Becoming a Part Time Ski/Snowboard Bum

[-relk-]

First, a little background info. I will be going into my 4th year of University starting in January. I am taking Comp Sci down in Lethbridge and loving it so far. Right now, I am on an co-op term with an O&G company and it is great so far as well. Most of my experience in the past couple years has been with O&G companies, no other IT experience.

One thing I have realized over the past couple of years is I don't necessarily want to be in an office year round. At the moment, my goal would be to be able to work full time 8 months of the year, and then in January, move out to a resort town and be a ski bum (well I snowboard, so snowboard bum, but that doesn't sound as good) for those 4 months. I know there is much planning around this, especially in regards to where I would live and such, but I don't have any questions revolving around that area right now.

My questions reside around finding a full time job for those 8 months, and then being able to find another one after the 4 months was over. My first thought is to join a contracting company, or become a contractor myself. I will admit, I know very little about contractors and contracting companies so here are my questions regarding these:

1) Can you pick the amount of time you want to work?
2) Do you need to join a contracting company to become a contractor, or can you just contract out yourself?
3) Would looking into becoming a contractor after my degree is done be the best choice, given what I want to do after school? If not, what would be better?
4) Are there ever situations where after you leave for the 4 months, you can come back to the same job or company?

Also, has anyone heard of any experiences with any companies that are flexible with situations like this (say they let you take 4 months unpaid leave)? I can't see many compnaies doing this so if it does happen, I would imagine it being rare. Mind you, this is all specualtion on my part, and by the time I am done my degree I could have a completely different direction on life, but right now this is what I am looking into doing.

Thanks for any help beyonders!

EDIT: For those that read this thread in the future, it seems to be a situation where you have to choose whether your career path is more important, or if you want to be a ski/snowboard bum. If you read some of the posts below, you will see why :thumbsup:

[e31]

My advice to you is: don't be so greedy.

Most people are lucky enough to find A job once they graduate, let alone one that meets all their desires. Try working for a couple of years before you think you need a break; I can assure you that your student loans will not pay themselves.

I've seen what happens to people when they irrationally think that they can have it all and be a super-surf-snowboarder extraordinaire; those stories sound eerily familiar to ones echoing the halls of the drop-in centre downtown. Are you scared yet?

Be a man, do the right thing.

[Recca168]

Honestly how much can you snowboard? I have a full time job and in the winter months I'm still boarding every weekend. No company would be happy to be short staffed 4 months of the year

For contracting you can start your own company and contract yourself out or get sub contracted through another company. Not the recommended way to go just coming out of school though

[-relk-]

Originally posted by e31
My advice to you is: don't be so greedy.

Most people are lucky enough to find A job once they graduate, let alone one that meets all their desires. Try working for a couple of years before you think you need a break; I can assure you that your student loans will not pay themselves.

I've seen what happens to people when they irrationally think that they can have it all and be a super-surf-snowboarder extraordinaire; those stories sound eerily familiar to ones echoing the halls of the drop-in centre downtown. Are you scared yet?

Be a man, do the right thing.

I wont have any student loans when I graduate. And I plan to move to a resort town for 4 months after I graduate as I have some money saved up.

My issue in regards to snowboarding is that the weekends are always extremely busy. All the snow is usually tracked out by noon at the latest. I appreciate your advice but I don't think I am being greedy...

I am just trying to enjoy life, and that is what I want to do. So I am going to look at every possible avenue in order to achieve that. I don't really care if I don't have a lot of extra income, if I can board 5 times a week in the winter, I will be more than happy.

[npham]

Unless you are a highly sought after developer, which you most likely are not(just the odds and lack of experience, no offense) I don't see contracting as a viable option unless you have lots of contacts already. Contractors typically get work by their extensive networking, so when an opportunity arises, someone will call them up and ask if they are looking for work.

Also, if you plan on building any sort of a career, your resume is going to looking just fucking retarded. 8 months at x Company, 8 months at Y company, etc. Even if you lie and say it was for 1 year, it will seem like you move from job to job each year(which would be true). There is no benefit of hiring you if you have a track record of quitting after they put resources into training you.

[Sasuke_Kensai]

If you can do it - by all means do it! I've always wanted to take more time off like that, but I'm too scared of the potential consequences.

I'm not sure if IT is typically salary or hourly - but if you can find a company that lets you, say, bank overtime and is fairly flexible, you might be able to take a week off here and there during the winter (but not the whole winter obviously). This could be a good compromise if the entire plan doesn't pan out.

[Grogador]

It's been a long week and I'm having trouble stringing these thoughts together sooo:

- It may be a tradeoff between career advancement and lifestyle. A career path usually involves hard work and continuous learning, which will be hard to maintain with 4mo breaks.
- You may end up doing something totally different than what you're imagining now and your desired lifestyle may change
- It's doable: I bank overtime and have been able to take ~6 weeks off in July/August (our slow time), along with weeks off scattered throughout the year in fun places... There's also the trusty leave-of-absence, but unless you get knocked up, don't expect "job protected leave". I wouldn't recommend milking long-term disability through medical fraud...
- I can think of several IT positions that would have you working odd (non-weekday) hours in places like Banff, Canmore, Lake Louise, Jasper, Kelowna, Vernon... How does that sound? Do some research, homeslice.
- Are you sure you won't get bored in four months?? That's an entire (fiscal ;) quarter of the year!
- I know exactly where you're coming from. I have trouble spending more than two continuous weeks in a cubicle. Be realistic, but don't mind the cube-dwelling wage-slave haters, they're just jealous of your free-wheelin' ways... Enjoy it while yer young!
- You won't really know what you want until you try a bunch of shit and hate it :)

[-relk-]

Originally posted by Grogador
- You won't really know what you want until you try a bunch of shit and hate it :)

This hit the nail on the head.

Ultimately, right now I am just looking at options, and from most of the posts here it does not seem as plausible as I first thought. I do ultimately have very little experience, so my view on the corporate world is very limited. I guess I could always add up vacation time and take a month off or so in the wintertime and head to a resort, or multiple resorts for that time period every year if I wanted.

As far as thinking I might get bored, I plan to take 4 months off after I graduate and move to Golden and ski bum at KH. Ill find out then if I enjoy that or not and I will figure it out from then on. I would plan to work part time somewhere, so I am doing something at least while I was there.

Meh I have lots of time to think about it. Thanks for the responses so far!

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Screw Kicking Horse, move to Revy.

[-relk-]

Originally posted by Twin_Cam_Turbo
Screw Kicking Horse, move to Revy.

Why do you say Revy is better than KH? KH is closer to Lake Louise and Banff if its a shitty day or week, and Revy is only a couple hour drive from KH as well. Plus I have not heard many good things about the community in Revelstoke...

[arian_ma]

Originally posted by -relk-


Why do you say Revy is better than KH? KH is closer to Lake Louise and Banff if its a shitty day or week, and Revy is only a couple hour drive from KH as well. Plus I have not heard many good things about the community in Revelstoke...
Yeah, but the hill....:drool:

As for the OP, I think all it takes is the right company who is willing to work with you. A lot of people who are extremely career minded simply don't understand what you're talking about here, but I know that at some smaller companies, they pride themselves on working with your schedule (as long as your schedule works with theirs, obviously).

[dirtsniffer]

apply at teck, I live in fernie ten minutes from the hill and get paid nicely working in the mine

[ercchry]

Originally posted by -relk-


Why do you say Revy is better than KH? KH is closer to Lake Louise and Banff if its a shitty day or week, and Revy is only a couple hour drive from KH as well. Plus I have not heard many good things about the community in Revelstoke...

i had a buddy who was out in revy last season (will be going back this year) and i spent many weekends on his couch and it is a great time, community is awesome. just a bunch of aussies like everywhere else, lots of cool people. lots of back country and other things to fill your time if the hill sucks. but a shit day at revy is still better than a good day at louise or sunshine.

as for work... why not get a position where you can work remotely for those months? adjust your hours around when you are off the hill

[dimi]

I think at this stage in your career it would be foolish to try to impose this kind of a schedule on an employer. Stay in O&G and roll with it. You get paid well and you get a pretty good vacation package. Taking 4 months off just to snowboard would bore the shit out of me, especially if I was living in Golden/Revy.

As for the snow, yes KH and Revy are awesome, but you can get the same kind of snow if you explore SSV (and you like hiking lol). Delirium is wicked, I love the avalanche gear requirement, keeps a lot of people out and you can always find fresh snow there.

Then there is the backcountry :D. A day @ SSV is always a great day.

http://pds.exblog.jp/pds/1/201003/14/80/b0110880_1125221.jpg

http://pds.exblog.jp/pds/1/201003/14/80/b0110880_1132173.jpg

[ercchry]

i will just leave these here... all from revy

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/206693_806453654155_90400578_41575694_7119278_n.jpg

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/216272_806453249965_90400578_41575684_2978269_n.jpg

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/215461_806453564335_90400578_41575690_1205402_n.jpg

[dimi]

Two top pics, those guys are gonna eat shit. lol

No doubt Revy is rediculars. Its just not realistic if you live/work in Calgary though. Hence why I like sunshine. $500 season pass and you can still get 80-90% of the fun every single weekend. Long weekends I'll drive out to Revy/KH.

[rb_tuner]

Stay in Calgary and hit up COP when you get home from work. Just as good as Revy.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Originally posted by rb_tuner
Stay in Calgary and hit up COP when you get home from work. Just as good as Revy.

Lol no it isn't.

[ercchry]

Originally posted by dimi
Two top pics, those guys are gonna eat shit. lol

No doubt Revy is rediculars. Its just not realistic if you live/work in Calgary though. Hence why I like sunshine. $500 season pass and you can still get 80-90% of the fun every single weekend. Long weekends I'll drive out to Revy/KH.

first he did for sure, wasnt there for the second pic so im not sure haha. but yeah thats what i did last year for the most part. its really hard going back to sunshine after revy though :rofl:

plus when its epic in revy they highway is closed so living there has its advantages if you can get away with working remotely.

[-relk-]

Originally posted by ercchry


first he did for sure, wasnt there for the second pic so im not sure haha. but yeah thats what i did last year for the most part. its really hard going back to sunshine after revy though :rofl:

plus when its epic in revy they highway is closed so living there has its advantages if you can get away with working remotely.

Thanks for the photos! No doubt I am going to try and head there this year as I have never been before. Was that on a weekend?

Also, I hear that Revy and KH only really get good snow until January-Feb, is that true?

[ercchry]

Originally posted by -relk-


Thanks for the photos! No doubt I am going to try and head there this year as I have never been before. Was that on a weekend?

Also, I hear that Revy and KH only really get good snow until January-Feb, is that true?

not 100% sure when the shots were from as my buddy took them, he was there mid-week till after the weekend (i met up with him on the friday and it was just as awesome)

and no, they get good snow all they way till april then its a little warm out. the top still is alright but you cant ride to the base in april

EDIT: those shots were end of march

[-relk-]

Originally posted by ercchry


not 100% sure when the shots were from as my buddy took them, he was there mid-week till after the weekend (i met up with him on the friday and it was just as awesome)

and no, they get good snow all they way till april then its a little warm out. the top still is alright but you cant ride to the base in april

EDIT: those shots were end of march

Errrr I meant that I heard they don't have good snow UNTIL January-March. As I am in Calgary till the end of December, and was wondering if it was worth taking a trip out there that early in the season.

[ercchry]

ah, well opening day last season was early december, and it was fantastic!

well... fantastic compared to alberta standards. but its amazing how the snow base grew after that.

this was opening weekend

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/155725_10150094812453638_504953637_7221253_954619_n.jpg

[max_boost]

Are you able to teach snowboarding/skiing on the resort?

[-relk-]

Originally posted by max_boost
Are you able to teach snowboarding/skiing on the resort?

I would not want to work on the resort. From what I have read, having to teach lessons on a pow day really sucks.

I guess I just gotta hope for an early season snow cycle :thumbsup:

In other news, it is snowing up in the mountains right now :D

[arian_ma]

reary???? Where is it snowing?

[-relk-]

Originally posted by arian_ma
reary???? Where is it snowing?

I read that it was snowing up in the higher elevations in the Banff area. Not that it is going to stick, but still exciting. Can't wait till it starts dumping :D

[arian_ma]

A friend of mine posted photos on Facebook that confirmed the snow.
:D :D

[dimi]

http://www.skibanff.com/conditions/cams

Wow! Problem is its all gonna thaw and it won't start snowing again till Nov. This always happens.

[bitteeinbit]

I would say do what your heart tells you to do, and it really seems like you want this. So don;t let anyone tell you it's a bad choice. it also depends on how easy/hard it is to find a job in your field.

I met a guy in his mid-late 30ies in university who had done just that: been a ski instructor most of his life, out west, in South America and Europe. He would find other work, bum around or travel in the off-season. I would personally get bored as I don't think I could snowboard everyday for 4 months, but if you love it, do it! You'll be fresh out of uni so if anything that's the perfect time. Have some fun while you're young. You can do it for a few years and when you get tired or crave extra money, then it can become a weekend thing and you can get settled.