Most important choice in my life so far🥺 help me plz

RalphamusGetting a GED is cooler than getting a KFED. Stay in school.

ReturnToMonkeyA good example is Sarah Hoeflin or whatever. Didn't she go to med school and still ski at an xgames level?

joy_enDo you think my level is ok?
sometimes when I heard big names i think they were good from day one on the slopes, and I won’t make it to the next level since I’m already 16

ericformanWhatever you do, make sure to put your heart in it. If you mope through HS wishing you were skiing, pay out of state tuition to ski occasionally and major in art-history and get a 2.0, you are just gonna be in-debt and worse at skiing than if you hadn't bothered with school at all. It's hard to recommend a route for you, but whatever you do just try hard. There will be a ton of ups and downs along the way, but putting forth effort you are proud of is the way to go.

joy_enDo you think my level is ok?
sometimes when I heard big names i think they were good from day one on the slopes, and I won’t make it to the next level since I’m already 16

BiffbarfMan this thread making me feel like skierman.


OP do whatever you want. It sounds like you have a decent financial safety net from your fam.

joy_enThis will help man 🙏🏽🤍

SkiingNinjaWhen I was considering colleges, I chose a better ranking one in the midwest over one that was closer to mountains (CU-Boulder). That meant I didn't get to ski as much as I'd have liked. I did this to invest in the future payoff. In my mind, sacrificing now to get a better education would provide me with more opportunities to ski in the future. By the time I graduated from university, the school I went to ended up ranking worse; they had effectively switched rankings. Years later, I made a change in my life and moved out to Boulder to follow my passions and catch up on lost time in the mountains. I eventually made my way to the outdoor industry and now ski / climb a ton.

It's hard to know if I would have ended up where I am now if I didn't take this circuitous path. It's hard to say that one choice is right or wrong. Would the other path have gotten me there sooner? I certainly would have been in more debt going to CU out of state, which may have made me take a higher paying job to work off the lifestyle tax from college, which could bring me farther away from the mountains.

Not to get too deep, but it helps to think about what the constant is in your life. For me it was the mountains. Stay true to that and you'll find the way.

d4coloradoHere’s a couple thoughts from a current 16 year old living about an hour and 30-45 mins away from the mountains in Colorado. (sophomore in high school)

I was actually in a similar position as you this past late summer and fall. With covid flooding the U.S, I knew that my local public high school was going to be a train wreck the following year as I would be a sophomore. My parents know that I am a driven student so they decided to let me pursue skiing even more by letting me do an online school so I could ski on my own schedule and still have a solid education. The only downside of this was missing out on 2 AP classes.

So far, it has been an amazing experience. It is also low risk as if I fully moved into the mountains and got hurt, then most of it would’ve been for nothing. The thing about full on committing and moving is probably not the smartest decision this early in life. If you truly love it, you’ll wake up however early you need to get to the mountains.

On another note, I’ve broken ribs and almost torn a muscle in my leg on what I thought were mellow days. There’s lots of unexpected things in skiing and that can destroy a decision as big as yours.

Online school should seriously be an option for you since you are 17. You can get a great education on your own schedule and then make your decision two years later and move to a college with mountains around them. I’m nearly 2 hours away from the mountains and I make it work.

Choosing this for me has been an awesome experience, as I can get a good education and ski. Just make sure it’s not one or the other.

I just started skiing park last year and know I want to ski my entire life. But I’m also doing what I need to with certain classes and managing money so I know I have the resources to be financially well off in college and ski at the same time. If you want some more deeper info on this and what school I did, shoot me a message.

Bottom line: Don’t make this choice quite yet and look and some more options that will give you your best future possible.

d4coloradoHere’s a couple thoughts from a current 16 year old living about an hour and 30-45 mins away from the mountains in Colorado. (sophomore in high school)

I was actually in a similar position as you this past late summer and fall. With covid flooding the U.S, I knew that my local public high school was going to be a train wreck the following year as I would be a sophomore. My parents know that I am a driven student so they decided to let me pursue skiing even more by letting me do an online school so I could ski on my own schedule and still have a solid education. The only downside of this was missing out on 2 AP classes.

So far, it has been an amazing experience. It is also low risk as if I fully moved into the mountains and got hurt, then most of it would’ve been for nothing. The thing about full on committing and moving is probably not the smartest decision this early in life. If you truly love it, you’ll wake up however early you need to get to the mountains.

On another note, I’ve broken ribs and almost torn a muscle in my leg on what I thought were mellow days. There’s lots of unexpected things in skiing and that can destroy a decision as big as yours.

Online school should seriously be an option for you since you are 17. You can get a great education on your own schedule and then make your decision two years later and move to a college with mountains around them. I’m nearly 2 hours away from the mountains and I make it work.

Choosing this for me has been an awesome experience, as I can get a good education and ski. Just make sure it’s not one or the other.

I just started skiing park last year and know I want to ski my entire life. But I’m also doing what I need to with certain classes and managing money so I know I have the resources to be financially well off in college and ski at the same time. If you want some more deeper info on this and what school I did, shoot me a message.

Bottom line: Don’t make this choice quite yet and look and some more options that will give you your best future possible.

joy_enHello everyone, I need your help, I’m in real trouble.

I’m almost 17 and I don’t know whether to keep doing my actual high school (done 3 out of 5 years) or move to the mountains alone (2.30h from my home by car) and finish school there in a college for skiers and winter athletes.

I’m very happy about my actual private school (I’m a very studious) and I’m pretty sure the college in the mountains won’t offer an equal education.

On the other hand skiing is life for me*



*even if it doesn’t always makes me the happiest cause it’s very challenging for my mind (I’ve skied in park only 5 days in my life, since I started freestyle this season -perfect season to start a new sport- and I’ve done 180,360, sw 180 almost, pretzel 2) I’m writing the trick cause happened I lost motivation, thinking I’m not good enough for my goals, I’m too young, and I won’t make it to comps ... But then I remember I’ve just started and, moreover, I’m a girl so, from what I’ve understood, it’s easier to get noticed (also trick in comps are less difficult).



This season I suffered a lot for not being able to ski due to covid and I want to avoid it next year.

In addition, if on the one hand I think about my future/studying and work, on the other hand I may regret my choice of staying at home, staying into my comfort zone.

Please, help me buddies, my head is very heavy these days.

tutipupsHard to answer but think about the pleasure now or pleasure in the future maybe with less stress

katrinaI skied a ton in college so. Use the last year's of HS and set yourself up for success.

katrinaAlso start lifting if you don't already.

In women's skiing it's not if but when for a blown knee of some sort. The stronger you are the better off you'll be.

katrinaThat and you also don't know what you don't know. I love skiing but I also found I love computers and coding and riding bikes, so if you don't give yourself opportunity to have experiences outside of skiing you may be missing out on other life experiences - all while still living and appreciating skiing still.

snowmosexualYou're situation sounds a bit different from traditional American school, Are you in Europe or something? Why is it a 5 year program?

Here's two cents from a final semester senior at MSU that went to a college prep school: If you really love school and studying stay at the private school. I went from a top tier highschool to a run of the mill state school and have had a hell time of school because my professors are weak in their experience and teaching. Coming from a school with great teachers and an academic environment without a ceiling, a state school that relies heavily on online programs has not been nearly as intriguing as I'd thought.

Although it seems your situation is a bit different because you are talking about high school. High school isn't very important, but if your grades are going to be shit because you're at an academy where sports are the top priority, college is going to be hard. I am definitely able to slack off more than my peers because high school was harder than college.

ReturnToMonkeyDamn I'm kinda at a point like that. The career I want to pursue doesn't have any locations near mountains (aviation kinda needs large flat areas) but I could never see myself living somewhere without easy access to them. It's a tough decision that I dread to make.

tutipupsHard to answer but think about the pleasure now or pleasure in the future maybe with less stress

AndrewGravesSVCan you finish high school and then go to a college near skiing? Go to a uni and crush books but you will still have time to ski, and if youre in the mountains, you will be around people who ski so you can be in that community

joy_enExcuse me, but what do you mean with pleasure in this case?
(english isn’t my first language, I’m sorry)

brownetownAs others have mentioned, I’d highly recommend finishing high school and getting your diploma before considering taking time away from school. It sounds like you’re a motivated student with good grades, so you should have no trouble finding the balancing point between skiing a ton and getting decent grades. I’m also not sure how things go in Europe, but in the US it’s a lot harder to get good jobs without a high school diploma, so if you fall out of love with skiing (for whatever reason) you will still be able to support yourself with a good career.


Also, as a junior in college who has had many friends take gap years during college, it’s very easy to step aside on your studies or hold off on your degree in university. I’m taking 2 quarters off to live in Salt Lake and do some backpacking in Arizona, it’s definitely easier to find time when my schedule is fit into 3-month chunks.


Your situation is quite different from mine, but I’d say stick out high school while skiing a ton (and get good grades to keep your options open for university) and then maybe take time off to pursue skiing more heavily. Having options is always nice! Cheers

joy_enYes but the point is that I wouldn’t settle for being a good adult female skier. My goal is to become as good as possible, and maybe become a member of the national team. I’ve started freeski at 16 years old, now... I’m already late, should I wait until college/university and waste more time?

AndrewGravesSVRereading your original post, it might also make sense for you to move to the mountains and graduate highschool there while being able to ski! High school is pretty easy and can allow you to be flexible so if you can do it in the mountains and still graduate with your parents being chill about it then follow your heart

katrinaAlso start drinking and smoking if you don't already.

ColoradoDogfartHell yeah! I highly recommend this diet

WestieBoganSince I'm old I'll chip in here. Going to a good school where you get a top quality education will give you more choices in the future. One of those choices might turn out to be to be a ski-bum. Another choice might be to continue in higher quality education, make decent money and be a heli-ski bum. Keep as many doors open for yourself as you can. Also your priorities might change. You might discover surfing and choose to live in Indo. Who knows?

WestieBoganSince I'm old I'll chip in here. Going to a good school where you get a top quality education will give you more choices in the future. One of those choices might turn out to be to be a ski-bum. Another choice might be to continue in higher quality education, make decent money and be a heli-ski bum. Keep as many doors open for yourself as you can. Also your priorities might change. You might discover surfing and choose to live in Indo. Who knows?

ReturnToMonkeyIdk I feel like high school doesn't matter that much. If you're using school as an opportunity to open doors, college is wayyy better. OP wants to pursue being a legit pro which means she needs to start sooner rather than later in the up and coming generation of women freestyle skiers.

joy_enYes but the point is that I wouldn’t settle for being a good adult female skier. My goal is to become as good as possible, and maybe become a member of the national team. I’ve started freeski at 16 years old, now... I’m already late, should I wait until college/university and waste more time?