posts: 4774 - Karma: 10,005
I'm a social worker, but end up working lots of overtime and the gov't prefers we take time off rather than being paid out so I end up with a ton of 3-4 day weekends and random days off.
11 years ago
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iLLbiLLy
Posts: 2865 - Karma: 2,631
If you want a real job (career) in a ski town then consider options that allow you to work remotely. I got a degree in computer science, and while I sacrificed a bit of my college years (compared to my friends with Art History majors) I couldn't be happier now.

I've had 3 different jobs since I moved to jackson, all of which have allowed me to ski as much as I want (either through a powder clause or by setting my own hours).

My current Employer founded our company on the idea that we have a job that does not require us to be in 9-5pm and that happy employees are more productive employees.

Job Benefits:
+ Work from anywhere in the world, set you're own hours
+ Full insurance
+ Ski pass
+ Optional office at Teton Village
+ Unlimited paid time off*
+ Great pay
+ Bonus's based on company profit

* Operates on a variable salary model. Full Pay = Salary + Bonus. The bonus base target is equal to the salary. Things like billed hours, employee performance, and company performance effect the bonus with a .5 to 1.5 multiplier.

I'm not saying go into computer science and you'll get a job like mine (honestly I think it may be one of a kind). My point is that careers that cater towards working remotely, allow you not to rely on the economy of the ski town you live in.

Meanwhile, most people in Jackson with other types of degrees end up waiting tables or working for the ski mountain.
11 years ago
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bakerpunk
Posts: 884 - Karma: 1,126
dope dealer. seems obvious surprised no one list this.
11 years ago
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PeppermillReno
Posts: 4884 - Karma: -719
I decided when I was still in HS that I was good at sports betting and wanted to do it for a living after college and live in the Reno/Tahoe area.

Lot of bumps along the way but I pulled it off. Branched out to ticket scalping to put less pressure on my bets. Gambling is a bitch though and a tax on the stupid I can't be in NV in the summer since I'd lose my ass betting baseball to entertain myself.

But my handicapping is so good that people pay me for picks. Im 9-2 (so 9 out of 11 bets I have sold at 50-50 odds won) this year in football on the picks I have sold my clients. Im good at that shit very few people are and they therefore rely on me.




The best suggesions in this thread are healthcare and construction route. As the road construction guy said you will make a killing in the summer and get unemployment in the winter. Health care jobs are always hiring 2nd and 3rd shifts and are predominantly females. If you want something that is closer to the mountain understand that you should know exactly what you want and go for it. If tis the best job on the hill do what you got to do to get it...or if you want the best bartender gig again do what you gotta do.
11 years ago
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dizzydizzy
Posts: 304 - Karma: 1,023
software engineer. as long as your company is chill (west coast tech is chill), you don't have to work normal hours since all you do is sit in front of a computer anyway. plus you make $100K+ starting salary and programming is fun as fuck

source: this is my life, i work at microsoft and ski 3-4 days a week during the winter. basically every pow day, plus weekends. strongly recommend.
11 years ago
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nate4500
Posts: 41 - Karma: 45
1. Become a professional skier.
2. College student, then professor. Make your own schedule. As a professor $100k+ a year.
3. Ski instructor in the winter and firefighter in the summer.
4. Start your own ski company.
5. Ask your parents to buy you a ski resort.
6. Invest 1 million dollars and make 100k+ per year in dividends and/or interest.

These are not listed in any order (i.e. least to greatest) and are just some (not all) ideas.
11 years ago
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iLLbiLLy
Posts: 2865 - Karma: 2,631
dizzydizzysoftware engineer. as long as your company is chill (west coast tech is chill), you don't have to work normal hours since all you do is sit in front of a computer anyway. plus you make $100K+ starting salary and programming is fun as fuck

source: this is my life, i work at microsoft and ski 3-4 days a week during the winter. basically every pow day, plus weekends. strongly recommend.


What are you working on at Microsoft, if you don't mind me asking? Good to hear that corporate life in software can also be chill. I've gotten so used to the lax life of remote enterprise consulting that I'm a bit worried I'll never be able to hold a real job if needed.
11 years ago
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Skiingsnow
Posts: 1567 - Karma: 797
momsspaghetti80% of people who work in the ski industry make less than 10k a year from the ski industry.

and lets do the math on your 15-20k figure: 5 months, 10 paychecks. to make 20k you need to make 2k a pay check. that's $1,000 a week which is $25/hour.

good luck with that.


definitely not impossible though, just means you have to spend a bit more time than you might want to on race skis to get the certs, i make $20 an hour in whistler ($30 if im doing private requests) and $30 in Australia, granted Australia is only a month season with sometimes not great hours, but i make $1,300 in a week before tax and rent in a big week in aus...
11 years ago
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Skiingsnow
Posts: 1567 - Karma: 797
Skiingsnowdefinitely not impossible though, just means you have to spend a bit more time than you might want to on race skis to get the certs, i make $20 an hour in whistler ($30 if im doing private requests) and $30 in Australia, granted Australia is only a month season with sometimes not great hours, but i make $1,300 in a week before tax and rent in a big week in aus...


*3 month season, not 1 sorry
11 years ago
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Rachy
Posts: 4355 - Karma: 2,761
I make websites.

I'm going skiing in 30 minutes in Argentina. I go back to Mammoth on the 5th.

I've skied in Mammoth, Switzerland, Russia, and Argentina this year (went surfing in Indonesia as well... but that's not skiing).

Id say I get a lot of time to ski and am actually making a living.


100% freelance. 80% self taught.
11 years ago
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IKEA
Posts: 622 - Karma: 3,110
Heisenburg1 krone is only equal to .16 USD. So 22 would be worth about $3.50 in the states.QUOTE]


You are wrong, 140 kroner = 22 dollars. That means we get 140kr/h=22 USD/h, not 3.5 USD.. This summer I worked for 170kr/hr aka 26usd/hr. Being a 16 yr old summer worker building hydroelectric power is awesome.

A note is there are people working under 140kr/h. Farming industry has some workers at 90kr/h. So the minimum wage is under 22USD, it just depends on what you work with. Carpenters has 25USD/h at "minimum wage".
11 years ago
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DeJew
Posts: 2 - Karma: 13
Im going to take Hospitality and Tourism Management. I meet a guy here in Calgary who works at the Fairmont and he said he was the Executive Manager for all of Whitewater in Nelson. He said pay was very good and he had a lot of time for skiing, plus food and lift tickets are all free. I asked why he left and he said he felt like moving somewhere warmer so he Left for Dubai. Also, if you work your way up with resorts, you can make 100k+ a year which a few of the people who run Whistler Blackcomb do.
11 years ago
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Mike.Records
Posts: 1311 - Karma: 756
I live in Anchorage and work as a scientist for Fish and Wildlife. In the summer I do a lot of field work, which means that I get about 7 weeks of paid time off a year, and that I'm not at a desk for all of my work. I think its a good balance, I love the work in the field away from my desk, but also like being at a desk cause I can play as hard as I want during my time off knowing that I can sit at work and be exhausted.

I go night skiing about one week night a week, ski weekends, and can work a flexible schedule so I can ski during the week. I tour after work in the spring. Honestly, that's about as much as my feet can take being in ski boots and my body can take skiing. There are people out there who are on skis more days a year, but I don't think that there are actually many people who put in more hours of skiing for play, not work. Also, I can afford to take ski trips, and I get proform on 400+ brands through work.

Maybe the biggest thing is that I can ski as hard as I want and if I get hurt it doesn't impact how I make a living, and I have good health insurance to take care of me when I am hurt.

Most important, I have a job where I'm challenged, engaged, and am contributing to the world I live in.

Different than that what a lot of people are recommending, but I like it.

Here's a blog post about my work, and some pictures from it:




11 years ago
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_CC_
Posts: 3890 - Karma: 747
Wildland firefighter so you can make hazard pay/ OT all summer then file for unemployment for the winter.
11 years ago
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freeballer
Posts: 738 - Karma: 1,077
The referenced post has been removed.

That would surprise me a bit. 25 minute drive to the canyons, 25 minutes back, and 45 minutes of skiing? That's like almost a 2 hour break.
11 years ago
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freeballer
Posts: 738 - Karma: 1,077
Assistant crack whore.
11 years ago
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.otto.
Posts: 3495 - Karma: 12,914
PimpHandsFind the local cougar hang out.

i found it
5 years ago
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Bushdid9_11
Posts: 535 - Karma: 2,209
RusticlesThis guys got it figured.

Also, if you live in western Canada, get into the trades, specifically industrial. After 3-4 years of basically free education where you get paid for most of the year, you can work 8 months a year in northern Alberta and easily make 100k+ and then ski for the next 4 months. Once you get old and are no longer interested in skiing that much you can get a gravy maintenance job.


youre killing the planet you piece of shit
5 years ago
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b0ss
Posts: 822 - Karma: 6,373
Instructor
5 years ago
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TheMoostafian
Posts: 4504 - Karma: 9,443
Self employment is the way to go.

If you like being outdoors, forestry consulting is really fun. It helps a lot to have a degree in forest resource management, but if you’re good at math and tree identification, you could definitely get a job as a timber cruiser. I used to do this and only work 6 moths/year.
5 years ago
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SavageBiff
Posts: 3483 - Karma: 14,759
Most good paying construction and landscape jobs will want you year around but there are some so look into that
I work for a property management company like that for health benefits etc... get laid off and collect unemployment in winter and they pay me cash to work when I’m willing and I retain a company vehicle year round , I also run my own landscape company april-November that I started with $1000, if your real good branch into rental units from there
5 years ago
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dolanslebensraum
Posts: 5959 - Karma: -13,093
Bushdid9_11youre killing the planet you piece of shit

Shut up soy boy
5 years ago
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Bushdid9_11
Posts: 535 - Karma: 2,209
DolanReloadedShut up soy boy


it takes more water to produce soy milk than it does to grow a cow for a year you dont kniw anything
5 years ago
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Rusticles
Posts: 2180 - Karma: 1,337
Bushdid9_11youre killing the planet you piece of shit


Yeah, I'm killing the planet just as much as anyone that got in a car or on an airplane today.
"Fuck the oilsands*........ *Cabo for the weekend bishes* LOL

When are you hippies gonna realize oil companies aren't the problem......... or the solution

P.S. I don't work for an oil company and haven't in a long long time
5 years ago
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dolanslebensraum
Posts: 5959 - Karma: -13,093
Bushdid9_11it takes more water to produce soy milk than it does to grow a cow for a year you dont kniw anything


“Grow a cow”
5 years ago
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Dan-Man
Posts: 7488 - Karma: 3,630
Oil & Gas.

I had a 7 day on 7 day off schedule where I worked. only work 1/2 the year and make twice as much as people doing 40+ hours a week. (though a typical 7 day hitch is around 110hours haha)
5 years ago
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Goetj44
Posts: 21 - Karma: 154
Grave yard grooming. Work from 12:30 to 9:00 just sitting in a chair. Plenty of energy in the morning because you literally just vibe all night. Ski all day go to bed at 4. It’s perfect and you always get first tracks
5 years ago
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TRVP_ANGEL
Posts: 12707 - Karma: 120,066
massage parlor exclusively night shifts. Great tips and the money was alright as well.

**This post was edited on Feb 3rd 2020 at 3:52:27pm
5 years ago
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shinbangclan
Posts: 1177 - Karma: 7,552
Goetj44Grave yard grooming. Work from 12:30 to 9:00 just sitting in a chair. Plenty of energy in the morning because you literally just vibe all night. Ski all day go to bed at 4. It’s perfect and you always get first tracks


Share your ghost stories man
5 years ago
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iced
Posts: 3070 - Karma: 17,985
DolanReloadedShut up soy boy


shut up soy girl
5 years ago
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dolanslebensraum
Posts: 5959 - Karma: -13,093
If i was a drug dealer In the chamonix area i would ski from resort to resort, even crossing country lines as i skied up and down the mountains to deliver hash and opium out of my dakine backpack. What a dream life that would be. I bet some jokers in the alps do just that.
5 years ago
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