A year off/other ways to get the most skiing out of life

H

HERCULES.

Member
so now that i've broken my collarbone, iv had lots of time to think about the future of my life. im kinda just another kid whos about to graduate that has no fucking idea what i wana do with the next year. My eventual "career" was planned to be a parkranger as of like last week and now this time not skiing has opened my mind to lots of new stuff. Im kindof just wondering what you kids did as your college/work/job/skiing time when you were in my place. Im hoping to be able to go to college and wnen im not studying skiing. my parents alerted me as of last night that they want me working full time when im not in class or studying so im not going to college for atleast a year then. Im wondering like what did tom wallish do during college? Did he work and do skiing and college to? Id much rather ski and do college and not work and like at home 2 more years and then pay off a shitload of debt after college, but my parents want me working.

My question ns is, what did you guys do in college years to ski the most. I dont want to work atleast one more year to ski and enjoy life. The other question is is taking a year ioff really as bad as everyone says? I would LOVE to be a bum for a year and work a shitty job out west (im stuck in pa now) and ski everyday and drive a shitty tiny car and ski everyday. I would probebly be happy like that the rest of my life but in the future more money will be required to pay bills if i get married/ have kids and that shit. I honestly think i would be happy in a tiny house with a shitty car for a long time. And then maybe further education would take place. So anyone wana explain there plan and like give me some fellow skiier examples on whats a good idea to do?
 
Moved from PA (JFBB) to Vermont for school at UVM. Came for the good ENSC program, take classes with famous eco-designer John Todd, but also to ski some really fun mountains while staying on the east coast (wanted to be kind of close to home). I've gotten a pretty good education in my major (Gen Eds sucked), and made a ton of great friends, but I don't get to ski as many days the past few years as a lot of shredders up here. However I will be graduating a semester early with the opportunity to ski pretty much all winter while working preferably night shift.
Looking to go to Grad School out west. Finally read to jump off the Ice Coast and explore what else the USA has to offer. I try to make sure that my professional values line up directly with somewhere I can always shred a good mountain....because I would die if I couldn't ski. Follow your heart when looking for schools and choosing a major.....after looking at a bunch of them there will be one that feels right, and im sure as a skier it will involve a relatively close mountain.
 
If you wanna be a park ranger, you're definitely gonna need to go to school. (well that depends what kind of park ranger actually, but I'm assuming you mean one that understands the actual natural biological ecosystem of which they are working in and as such makes decisions regarding the usage of it).

Number one thing I've got to say here though is- you're graduating from high school, YOUR decisions are going to shape your life... while many parents are only looking for whats best for their children, it's your life that you're going to be living, you should have the last call. But definitely try and understand where your parents are coming from and why they might be suggesting something.

From personal experience- am currently in third year studying environmental science/biology and have no plan on getting a career the moment I'm done school, it's to the mountains out west for me. Do some seasonal forestry work, and see where life leads me.
 
I am very happy that I took a year off. But, if you plan on doing it, make your self busy and have a plan, I have a good friend and all he does is smoke weed and do jack shit. Thats just a recipe for disaster. I work a lot and in my free time i work on this electro music project, Comic Strips. The whole music thing is going quite well so I am going to take a stab at it for a couple more years then maybe go to school. As cheesy and cliche as it sounds, its awesome waking up knowing I am pursuing something i am passionate about rather than taking the more "traditional" route which would be going to school and getting a degree.
If you have something that you are really stoked/you are really happy about and you think you can make it happen, take the year off and do it, school can always wait.
 
i was in your exact situation a couple years ago....trust me go to college. SKiing isnt everything in life even though you think it might be at this moment. If you go to a good school near mountains like uvm or somethign you can ski plenty and get a good education. If you want to ski a lot in your lifetime get a solid job and make good money so you can ski a lot. Skiing a lot now and nnot going to school will be very fun for a while but after a little bit it will get anoying living off low paychecks and evenutally will be hard to get a good job.
 
Good advice (not that id know), but I see it as I have so many years after college to go to mountains I've always wanted to go to. I first want to go to college and get a steady paying job, that way I can save to go anywhere I want. Good luck with your decision
 
go school in fall work in summer and ski in winter its the routin im gettin myself on university is a sick ass time skiing is the best thing in the world so you can do 1 semester focus on work get some partying in keep the parents happy and then in the winter dip to bc or utah or somthing with some buddies do some of the best skiing of ur life make some money in the summer then back to school where you know its only 4 months till chillin and skiing so it willl be easy to commit yourself to work and if u feel the urge to graduate faster just go back to full time school universities are pretty easy going with deferring semesters
 
I'm definitely considering taking a year off since I'll graduate young (I'm a 15 yr old Junior right now), and hopefully have some money to go on a trip somewhere.

I heard from someone that some scholarships might be voided if you take a year off. Could that be true?
 
It's tough. I am a sophomore now and I have only skied once this year. Last year I skied a few times here in MN, but I looked forward to skiing out west at spring break. Sometimes you just have to draw the line between education and skiing. Maybe I'm just not as dedicated now to the sport as I used to be, but college does shape you as a person for the rest of your life. My best advice is to find something that works for you. It's always nice to keep your parents happy to since they do pay the bills.
 
as someone who lives firsthand not personally but my friends all around who have insane amounts of money...if you work your ass off and make money in the long run you can ski more...have a ski house, go out west, as you work more take more days off. The more money you ahve the more you can ski and take mroe time off. Unless you have some master plan worked out going to school is your best bet unless you are the type of person who can deal without a lot of money your whole life
 
My two cents:Go to college. Doesn't matter if you will have lots of loans. Do it. Even if you can't ski very much. You will not regret it one bit unless you don't even try once you get there.
You will be able to ski for decades after high school and college, so it should not be a big deal to maybe not ski as much for a few years during college to get the rest of your life set up. I have worked hard for several years in college and sacrificed a lot of good skiing years, but when I am making good money soon I will be making up for it.

 
In all seriousness I've read what you said like three or four times and I'm still grappling to comprehend it all. So seriously, focus on your last stint on high school a bit more, because that was horrid to read.
That said, you have way more options than you're giving yourself. Your parents are looking out for your best interest as somebody else pointed out, but that may not work for what you want, and in the end it is what you want to do that matters (unless they're forking over all the tuition and housing costs).
Taking a year off is nice. I didn't do it, and wouldn't personally do it myself, but it gives you time to go for shit that you want. But if you do plan to go the gap year/ski bum year, plan it out well. You can land a job at a ski resort in Colorado, California, or something fairly easily. The problem is the pay is usually always shit, except for some potential perks like passes. You need to save some money to have fun, but it is relatively easy to do. Work your ass off all summer to pad your skiing funds, and meanwhile try to line up a job asap. if it is a four-season type resort, consider getting a jump start and going there in the summer, which means... plan now. Ask yourself what you really want. Is it to be in the park scene for a bit? or do you want to ski... a lot? pow? Simple, menial questions like that have big implications on where you go, what you will do when you're there. Regardless, it is a big commitment, so focus your goals a bit more. I read a blob of goals, want, inhibition, resentment, etc.
Skiing in school is also fairly easy to do, especially pre-major. I have zero clue what your school system is like, but when I was in high school, I was able to take college courses at a local community college. That freed up a lot of my time in high school to ski a shitton because I was only at school 2, maybe 3 days per week. Once I was in a university, that helped out because I didn't have to take bs requirement classes (like your basic english classes and other shit), so my schedule became a product of my wants, and that was skiing. With an online class here and there, an evening upper-division something-or-other, I was skiing six days a week. Worked part time to scrape by, but it was a blast. If you're serious about your education (and quite frankly if you're going to spend the time in a college, spending them money, than you better fucking be serious), your years in your major might not be as forgiving, depending on what school and program you're in. But.. you can always ski after school, too.
You will probably want to work during school just for some shit that you'll need, or other monies. But you do not need to work full time, even if it is what your parents want/dictate you to do (unless it is a condition for tuition money as I mentioned earlier). It is all up to you, and if you're out of state anyway, it shouldn't be much of an issue.
There are other options to make the experience more integrated. Depending on school and program, you can say fuck winter quarter (or semester) and opt to do that course work in the summer, or just extend your school duration. I couldn't do that with architecture, but I know others that either work or go to school in the summer to compensate skiing in the winter.
I guess the easiest thing to do is just evaluate what you really want to do and research/examine how to do it effectively, while keeping in mind that spontaneity and random shit could alter what you will and want to do.
 
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