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
s/bd/2011/04/26/Boston-and-Back%3A-Keepin.SQT.-It-Local/). He expresses a serious interest in computer science and design, and mentioned a few side projects that he has been working on this winter. This experience at Nashoba will help him land more career-oriented jobs in the future, as well as act as a gateway into the ski industry, if he wants to further pursue it.

          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.