How do you ski town residents earn a living?

Speaking strictly personally, I now live off my husband, who has a very good job with a major US corporation as a systems consultant and is able to work remotely.  Prior to that, we lived quite a bit "under our means" and saved 10% of our combined salary every month we worked.  

 

However, most of our friends-who-came-to-ski are retired.  A number are retired military.  Apparently if you don't get killed, it's a good gig.  You can then get another hobby job while you're still young and get your health coverage from the VA.  

 

The friends who are still working run the gamut from commercial pilots to cardiologist to real estate agents, to fishing guides, greens keepers, builders, etc.  

 

Unemployment IS high in the area and Montana is full of "underemployed" people with grad degrees doing lower level jobs because they like living here more than they like money.

skiing...duh

 

but in all seriousness, it is hard for a lot of people.  unless you have a job that enables you to work remotely, you are pretty much at the mercy of the local economy in which you live.  for most ski towns that means tourism (restaurants, bars, hotels, etc.), which typically don't pay great.  then there is the issue of what to do when the ski season ends.  where i live (northern NM) tourism shifts from the mountains to the Rio Grande.  most people that work on the slopes in the winter work as river guides in the summer.  IMO, it is a great lifestyle.  definitely not for everybody, especially those looking to make tons of money.  if you are passionate about the outdoors and really want to live in a "ski town", i'm sure you will figure out a way to make it work.

There a fair amount of location neutral companies out there that offer decent jobs. You may have to search for them but I would check with the town.

 

Here's a recent article from Steamboat

I'm retired now but have spent 40 years working seasonally (usually 3 or 4 months off in winter) in the resource extraction industries in Canada's remote North and West Coast regions. And it helps that Canada has a very good unemployment insurance system and I learned how to work the system.

 

I now work part time during the winter for minimum wage at an on mountain demo ski shop. Wages are low but I only work 8 to 12 hours a week (more during Xmas holidays or if someone is sick) and I get free ski pass, pro deals on clothing and equipment, half price food at a restaurant located in the same hotel as the ski shop. I also get use of the store's demo ski fleet all winter, except when I travel to other resorts but then I get half price or free lift tickets at most other ski resorts in the British Columbia Interior. I also have some great energetic 20 and 30 somethings that I work with who also realize they (and me) have the best job on the mountain. BTW the full timers put in a 10 hour day, get paid for 8 and have 2 hours off to ski every day.

Gubmint job - now retired from firefighting. It paid well enough before I retired (and after) but there aren't a lot of corporate jobs in ski towns. Working remote, or civil service, or resource extraction, or retail, or teaching, or some kind of job (probably low-paid) for the ski area are your probable choices unlessmyou're some kind of entrepreneur.

The real estate and yoga class careers seem to be in a down market.

Now I ski patrol during the winter.

There are more and more tech and service industry jobs that no longer require brick and mortar offices and can be done remotely.  The only time I have to actually go to my company's office is to update computer security walls that have to be done hard wired on a campus, less than once a year.  There are many other high tech and even eBay store gigs that simply require a good internet connection and efficient shipping options.

most of the tech companies will let you be a teleworker so you can either work from home or have a private office but there is no need for office visits beaides maybe a few times a year. There are very few cities that offer a chance for local jobs, jobs on hospitals are also likely to offer good salaries if you are a nurse or a doctor.

I feel lucky because I have a small ski area where I live (16mi drive up the mountain) and there are two big tech companies in the city.

The operant word is "good". I know a good many ski instructors who cover their basic bills through that activity and some warmer weather work like construction, landscaping, real estate, forestry, or some supervisory position with the resort. They're living an enjoyable active life, but they aren't getting wealthy. You know the old joke, the way to make a million in the ski industry is to start with two million.

^^^^^ Grin worthy^^^^^^

It depends on what you define as a "ski town."  I live close enough to the mountains that I got in over 50 days last season without taking any major trips (outside of one short road trip), yet the town is a "real" one with many different options for employment, if you can find a position open.  In a place like this you have to deal with the fact that most of the waiters, barmaids, cooks, etc. have university degrees because they want to live here more than they want money, and since we're a university town they keep cranking out new baristas and burger flippers every year.  This is the crew that makes up our famous contingent of expert snowboarders/skiers and our backcountry mob.

 

We're a bit farther from the mountain (1.25 hrs) than most places that are labeled "ski town," but there are other amenities that are close at hand that make it a hub for outdoor activity.

 

To answer your question, I'm a retired teacher,  a musician, and a Christmas tree farmer besides being a skier, sailor, hiker, etc.  Do I earn a good living?  According to some I don't make enough money but I'm happy and doing better than the service economy employees that I see around town.  I figure I'm rich.

 

I definitely feel rich.  I live a lifestyle that others spend thousands of dollars to experience for a week.  It reminds me of when I used to caddy at a country club.  Tons of rich fools throwing around ridiculous amounts of money to play golf on a course that I got to play for free.  IMO, wealth is a state of mind....it really has very little to do with what your bank statements look like.   

 

 

I live in Calgary - 2 hours away from great skiing - so don't have much to actually add to this discussion, however just wanted to say that I am envious of this philosophy.

Good Going HippieFlippinNM (and anyone else like-minded).

Send me 10 dollars and receive my GET RICH 2 step system.

Hahaha.  I had this Nigerian Prince contact me.  I sent him some money to help him cover transaction costs to move 50 million dollars out of Nigeria and he gladly reinbursed me and added $5,000,000 for my troubles

On another forum, the Prince was goaded into proving who he was by putting, at precisely 2pm, a pic up of him wearing fish on his head. Hey, he had to prove he was the real deal 

I use I use contractors for 'leg work' like attending settlements/closings and trials. This lets me work from the laptop and the skype phone.

 

 

A client's wheels are on cars in a movie that's started filming in Britain.

 

 

The difference between your Nigerian friend and my system is that my system is real and actually works.

 

Since no one on this forum has yet to send me any money and since I am already rich in ski bum terms (see post #5), I will fore go the usual 30 day money back guarantee offer and I will now reveal my 2 Step Get Rich System ABSOLUTELY FREE TO ALL BEARS.

 

Here it is as follows:

 

STEP ONE:

Take out an ad in the local newspaper or on line offering a 2 Step Get Rich System for $10.

 

STEP TWO:

Live below your means.

 

See, told you it works.

 

Yeah, but taking out an ad in the local paper will cost you more than the $10 you'd get from the one person who answers your ad.

 

Now living below your means?    Hmmm....hadn't thought about that one. I think I need to buy some more ski gear while I ponder this.

Unless you alreday have a career that allows remote work I think the chances of a Good Living that allows a young person to raise a family, give them a good education and live in middle class comfort would most likely start in a city Near a ski town. Denver. Salt Lake City, Reno, Boise, Seattle, Vancouver etc. Get close then get started in something that might allow you to move even closer - move to a real ski town later or get training that allows for remote from day one.

 

May as well add Bozeman and Portland , Bend as well close to great skiing. 

 

Not sure what you mean by real ski town, or why you think living in a real ski town is superior to the cities you listed. Personally I think there are real town (or cities) that happen to have skiing nearby and then there are "resort villages" which are not real towns at all.

 

I work in Ogden and live just north in Logan. Plenty of work in N. UT / Wasatch front. I am working at a high level in my field and I am glad not to have to compromise between having a meaningful career and having a lifestyle I can enjoy. 

 

Personally, I think if you are a talented person with solid skills, you will be able to take your trade and parlay that into a meaningful career no matter where you choose to live. Ski towns and rural areas need services and talented people to provide them just like any other place. 

Edited by tromano - 8/2/12 at 8:16pm

Get on a plane (very)early Monday and get back Thursday night...

 

It may not be a difference to some folks. I was just thinking of the difference between a town like Whitefish, Steamboat or Aspen compared to the cities. You are a perfect example. In my example Logan (50,000 pop.) and Ogden (85,000 pop.) would not be considered ski towns but they are close enough to the lifts to allow you to ski all you want and still work a "normal" job outside the resort industry.

I don't live in a ski town yet, but I chose a career that will allow me to do so someday.  I fly commercially, and if I do 3 or 4 day trips, that would allow me to be based somewhere like Denver, and live somewhere like Breckenridge or Frisco, and only have to make the drive to the airport once a week.  I know there are a lot of pilots in that area, as well as Park City that do that.  The money to start out with sucks, and you really couldn't afford a ski town life at first without roommates.  But the deeper into the career you get.bigger airplanes, captain upgrades etc., the more you make and the easier it should be to live there.  I've been at the airline for 4 years, and am just starting to come into the level where I could hold a decent schedule in Denver, almost Salt Lake, but not yet Portland or Seattle, unless I flew our smaller and lower paying airplane.

I have a next door neighbor who is a Delta pilot and then there's a guy down the hill who I know is a pilot, but don't know what airline.  Airport is 25 minutes from here.  He (next door) has a 5000 square foot house with 10 acres.  And I'm pretty sure he and his wife grew up in the Flathead Valley (name of our area of Montana).  

 

Ski area is maybe 18 minutes for him (he's up the hill, and has a longer driveway than I do).  

That's a lot of house...

He and his wife did a lot of their own work, but yeah, it's way nicer than mine in some ways.  

I grew up in a 2500 sq ft house.  That's plenty for me.

I don't want a house that big either, someone's got to clean it, but the point is he is making enough to live WELL here.  

 

HA, just looked up the specifics, it's actually 6200 sq feet!!

 

yes, a lot of pilots up here in Tahoe.  You can live at the lake, 10 minutes from skiing and 40 minutes from Reno airport