I learned a lot about myself this year. Working at Nashoba taught me that there is a way to work in the ski industry and still be able to ski. After talking with people involved in the ski industry, I got turned away from getting throughly involved in the ski industry, because most people end up not skiing that much in the end. My internship, and Matt's job proved that you can have a job in the ski industry and still ski a lot. I also learned that I would make a great ski bum if I had a job working at a mountain. I had to get up very early on weekends in order to make it to Nashoba in time for the events, but I had no problem with it because I knew I would be skiing, and that was absolutely worth waking up early for. When I got there, I was ready to work. Regardless of how tired I may have been, I was willing to do the job at hand. It was all for the sake of skiing.
From working on my senior project, I learned that when working on a project independently, I need to stay on top of my work, and push myself. When there is no direct, strong driving force, pushing me to do the work that needs to be done, there is a good chance that I will ignore it. In the future, I need to physically break up my work into sections of time, and stick to my plan. It will take time and training, but with dedication, I think that I will be successful in completing independent projects more timely, and more efficiently. If I could change one thing about my entire senior project, I would have spread out my work more so that I would have been able to do more of it, and collect more data. Doing that would have allowed me to do more skiing in the end. The academic work I would have put into it would have paid off in more time on the slopes, and a less stress to complete my project on time.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Ski Vocabulary
This ski vocabulary guide is for anybody waiting in line, on a chairlift, in a gondola, on a trail, or in a lodge at a ski area, listening to people talking, and not understanding what in God's name they are talking about. There are a lot of terms that are not used commonly outside of the skiing world. Here is your translation guide:
Ski bum- n. Any person who arranges their lifestyle in order to maximize the amount of skiing they will be able to do.
To shred- v. To ski very well.
Gnarly- adj. Extremely impressive, or extremely disgusting.
Lifty- n. A person who operates the chairlifts and/or gondolas.
Powder- n. Deep, soft, dry snow. Very preferable skiing conditions.
Freestyle skiing- n. A variation of skiing, involving aerial maneuvers off of jumps and sliding on rails with your skis. Originated by people purely breaking the norm and skiing in their own, new, free style.
Groomers- n. Groomed trails on a ski mountain.
Terrain park- n. A trail on a mountain dedicated to jumps and rails. Freestyle terrain.
Glades- n. Sections of forest, cleared of underbrush, that are open to skiers.
Backcountry- n. Unmarked terrain, unserviced by resorts. Many times referring to the backside of a ski area.
Yardsale- v. To fall and have both skis and both poles come off.
Steez- adj. Good ski style.
Sponsorship- n. When a company provides an athlete or event with free products in exchange for publicity.
Ski bum- n. Any person who arranges their lifestyle in order to maximize the amount of skiing they will be able to do.
To shred- v. To ski very well.
Gnarly- adj. Extremely impressive, or extremely disgusting.
Lifty- n. A person who operates the chairlifts and/or gondolas.
Powder- n. Deep, soft, dry snow. Very preferable skiing conditions.
Freestyle skiing- n. A variation of skiing, involving aerial maneuvers off of jumps and sliding on rails with your skis. Originated by people purely breaking the norm and skiing in their own, new, free style.
Groomers- n. Groomed trails on a ski mountain.
Terrain park- n. A trail on a mountain dedicated to jumps and rails. Freestyle terrain.
Glades- n. Sections of forest, cleared of underbrush, that are open to skiers.
Backcountry- n. Unmarked terrain, unserviced by resorts. Many times referring to the backside of a ski area.
Yardsale- v. To fall and have both skis and both poles come off.
Steez- adj. Good ski style.
Sponsorship- n. When a company provides an athlete or event with free products in exchange for publicity.
Interview Reflections
Without a doubt, the most noticeable connection between all of the ski bums that I interviewed was having a job through the ski area. All of the ski bums that I interviewed had jobs at the ski area that they were ski bumming at, which provided them with advantages unattainable anywhere else. All of them got free skiing, the ones who worked in the food service industry got free food, and in one specific case, the job included a place in the lodge to sleep. John Marshall, the head custodian at my school, and former ski bum, says that being a ski bum these days is just as easy as it used to be if you get a job at a mountain. Since there are so many different job opportunities at resorts, getting a job would not be difficult. This connection with the resort will seriously decrease a ski bum's expenses.
One trait that was common in many interviews was a desire to avoid starting a career. For John and Deborah, being a ski bum was a way to avoid growing up immediately. It was a way for them to prolong their childhood, and avoid taking on large amounts of responsibility as an adult. Deborah did not feel prepared for college, so she took a year off before going to North Adams State College, and went to Killington for a winter. John had just graduated from Umass Amherst, and did not want to work on his father's farm during the winter, so he packed his bags and left for Colorado. He spent two winters at Vail instead of staying home in Massachusetts, trying to get a "real job."
For a fortunate few, being a ski bum is a way to launch yourself into the ski industry. You have to work harder than the average ski bum, but it absolutely pays off. Owen spent his winter travelling around with his senior project mentor, taking pictures for a snowboard magazine at professional snowboard competitions. Once his winter was over, he flew out to Oregon to take pictures for High Cascade Snowboard Camp on the summertime glacier at Mount Hood. He got to know professional snowboarders and photographers who are very involved in the snowboard industry, which will/is helping him get great jobs. Matt got hired as Nashoba's first-ever videographer and editor when they began to turn their focus towards their terrain park. He was and is on the forefront of something that is gaining a lot of attention (http://www.skitheeast.net/blog
One trait that was common in many interviews was a desire to avoid starting a career. For John and Deborah, being a ski bum was a way to avoid growing up immediately. It was a way for them to prolong their childhood, and avoid taking on large amounts of responsibility as an adult. Deborah did not feel prepared for college, so she took a year off before going to North Adams State College, and went to Killington for a winter. John had just graduated from Umass Amherst, and did not want to work on his father's farm during the winter, so he packed his bags and left for Colorado. He spent two winters at Vail instead of staying home in Massachusetts, trying to get a "real job."
For a fortunate few, being a ski bum is a way to launch yourself into the ski industry. You have to work harder than the average ski bum, but it absolutely pays off. Owen spent his winter travelling around with his senior project mentor, taking pictures for a snowboard magazine at professional snowboard competitions. Once his winter was over, he flew out to Oregon to take pictures for High Cascade Snowboard Camp on the summertime glacier at Mount Hood. He got to know professional snowboarders and photographers who are very involved in the snowboard industry, which will/is helping him get great jobs. Matt got hired as Nashoba's first-ever videographer and editor when they began to turn their focus towards their terrain park. He was and is on the forefront of something that is gaining a lot of attention (http://www.skitheeast.net/blog
Aside from having a job at the ski area that you are trying to be a ski bum at, the only trait that all of my interviews had in common was a love for the sport. None of these people would change their life in such dramatic ways if they did not have a serious love for skiing or snowboarding. It brings each of them a feeling that cannot be attained any other way, and they will go to the absolute extreme to attain it as much as possible.
10 Years
10 years from now, I will be 28 years old. I hope to be out of college, and not starting a career. I hope to be a ski bum in Breckenridge, Colorado. Breckenridge is a small, super relaxed town in Summit County, which has multiple large resorts in it. Breckenridge does not have its own season pass, it uses The Epic Pass, a season pass that works at multiple mountains around Colorado (and Heavenly in California). Because it is valid at multiple, extremely large resorts, The Epic Pass is $630. There is something called a The Summit Pass, which only allows you access to the resorts in Summit County, but it is significantly cheaper, priced at $390. Housing is expensive, due to the easy access to multiple large resorts, but I would be living with multiple people who all contribute towards rent.
Ideally, I would be cooking food at a restaurant in the lodge, or a restaurant affiliated with Breckenridge Resort. This would get me a free Epic Pass or a free Summit Pass. Regardless, I would be saving either $390 or $630, both would be extremely helpful, considering the fact that I would be working a low paying job and spending most of my paycheck on rent. Another advantage of working in a restaurant in the lodge is that whenever I'm skiing and hunger strikes, I can just walk into the lodge restaurant and get myself some food for free. I considered working as a bartender at an unaffiliated bar, since I would make more money doing that than cooking at a restaurant, but the free food and free season pass most likely will make up the difference.
Ideally, I would be cooking food at a restaurant in the lodge, or a restaurant affiliated with Breckenridge Resort. This would get me a free Epic Pass or a free Summit Pass. Regardless, I would be saving either $390 or $630, both would be extremely helpful, considering the fact that I would be working a low paying job and spending most of my paycheck on rent. Another advantage of working in a restaurant in the lodge is that whenever I'm skiing and hunger strikes, I can just walk into the lodge restaurant and get myself some food for free. I considered working as a bartender at an unaffiliated bar, since I would make more money doing that than cooking at a restaurant, but the free food and free season pass most likely will make up the difference.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Nashoba Reflection
The best way that I integrated some aspect of ski bumming into my life this year was by getting an internship at Nashoba Valley Ski Area. I went and took pictures at their competitions, and I got to ski for free. One thing that was really amazing about my position there was that my job required me to go skiing every time I worked. I had to be on the hill, skiing around, trying to get good pictures, and every once in a while, trying to make a good video. Like Matt Ciampa, I had a job where skiing was a necessity in order to perform well. Aside from ski patrol, park staff, and instructors, Matt and I had the only two jobs on the mountain in which we were forced to go skiing, showing how rare those types of jobs are. We got to do exactly what we want to be doing while we are working, and having a great time.
Another thing I learned while working at Nashoba is the basics of how a small ski area operates. There are so many small details that go into keeping a ski area running that I never had thought of before. Most of the time, I was focused on the website and my photos, but every once in a while, I would find myself doing random chores around the ski area, such as restocking the vending machines with my boss (the web designer for Nashoba. Why it is his job to restock the vending machines, I will never know.). Even a tiny ski area, such as Nashoba, needs hundreds, if not thousands, of employees to be working every winter to keep the business afloat.
The most noticable thing that I noticed about the ski industry from working at Nashoba is the obvious laid back attitude of everybody skiing and working there. It was really nice being able to go to work wearing whatever I wanted to, and being able to joke around with the people I worked with (or for). Most of the time, one would assume that the laid back atmosphere would be left to the large resorts, who are trying to make their customers feel relaxed and stay longer, but even small ski areas, such as Nashoba, have a similar vibe.
My Daily Snow Report---> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STrBFqaqudE&feature=channel_video_title
My Pictures---> http://nashobaparks.com/
Another thing I learned while working at Nashoba is the basics of how a small ski area operates. There are so many small details that go into keeping a ski area running that I never had thought of before. Most of the time, I was focused on the website and my photos, but every once in a while, I would find myself doing random chores around the ski area, such as restocking the vending machines with my boss (the web designer for Nashoba. Why it is his job to restock the vending machines, I will never know.). Even a tiny ski area, such as Nashoba, needs hundreds, if not thousands, of employees to be working every winter to keep the business afloat.
The most noticable thing that I noticed about the ski industry from working at Nashoba is the obvious laid back attitude of everybody skiing and working there. It was really nice being able to go to work wearing whatever I wanted to, and being able to joke around with the people I worked with (or for). Most of the time, one would assume that the laid back atmosphere would be left to the large resorts, who are trying to make their customers feel relaxed and stay longer, but even small ski areas, such as Nashoba, have a similar vibe.
My Daily Snow Report---> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STrBFqaqudE&feature=channel_video_title
My Pictures---> http://nashobaparks.com/
Famous Ski Bums
Many professional skiers are just ski bums who are better at skiing than most people. Skiing, especially freestyle skiing, is not something that people get into for the money; there is almost none. Since freestyle skiing is still an emerging sport, there are not as many massive sponsors willing to throw millions of dollars at athletes. There are a few professional freestyle skiers who make a living off of their talent, but very, very few. If freestyle skiers want to be good enough to be professional, they have to be skiing everyday. This means that they, essentially, have to be ski bums. Most of them are young, white men who love skiing.
One major difference between a regular ski bum and a professional skier is sponsorships. Ski bums have to pay for everything and work extremely hard to be able to make ends meet. They must get a job with the mountain, or else they have to pay the full price of a season pass. Professional skiers get their skiing paid for at any mountain they go to, as well as their travel expenses. All they really have to pay for is lodging and food. Regardless, most of these professional skiers, with their fancy sponsorships, live ski bum lifestyles. They live in cramped conditions with many people, in order to afford a house in good proximity to the mountain, just like most other ski bums.
My favorite famous ski bums are Ian Cosco and The Line Travelling Circus. Both of them are well-known professional skiers, with full sponsorships and all, but live ski bum lifestyles. Ian Cosco is a Canadian skier, who has a video blog called "Chug Life." It is a window into the real lives of professional skiers. The best thing about the video blog is that it shows that professional skiers act and live the same way as most ski bums. They are just looking to have fun and go skiing as much as they can. The Line Travelling Circus is a group of young professional skiers (mostly from the East coast), all sponsored by Line Skis, who jump in a sponsored van and travel all around the United States skiing, with a lot of other random footage from the road. They fit the description of "bums" better than most ski bums do. These are the kinds of guys who sleep in their car for weeks and don't shower for days. Like Ian Cosco, the Line Travelling Circus has a video blog as well, where they videotape all of their adventures. Their blog is more focused on skiing than Chug Life, but it still provides a great opportunity to see how professional skiers live; not much differently than the average ski bum.
Chug Life: http://newschoolers.com/ns/content/tvchannel/id/4826/t/chugLIFE/
Line Travelling Circus: http://newschoolers.com/ns/content/tvchannel/id/3924/t/Traveling+Circus/
One major difference between a regular ski bum and a professional skier is sponsorships. Ski bums have to pay for everything and work extremely hard to be able to make ends meet. They must get a job with the mountain, or else they have to pay the full price of a season pass. Professional skiers get their skiing paid for at any mountain they go to, as well as their travel expenses. All they really have to pay for is lodging and food. Regardless, most of these professional skiers, with their fancy sponsorships, live ski bum lifestyles. They live in cramped conditions with many people, in order to afford a house in good proximity to the mountain, just like most other ski bums.
My favorite famous ski bums are Ian Cosco and The Line Travelling Circus. Both of them are well-known professional skiers, with full sponsorships and all, but live ski bum lifestyles. Ian Cosco is a Canadian skier, who has a video blog called "Chug Life." It is a window into the real lives of professional skiers. The best thing about the video blog is that it shows that professional skiers act and live the same way as most ski bums. They are just looking to have fun and go skiing as much as they can. The Line Travelling Circus is a group of young professional skiers (mostly from the East coast), all sponsored by Line Skis, who jump in a sponsored van and travel all around the United States skiing, with a lot of other random footage from the road. They fit the description of "bums" better than most ski bums do. These are the kinds of guys who sleep in their car for weeks and don't shower for days. Like Ian Cosco, the Line Travelling Circus has a video blog as well, where they videotape all of their adventures. Their blog is more focused on skiing than Chug Life, but it still provides a great opportunity to see how professional skiers live; not much differently than the average ski bum.
Chug Life: http://newschoolers.com/ns/content/tvchannel/id/4826/t/chugLIFE/
Line Travelling Circus: http://newschoolers.com/ns/content/tvchannel/id/3924/t/Traveling+Circus/
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Matt Ciampa: Ski Industry Ski Bum
Matt's skiing career started three years ago. He is an average 19 year old, living in Alston, Massachusetts. Straight out of high school, he has a year-round, full-time job at Nashoba Valley Ski Area in Westford, Massachusetts (a 45 minute commute) as a videographer/editor. Unlike most ski bums, he did not learn to ski as a young child. He first started skiing in his junior year of high school. He rode through the park, hitting jumps and rails as soon as he was learning how to turn. At the end of Matt's first season, Nashoba was looking to improve their terrain park and increase publicity. They hired a new staff, made a bunch of new rails, started filming daily snow reports, creating multiple websites, and posting videos online. Matt was hired as the mountain's videographer and video editor.
As videographer and video editor, Matt spent the next two years skiing around the mountain getting footage for Daily Snow Reports, filming freestyle competitions and events, and editing together all of the footage. Once the footage is edited, it is uploaded onto the websites so that people can watch, and hopefully, be encouraged to come ski at Nashoba. The job gets him a free season pass, and actually requires him to go skiing most of the day to get footage so that he can make videos. His job is the perfect ski bum job. It allows him to ski for free. He gets to ski every single day of the season. His job actually requires him to ski for a good part of every day. He is getting paid every minute that he is at Nashoba.
Matt's motto is "ski free or die." He says that the best part of his job is that he gets to ski all day and he doesn't have to pay for any of it. Most ski bums are young adults, and most young adults don't have a lot of money. Skiing costs a lot of money. You can get a discounted pass for unlimited skiing if you are going to a college and can get a college pass, but what about the people who don't go to college? If they don't have a job at the mountain, they have to buy passes or just jump on the chairlift. Matt knows that both of these options are completely realistic options; skiers do both all the time. He loves to ski, he doesn't want to pay for it, and he doesn't want to cheat the mountain out of business; especially a little ski area like Nashoba.
Getting involved in the ski industry is risky business for ski bums. There is a really good chance that you will get sucked in and end up doing no skiing at all, but Matt has found a loophole. Not only does he get a free pass, he gets to ski while he works, gets paid the entire time, and he gets to be part of a small ski area's initial plan for consumer growth. Nashoba is beginning to get noticed by sponsors, investors and consumers alike. Last year, a tiki bar was opened across the parking lot from the lodge for the summer. This year, a summer camp is opening up during the day. More and more people will start coming through Nashoba, and fresh out of high school, Matt will be there, fliming it all, editing it together into a video, and spreading it to the public.
Matt's motto is "ski free or die." He says that the best part of his job is that he gets to ski all day and he doesn't have to pay for any of it. Most ski bums are young adults, and most young adults don't have a lot of money. Skiing costs a lot of money. You can get a discounted pass for unlimited skiing if you are going to a college and can get a college pass, but what about the people who don't go to college? If they don't have a job at the mountain, they have to buy passes or just jump on the chairlift. Matt knows that both of these options are completely realistic options; skiers do both all the time. He loves to ski, he doesn't want to pay for it, and he doesn't want to cheat the mountain out of business; especially a little ski area like Nashoba.
Getting involved in the ski industry is risky business for ski bums. There is a really good chance that you will get sucked in and end up doing no skiing at all, but Matt has found a loophole. Not only does he get a free pass, he gets to ski while he works, gets paid the entire time, and he gets to be part of a small ski area's initial plan for consumer growth. Nashoba is beginning to get noticed by sponsors, investors and consumers alike. Last year, a tiki bar was opened across the parking lot from the lodge for the summer. This year, a summer camp is opening up during the day. More and more people will start coming through Nashoba, and fresh out of high school, Matt will be there, fliming it all, editing it together into a video, and spreading it to the public.
John Marshall: Former Ski Bum
Hearing about John's winters, one would have no idea that he works a full-time job that does not involve skiing. On most weekends, he heads up to Sunday River for day trips, and if he wants to go further North and stay overnight, he stays in "the skiers' quarters" for $100/night at Sugarloaf. With two beds and a shower, John heads up with a friend and pays $50/night to stay in Maine for the weekend. Unfortunately, the inn that has the skiers' quarters is very small, with four tiny rooms, so a room is not always guaranteed. Fortunately, most people don't know about it. When he gets a room at the skiers' quarters (which he usually does, due to his connections there), he uses his New England Pass to ski at Sunday River or Sugarloaf. It is a $900 pass that allows you to ski at Loon, Sunday River, and Sugarloaf, as well as a few mountains out West that are managed by the same corporation. He used money from working full-time to pay for that pass. If he is not skiing at one of those three mountains, he's at some other mountain North of Massachusetts. During the week, he works full-time at Parker Charter School, and works nights at Wachusett Mountain, a local ski area. He has a job in their ski shop, waxing and maintaining skis. Having that job gets him discounted ski equipment and free skiing at Wachusett Mountain. Most of the time, he isn't able to ski at Wachusett because when he is there, he is working. Regardless of not skiing Wachusett during the week, this season he skied an estimated 60 days.
Aside from weekend trips, John takes one big trip every year; it's tradition for him. This past year, he went to Big Sky, Montana. Coincidentally, the New England Pass works at Big Sky as well, so he saved about $80/day on lift tickets. The amount that he saved by having a season pass paid for about half of the total price of the pass. He went for six days with two other skiers that he travels with every year. Last year they went to Steamboat, and next year it's between Jackson Hole and Utah. He mentioned that he could get rooms for $50/night in Utah, and it's all about keeping the prices low, since everything is so overpriced in the ski industry as it is. Next year, he also wants to take some time off during the summer to head down to Chile, where it will be winter and the resorts will be open. Luckily, it is cheaper to ski and stay overnight in Chile, but the lengthy flight bumps the price up quite a bit.
All this is nothing compared to what he's already done. The winter of 1978, just after he had graduated college, he packed up everything he needed into a '71 Chevy Nova and headed to Vail. His alternative was to stay in Massachusetts and work on his father's farm, and he really did not want to do that. A friend of his was living in Vail, so he decided to go join him in being a ski bum. Once he got out there, he sold the Nova for $200. Quickly, he picked up a job washing dishes at night, and he loved it. They paid him, let him ski all day, and let him eat for free. He got a room in a dorm-style building for $100/night, which was a fair amount of money at that time. Vail was not too built up at the time, but still built up enough for them to charge you a solid fee to stay overnight. This also meant that there were not many options for places to sleep, so if you find a room that you can afford, you take it. He paid $195 for a season pass and skied everyday from the time he woke up until 2 in the afternoon, when he had to go wash dishes. John made lots of friends when he was staying at Vail, who would all wake up with him and shred all day. Come April, he had to start thinking about heading home. He sold his skis and equipment, and hitched a ride home. It took him a week, since he zig-zagged all over the country, but he got home safe and sound. After making those connections, he went back the next year and did the exact same thing.
While John admits that because of the incredible growth of the ski industry, it is more expensive to be a ski bum these days, he strongly believes that being a ski bum is easy. There are always jobs in resort towns, and you can always pile into a house with 12 guys living there already. As long as you're really willing to be a ski bum, you can still be a ski bum.
Sam Barstow: College Ski Bum
Being a ski bum means changing your life for the powder. You have to be willing to dedicate your life to getting on the hill. If you want to be in college and be a ski bum, it is nearly impossible. Many people try, and end up dropping out so that they can ski more, or end up skiing less so that they can focus on school. Sam Barstow, 21 year old senior at Union College in New York, has struck a perfect balance. After years of practice, he has discovered ways to be a ski bum while also being a full-time student.
Union College is a small college in Schenectady, New York, a small city just outside Albany. With the border of Vermont being about a 45 minute drive East, good skiing is completely accessible. Sam took these factors into account when deciding on a college. Since every student at Union is automatically part of the Ski Club, Sam started skiing once the snow hit the ground. All he had to do was sign up for a trip (two trips weekly), and pay $20 (if it's a Saturday trip, Thursday trips are free), which covers transportation and a lift ticket. The Ski Club travels to mountains all over; from the border of Canada, to further upstate New York, to free Thursday trips to Jiminy Peak, in Massachusetts.
After a few years of being in the Ski Club, Sam became president. He gets to plan all of the trips and choose what mountains the club goes to. He also learned how to get more skiing into his schedule while still getting all of his work done. Since Union is on a trimester schedule, they only have to take three classes per term. Sam discovered that by rearranging his, already sparse schedule, he could have two days during the week completely open for skiing. Most winter terms, Sam would keep his Tuesdays and Thursdays clear. This makes Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays very work-heavy, but he says that it is more than worth it. He also buys a season pass (with a college student discount) to Mount Snow; the closest, best skiing. He has a car at school, and countless friends who also have season passes, great skiing is always just a 45 minute drive away. With two weekdays opened up, two guaranteed weekly trips, and accessibility to Mount Snow at any point in time, Sam is as close to being a real ski bum as he can get while still being a full-time college student. Regardless, he does not consider himself an actual ski bum.
The reason for this is because of his basis for comparison. Yes, he changes his schedule and lifestyle so that he can ski as much as possible, without falling behind in school, but he still feels like he is not a real ski bum. For two winter breaks from Union, Sam went to Alta in Utah to be a ski bum. This is where his basis for comparison came from. He knew some kids who finished college and had moved out to Utah to be ski bums, and went to join them for a month. One of Sam's friends told him that he could stay on their couch, work as a busboy in the lodge, get free food, and free skiing, but it would all be taken out of his paycheck. For $30/day, Sam was sleeping in the base lodge at Alta, working morning and night shifts as a busboy, skiing in between, and eating the, normally overpriced lodge food. Without that connection to the resort, he would have had to buy an $1,100 season pass, rent a house outside of the canyon that Alta is in, find a job in a surrounding town, and buy a car so that he could commute to the mountain everyday. Luckily, he had that connection to the resort, so for two winters (so far) he got to live the dream. When he looks at his skiing routine while at college and compares it to the kids he skis with in Alta, he feels nothing anything even resembling a ski bum.
Last summer, Sam took the infamous trip to Mount Hood. He had gone to visit friends for a week or so before, but this time he was in for the long haul. He and a big group of friends rented a house together in Govy, the small town at the bottom of the mountain. Most of the people that he was living with had spent at least a summer at Hood, so they knew the deal. They had to pay a bit more, but they rented a decent house and ate decent food. According to Sam, most Govy first-timers rent a house in The Summit, a cheap housing development (a.k.a. "Slummit"), and living off of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. In order to ski on the glacier at Mount Hood, day passes have to be bought to ride the public park. Sam and his friends would go to the base lodge at Hood anytime they wanted a day pass and work for it. They were never assigned hours; if you wanted to ski, you had to work. It didn't give them much of an income, but they were skiing for free.
The secret to Sam's skiing success is his connections. His school helps him get discounts on season passes, his friends help him get lodging, food, and a job when he wants to really be a ski bum, and some resorts have been more than willing to give him free skiing in exchange for labor. Although he does not think so, Sam fits the description of a ski bum, and equally impressive, he fits the description of a successful student.
Union College is a small college in Schenectady, New York, a small city just outside Albany. With the border of Vermont being about a 45 minute drive East, good skiing is completely accessible. Sam took these factors into account when deciding on a college. Since every student at Union is automatically part of the Ski Club, Sam started skiing once the snow hit the ground. All he had to do was sign up for a trip (two trips weekly), and pay $20 (if it's a Saturday trip, Thursday trips are free), which covers transportation and a lift ticket. The Ski Club travels to mountains all over; from the border of Canada, to further upstate New York, to free Thursday trips to Jiminy Peak, in Massachusetts.
After a few years of being in the Ski Club, Sam became president. He gets to plan all of the trips and choose what mountains the club goes to. He also learned how to get more skiing into his schedule while still getting all of his work done. Since Union is on a trimester schedule, they only have to take three classes per term. Sam discovered that by rearranging his, already sparse schedule, he could have two days during the week completely open for skiing. Most winter terms, Sam would keep his Tuesdays and Thursdays clear. This makes Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays very work-heavy, but he says that it is more than worth it. He also buys a season pass (with a college student discount) to Mount Snow; the closest, best skiing. He has a car at school, and countless friends who also have season passes, great skiing is always just a 45 minute drive away. With two weekdays opened up, two guaranteed weekly trips, and accessibility to Mount Snow at any point in time, Sam is as close to being a real ski bum as he can get while still being a full-time college student. Regardless, he does not consider himself an actual ski bum.
The reason for this is because of his basis for comparison. Yes, he changes his schedule and lifestyle so that he can ski as much as possible, without falling behind in school, but he still feels like he is not a real ski bum. For two winter breaks from Union, Sam went to Alta in Utah to be a ski bum. This is where his basis for comparison came from. He knew some kids who finished college and had moved out to Utah to be ski bums, and went to join them for a month. One of Sam's friends told him that he could stay on their couch, work as a busboy in the lodge, get free food, and free skiing, but it would all be taken out of his paycheck. For $30/day, Sam was sleeping in the base lodge at Alta, working morning and night shifts as a busboy, skiing in between, and eating the, normally overpriced lodge food. Without that connection to the resort, he would have had to buy an $1,100 season pass, rent a house outside of the canyon that Alta is in, find a job in a surrounding town, and buy a car so that he could commute to the mountain everyday. Luckily, he had that connection to the resort, so for two winters (so far) he got to live the dream. When he looks at his skiing routine while at college and compares it to the kids he skis with in Alta, he feels nothing anything even resembling a ski bum.
The secret to Sam's skiing success is his connections. His school helps him get discounts on season passes, his friends help him get lodging, food, and a job when he wants to really be a ski bum, and some resorts have been more than willing to give him free skiing in exchange for labor. Although he does not think so, Sam fits the description of a ski bum, and equally impressive, he fits the description of a successful student.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Owen Ringwall: Photographer Snowboard Bum
Owen Ringwall, a freshman at the University of Vermont, has always dedicated his winters to snowboarding. Since he can remember, his family has been going up to their condo at Sunday River almost every weekend during the ski season. Both of his parents ski, as well as his younger brother, so skiing was always a family activity. His father, Bruce, is on the board of trustees at The Grand Jordan Hotel, right on Sunday River, and has always been involved with the corporate side of things at Sunday, resulting in a condo at the Jordan and discounted skiing. At a very young age, he dropped his skis and picked up a snowboard. After a few years of snowboarding, he started competing in freestyle events. Owen joined the Sunday River Snowboard Team, and spent every weekend doing freestyle competitions in Maine. Many times, he did so well during the competition season that he would end up qualifying and competing at the National competition in Colorado. He would save up money throughout the year doing small landscaping jobs so that he could help pay for his summer trips to High Cascade Snowboard Camp on the glacier at Mount Hood in Oregon. He got to snowboard during the winter, and get help on his tricks from professional snowboarders. Around his junior year of high school, he lost interest in competing. Like most people, he realized that it would take an incredible amount of practice and dedication to improving his tricks in order to continue winning competitions. He then turned his focus to cameras.
When he was around 16, he became seriously interested in cameras. He bought a Cannon digital SLR camera and began taking pictures; a lot of pictures. When senior year came around, he had to choose a topic for his senior project, so he chose to document snowboard culture through photojournalism. He began reaching out for mentors, sending emails to snowboard photographers and photo editors for snowboard magazines all over. The photo editor for a small, East coast snowboard magazine (coincidentally called East Coast Snowboard Magazine) happened to live in the next town over, and was more than happy to set up a lunch. After meeting, he agreed to be Owen's mentor for his project. Owen spent the rest of his winter taking trips all over the East, taking pictures as the magazine's intern. He had top level media credentials to most of the major snowboard events on the East coast, and ended up with a few pictures published in East Coast Snowboard Magazine and Transworld (one of, if not the largest snowboard magazines). All of the snowboarding he did with his mentor that year was covered by the magazine, as well as all of the overnight accommodations. On weekends when he was not with his mentor, he was up at Sunday River, as always. Towards the end of his senior year, Owen's mentor suggested that the fill out an application for a job as a photographer at High Cascade, the snowboard camp that he had attended when he was younger, but stopped after he was done competing. His mentor told him that the job was almost guaranteed with all of the work that he had done over the past season, and his connection to the magazine; he just had to send in an application.
His mentor had been right. Owen got the job, and shortly after graduating, he flew out to Oregon to start being a snowboard bum. He moved into a house in the town at the base of Mount Hood (called "Govy" by the locals) with a few other guys who were also snowboarding for the summer, but had never met them before. He had been saving up money working at the front desk of a tennis club, and was making money everyday while he was taking pictures at the camp. He was working with the campers, coaches, pros, and ski bums who wanted to ride the public terrain park everyday. Owen was riding every day of the summer, and making tight connections with people deeply involved in the snowboard industry. By the end of summer, he had made a good amount of money from working at High Cascade, lots more connections in the snowboard world, and secured a job for the following summer.
A few weeks after coming back home from Oregon, Owen headed up to college. His parents were willing to pay for a portion of the $47,000 cost of attending UVM, and the rest would have to be covered by scholarships and loans. Owen decided to take out loans every year so that he could afford to go there, and pay off his education afterwards. He could have gone to a cheaper college elsewhere, but he chose UVM for the location: Burlington. Burlington, Vermont is undoubtedly the Mecca of snowboarding on the East coast. With thousands of college students, amazing mountains within 40 minutes, a hippie vibe, and the Burton corporate offices one exit south, Burlington is a perfect spot for snowboarders. Owen is majoring is studio art, and is on the UVM Snowboard Team (meaning he pays an entrance fee, gets a van to mountains weekly, rides a few mountains for free, and gets a competition fee waiver, if he were to want to compete). For the second semester, he arranged his schedule so that he has two days completely free for snowboarding during the school week, and his weekends as well. He absolutely takes advantage of this opportunity. While taking classes to legitimize his talent, meeting people and forming connections to the snowboarding world, and snowboarding more than most people get to in a winter (and summer), Owen is taking snowboard bumming to a different level.
When he was around 16, he became seriously interested in cameras. He bought a Cannon digital SLR camera and began taking pictures; a lot of pictures. When senior year came around, he had to choose a topic for his senior project, so he chose to document snowboard culture through photojournalism. He began reaching out for mentors, sending emails to snowboard photographers and photo editors for snowboard magazines all over. The photo editor for a small, East coast snowboard magazine (coincidentally called East Coast Snowboard Magazine) happened to live in the next town over, and was more than happy to set up a lunch. After meeting, he agreed to be Owen's mentor for his project. Owen spent the rest of his winter taking trips all over the East, taking pictures as the magazine's intern. He had top level media credentials to most of the major snowboard events on the East coast, and ended up with a few pictures published in East Coast Snowboard Magazine and Transworld (one of, if not the largest snowboard magazines). All of the snowboarding he did with his mentor that year was covered by the magazine, as well as all of the overnight accommodations. On weekends when he was not with his mentor, he was up at Sunday River, as always. Towards the end of his senior year, Owen's mentor suggested that the fill out an application for a job as a photographer at High Cascade, the snowboard camp that he had attended when he was younger, but stopped after he was done competing. His mentor told him that the job was almost guaranteed with all of the work that he had done over the past season, and his connection to the magazine; he just had to send in an application.
His mentor had been right. Owen got the job, and shortly after graduating, he flew out to Oregon to start being a snowboard bum. He moved into a house in the town at the base of Mount Hood (called "Govy" by the locals) with a few other guys who were also snowboarding for the summer, but had never met them before. He had been saving up money working at the front desk of a tennis club, and was making money everyday while he was taking pictures at the camp. He was working with the campers, coaches, pros, and ski bums who wanted to ride the public terrain park everyday. Owen was riding every day of the summer, and making tight connections with people deeply involved in the snowboard industry. By the end of summer, he had made a good amount of money from working at High Cascade, lots more connections in the snowboard world, and secured a job for the following summer.
A few weeks after coming back home from Oregon, Owen headed up to college. His parents were willing to pay for a portion of the $47,000 cost of attending UVM, and the rest would have to be covered by scholarships and loans. Owen decided to take out loans every year so that he could afford to go there, and pay off his education afterwards. He could have gone to a cheaper college elsewhere, but he chose UVM for the location: Burlington. Burlington, Vermont is undoubtedly the Mecca of snowboarding on the East coast. With thousands of college students, amazing mountains within 40 minutes, a hippie vibe, and the Burton corporate offices one exit south, Burlington is a perfect spot for snowboarders. Owen is majoring is studio art, and is on the UVM Snowboard Team (meaning he pays an entrance fee, gets a van to mountains weekly, rides a few mountains for free, and gets a competition fee waiver, if he were to want to compete). For the second semester, he arranged his schedule so that he has two days completely free for snowboarding during the school week, and his weekends as well. He absolutely takes advantage of this opportunity. While taking classes to legitimize his talent, meeting people and forming connections to the snowboarding world, and snowboarding more than most people get to in a winter (and summer), Owen is taking snowboard bumming to a different level.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Deborah Chamberlain: Former Ski Bum
Deborah became a ski bum when she was 18 years old (the 1980/81 season). After being accepted to North Adams State University (the closest Massachusetts state school to Killington), she decided to defer a year instead of jumping right into college. Her mother encouraged her to take the year off; her older sister had spent a winter at Waterville Valley just before going to college and felt like it served her well. Deborah wanted to stand out. She wanted to be different from her older sister. Instead of going to Waterville for her winter between high school and college (like her sister had done), she thought about going to Killington for her winter between high school and college. She nonchalantly mentioned the idea to two of her friends, Mary Ann and Elaine, and they were immediately on board. This idea that she had quickly became the plan, and Deborah was quickly becoming a ski bum.
One autumn weekend, the three headed up to Killington in Mary Ann's station wagon, in search of jobs and a place to live. They walked into an inn at the base of the mountain, called Chalet Killington, and told the manager that they were looking for a job for the winter. This sight was nothing rare to the manager. These were three young women who want to spend the winter skiing at Killington, and they were willing to be "worked to the bone." After being hired, that is exactly what happened. They worked the breakfast and dinner shifts at Chalet Killington that winter as servers. The only servers. This meant they all worked split shifts everyday. The morning shift started at around 6 and lasted most of the morning. After a few hours to themselves, they had to return to the Chalet for the dinner shift. It was a lot of work, but they all felt that it was exciting and adventurous.
Working at Chalet Killington makes being a ski bum easier for three reasons:
1. They pay you.
2. Split shifts everyday means that you are guaranteed at least a few hours of skiing on a daily basis.
3. The "Ski Bum Pass".
The "Ski Bum Pass" is a season pass that the stores, restaurants, inns, etc. at the base of Killington sell to their employees at a very reduced rate. They include blackout dates, but they were during school vacations. This prevented ski bums from skiing while the mountain was covered with little kids and Joeys who drove up from Jersey for the day to do a bit of shreddin' (or fallin'). Most of the people who worked by Killington and had a "Ski Bum Pass" didn't mind the blackout dates; they got to ski the rest of the season while the mountain is empty, and make huge tips while the vacationers were staying at the, ever-so luxurious, Chalet Killington.
After finding employment, the girls got themselves an apartment. They found one for rent at a good price, and at an even better location. The apartment was just off the access road to Killington; an 8 minute commute to Chalet Killington, and a 12 minute commute to the chairlift. This allowed Deborah to go take a few runs whenever she wasn't working, and go home. For her, going up to the mountain didn't take much effort whatsoever, which is not the case for most skiers. She didn't have to drive an hour to get there, and feel obligated to ski all day because of the amount of work it took just get to the mountain. If Deborah only wanted to ski three runs one afternoon, she could get a shuttle bus, drive the car that the three girls shared (if it was around), or hitch a ride to the chairlift, where she could take her three runs, and head home, in no time at all.
Deborah got to ski from mid-morning through the afternoon, Monday through Friday, for the whole winter of 1980/81. She also had a season pass, which meant there was no waiting in line for lift tickets. Another advantage to having a season pass is that even without her discount through Chalet Killington, season passes cost exponentially less money than buying individual tickets. Deborah, Mary Ann, and Elaine took a shuttle from work after their breakfast shift, skied all day, and took a shuttle back to Chalet Killington to feed all of the hungry vacationers their dinners. It was exhausting, but they were living the life.
For these girls, being a ski bum wasn't just about skiing. To them it was a life changing learning experience. They were learning how to live on their own for the first time in their lives, and looking back on it, Deborah describes that winter as being "eased into adulthood." Killington, as a resort, feels enormous. With six connecting peaks, a 4,235ft summit elevation (2nd highest in Vermont), and a 3,050ft vertical drop (2nd largest in the East), it is one of the biggest ski areas on the East Coast. Killington, as a community, feels microscopic. Once the girls' boss knew that they would be living right on Killington, he gave them phone numbers for almost all of their necessities. Fortunately, Deborah and her crew needed firewood, food, to have their driveway plowed, and not a whole lot else. Again, they were living the life.
Once the season was over, Deborah headed home and got ready to go to college. She attended North Adams State that fall, but Mary Ann and Elaine had different plans. Elaine ended up falling in love and marrying Ken, from the kitchen at Chalet Killington. Mary Ann got a serious job at Killington and stayed there for about 10 years. Deborah got to go back to Killington during winter vacations off from college to stay with her old roommates, escape the college environment, earn some money working at the inn, and relax by the mountain for a few weeks, but it wasn't the same. Deborah would go back to school after breaks with a clear head and a stack of freshly earned cash, but she missed the freedom and independence of being a ski bum. To her, that one winter before college, where she got to work her tail off at a minimum wage job, live in a tiny apartment with a bunch of other people, and ski like there's no tomorrow, helped her define what it means to be truly free.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
January 30th: Nashoba Freeride Series Slopestyle
The third competition of the season was the second round of the Nashoba Freeride Series. The first round was a rail jam, and the second was a slopestyle, so like the USASA competition, every feature in the park was used. As always, I would be taking still shots while Ciampa shot video.
The most noticeable aspect of the competition was the mood. Compared to the USASA slopestyle, this didn't even seem like a competition. The USASA comp started off with the competition director shouting out the rules and regulations, and what to do if you want to get kicked out. At the Freeride Series, the park crew stood in front of the competitors and went over the structure of the competition, told the kids what they were looking at while judging, and told everybody to have fun. Two different worlds.
I spent the day skiing around the park, getting different angles on different features so that Nashoba's websites would have a variety of photos from the competition. I would stand on the edge of features or on the edge of the trail and snap shots of the competitiors, drinking free Red Bull (thank you competition sponsors). Nobody minded that I was riding through the middle of the park in between runs and setting up right next to the features, everybody was just having fun.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
January 23rd: USASA Slopestyle
Sunday, January 23rd was the first official USASA (United States of America Snowboard Association) Slopestyle competition. This meant that each competitor would have to be registered with the USASA before the competition, they would have to abide by USASA rules and regulations, they would be judged by official USASA judges, and their points and rankings from the competition would go towards their standings in the national competition. People from all over Massachusetts came to compete, ranging in age from under 10 years old to over 20 years old.
The competition took place in the Sundance Park at Nashoba, and since it was a slopestyle competition, they would be judged on their performance throughout the whole park. I mostly stood by the big jump so that I could get pictures of the really big airs, and it also had a good perspective on the rest of the park features. Every once in a while, I would take a run down to the bottom, ride up and take some pictures on the chairlift, and stop along at different features while I made my way back down to the big jump.
The Nashoba Valley Freestyle Team kids were clearing all of the jumps perfectly, obviously very used to the park setup. As usual, they were horsing around with each other before each drop, and were throwing snowballs at each other and their coaches (the park staff). The Wachusett Xtreme Team kids, however, weren't getting enough speed for the jumps most of the time, and either knuckling the jump or falling. They were having meetings with their coaches after each run to see how they could improve their score, and were dead serious before and after their runs. They were entirely focused on winning, but they weren't even getting enough speed to clear the jumps. At one point, a Wachusett team rider asked a park crew member, "people actually hit this stuff?" The park manager, Keith, brushed it off as a typical quote from a Wachusett rider.
The Nashoba Valley Freestyle Team kids were clearing all of the jumps perfectly, obviously very used to the park setup. As usual, they were horsing around with each other before each drop, and were throwing snowballs at each other and their coaches (the park staff). The Wachusett Xtreme Team kids, however, weren't getting enough speed for the jumps most of the time, and either knuckling the jump or falling. They were having meetings with their coaches after each run to see how they could improve their score, and were dead serious before and after their runs. They were entirely focused on winning, but they weren't even getting enough speed to clear the jumps. At one point, a Wachusett team rider asked a park crew member, "people actually hit this stuff?" The park manager, Keith, brushed it off as a typical quote from a Wachusett rider.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
January 16th: Nashoba Freeride Series Rail Jam
I had heard about the rail jam from Matt Ciampa when I was just skiing for fun earlier in the week. I showed up at Nashoba at 9am ready to work. I went up to the office and saw Ciampa and Jon sitting at the long desk, side-by-side, watching footage for the website. Ciampa is a kid, maybe two or three years out of high school, who is the filmer and video editor for Nashoba's website. He has a similar job as me, only he goes all the time, he actually edits the footage together, and he gets paid to do it. Jon handed me the still camera, handed Ciampa the video camera, and we were off.
I rode down the park, taking pictures of all of the features in the park so that Jon could update the website. Then I went to the first feature of the rail jam. The kids had an hour to warm up, and then the competition began. I hiked around the box, taking pictures of the competitors as they practiced. Everybody seemed to just be having fun and getting each other stoked; I could hardly believe that it was a competition.
Once practice was over, the first round of the competitions went down on the flat-down box. There was a large range in age, from about 9-20 something years old, but everybody was throwing down impressive tricks. Obviously there were a fair number of kids who didn't really know what they were doing, but the amount of talent that was there performing was really incredible. I didn't expect to see the caliber of tricks that I ended up seeing at such a small mountain. After that round came round two on the doghouse box, then the final round on the "tank turret."
After the competition, I took photos of the awards ceremony, where the first place winners were given their prizes, and random prizes were thrown in the air during the product tosses. All of the kids who competed were having a great time, and the park staff that judged the competition was having just as much fun.
The final part of my day was going back to the office in the lodge to upload the photos to the mountain's server. I ended up taking something like 1200 pictures that day, so I deleted the useless pictures, and kept the good ones. Once I was done with that, the pictures were uploaded onto the official website and the park website.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
January 5th: First day at internship
January 5th was my first day of my internship at Nashoba Valley Ski Area. It was Wednesday and I took the day off from school to head to the mountain and start my new "job." I walked up to the office, where I met Chris, who works with my mentor Jon. The office is pretty small, one little room with three other little rooms branched off of it. Filing cabinets, desks, and boxes cover most of the floor space. I walked into the back office, where Jon works. The room has a long desk along the wall with three computers and three chairs. People constantly run through the cramped room into the office or through the back door to the kitchen. Everybody seemed very laid back for working in an "office" environment.
Jon offered me a seat and asked me if I had ever seen the "Daily Snow Report" on their website. We watched a few, and he told me the basics of what I had to do to make one: get people to say the date, the base depth, number of open trails, number of lifts, and number of terrain park features. I also had to go around getting random footage of people skiing and enjoying themselves at Nashoba. He handed me a Sony Handycam on a pole mount, so I could get low angles (it has a fisheye, so I can hold the camera at a lower angle and still get good shots). Then he handed me a still shot camera and told me to get pictures of each feature in the terrain park, so that he could update the website with pictures of the current state of the park. He gave me my complimentary lift ticket, and I was off.
I skied around with no poles, waddling around, cameras dangling about. I made my way up to the lift, and as I came out to sit down on the chairlift, the lifty came up to me and immediately made conversation, asking where the "other guy" was. It's remarkable how friendly the people in every aspect of the ski industry are, so far. I got to the top and started skiing up to random people at the top of the mountain, about to ski down, or at the bottom, and asking them if they could recite the mountain information, and that day's date. I also just went around skiing and filming people as they skied down. While taking pictures of the features in the park, I stopped by the park shack to talk to one of the park crew workers. He recited the mountain information, and then we talked about the park. He told me about how they were planning on setting up the park for the rest of the season, and how they had just gotten 30 new rails and boxes.
After getting enough footage, I went back to the office to return the gear and check in with Jon. He took back the cameras and told me to go skiing for the rest of the day. I asked if anything else needed to be done, and he told me not to worry and just to go ski. It was a great first day.
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