Give this aspiring ski bum some advice!!

D-40

D-40

Active member
So here is the deal. I am taking a year off of school to go out West and ski. I am from Minnesota, and I'm really trying to get into the big mountain, backcountry freestyle scene. I'm in serious need of some good pow, nice cliffs and hopefully some steeps. Park doesn't mean doodly squat to me. I have narrowed it down to a few spots; Steamboat Springs, Squaw Valley, and Mammoth.

Please share any info you have on any of these resorts. I have a few buddies going to CMC in Steamboat, so I have been leaning that way. However, I don't know if Steamboat really has the terrain I'm looking for.

I just watched Benchettlers personal edit, and I was blown away by the terrain Mammoth has to offer. Yet I looked up Mammoth on yahoo maps and it doesn't look like there is a town within 2 hours of the place.

Squaw was my first choice after watching G.N.A.R. about 400 times. After checking that place out, I don't know if I want to wait in 2 hour lift lines no matter how sick KT-22 is.

 
Squaw is the sickest terrain wise, maybe check out Jackson too.Colorado may not have the best pow, cliffs or steeps, but you do get to ski in the sun a lotAlso have you looked into like Bridger Bowl in MT or Mt. Baker in WA? Both are sick mountains with sick terrain, cities fairly close and will almost definitely be cheaper than living in any of the mountains you mentioned, plus the crowds there are much smaller. good luck deciding man!
 
Steamboat is awesome, but I'm not sure it's the best place if you only want to ski BC and powder. They have limited terrain that would interest you. Don't get me wrong I had the time of my life at Steamboat but I would rather do a year in Mammoth because of the terrain.
 
I spent a winter at squaw and that place is the shit. I only rode on weekdays and never really had a problem with liftlines. It doesnt get tracked out nearly as fast as some people seem to thnk. So if you can ride weekdays, squaw is the shit.
 
My advice to you would be this:
Make your decision based on something other than the skiing. I'm not saying skiing shouldn't be your first priority....it's mine....but, coming from MN, you're going to have a blast at any of the resorts/regions you're considering. You can have the ski experience/lifestyle you're looking for at any of those places. So, look into the towns themselves, the surrounding areas, other outdoor opportunities, schools/jobs, make-up of the people, etc.
Have you visited all of the places you've considered? I recommend it, if not.
Making the choice to sort of abandon a traditional lifestyle in favor of chasing snow is a really brave one. People always see the glamour or allure of living at a resort, and they often overlook the sacrifices that it requires.Go for it, man and best of luck from a fellow skibum.
 
come to germany and do the ski instructor internship at garmsich. get all your shit paid for to teach kids for 3 hours a week. its through the us army.
 
That is extremely intruiging. Do you have any additional information I can check out? Do you have to be enlisted for this opportunity? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for all the comments boys, keep em coming!
 
if park doesn't mean anything to you and you want to do BC then why the fuck is jackson hole not on your list, or snowbird and alta for that matter?

you're a fucking terrible ski bum.
 
Well buddy, I'm obviously not a ski bum yet. Please note the title where it says "Aspiring". My list is my list. I explained a reason for each on the list. Squaw and Mammoth are quality mountains. Steamboat I'm not too sure about I haven't been there since I was about 12. I was ASKING FOR OPINIONS. Please take your negativity elsewhere. Ignorant prick.
 
Some people will hate me for this, but I would not go to Steamboat. If you want a great mountain, there are other choices.

I lived in Squaw for 5 winters, with the first one coming during my 5th year of college. I blew my knee out during my 5th winter, so I left and went to grad school. You don't need to stay 5 winters, but I would try to do at least two.

Keep in mind that I have not lived in Squaw for 5 years,so some things might be different. The fact that they are now selling cheap passes has led to more crowded weekends than when I was there. The storm days are supposed to be more crowded too. When I lived there, I never waited in a 2 hour KT line. On normal days, you could do a million KT laps, and just basically walk on . I'm sure it is still that way during the week. On the normal(non pow) weekends I would not think the lines would be all that bad, as the mountain is big enough to spread people out.

I absolutely love Squaw. The terrain is insane, and they get a lot of snow. I do miss my time there, but I am not going to go back to being a ski bum. Keep in mind that anyhwere can have a bad season, but I would whole-heartedly recommend Squaw. I miss the awesome terrain.

I now live in socal, and have an office job. I ski Mammoth about 3 weekends a month, and hit little Mt. Baldy when I don't go to Mammoth. I love Mammoth. It gets a ton of snow, and has lots of good, steep terrain. I like Squaw better though. I ski Mammoth because it is a 5.5 hour drive from Orange County, making it doable on weekends, while Squaw is too far. If they were the same distance, I would choose Squaw. Mammoth is great though, some of the best terrain in the country, wind which smoothes the snow, making for great conditions even long after a storm, and an elevation which ensures snow on the days Squaw gets rain. The town of Mammoth Lakes is right there, so I'm not sure what you are getting from Yahoo maps. Mammoth also has a great terrain park.

I would choose Squaw to ski bum, but you can't go wrong with Squaw or Mammoth. Either way, if the snow is good, or even just average, you should have a great year. Both places get around 400 inches in a normal season, so you should have a good time. There is certainly a chance you will have a bad year, but the snow is usually pretty consistent.

Good luck with whatever you choose. Like I said, both Squaw and Mammoth give you good chances of living the ski bum dream.
 
those places suck

Mammoth and Tahoe have thick ass wet snow

Steamboat is small

if you want to ski big mountains with good snow

go to REVELSTOKE or JACKSON
 
Listen to these guys' ^^. Don't come to Steamboat. Flat hill, lousy snow, and huge lift lines.
 
Thanks for the tip Dan, and the rest of you. This thread is in not going to make my decision but hopefully it will influence it a little bit. Like it has been said, I am from MN so anything is an improvement. I feel Steamboat is a great town which adds points.
 
tahoe in gernral, even if you dont ski squaw everyday.
squaw for dope mountain and ski scenenorthstar for an amazing parkalpine for park and backcountry.

TAHOE IS THE SHIET MAN.
 
Jackson Hole should be near the top. There's all sorts of killer backcountry and it's a great town. Also Big Sky/Bozeman would be on my list. Insane terrain and it's never crowded period.

Just a thought about Tahoe though, after such an amazing it could be a drought next year.

Good luck!
 
North shore tahoe is pretty much impossible to beat...its only competition is with SLC, and SLC's best park was blown out of the water by tahoes best park this year, while comparable terrain wise, tahoe IS better...its true. while both places get epic amounts of snow, SLC gets much dryer snow...which can mean dust on crust whereas wet snow means 6" of cream cheese. there might be a little bias here lol, but everything here is true.

Basically, if you dont go to SLC, go to north shore tahoe...and vice versa.

Alpine is many peoples favorite mountain for a reason though, so i would def check that out a few times even if you get a pass to squaw.

mammoth is out in the fucking boonies, and close to nothing, while tahoe is 1/2 hour from reno(shitty but the biggest little city in the world), and 1ish hour from sacramento(Kings, shopping, culture). I know nothing of the area steamboatt is in, but i hear its pretty rural too.
 
Why not consider Utah. Alta/snowbird is fucking sick, and jobs can be easily had around there, or so i have heard. Or even Park City, you can get jobs at one of the many restaruants there, ski all day, be a waiter at night, and Park City has some access to pretty good skiing, both inbounds and BC stuff, and your close to alta/snowbird and SLC
 
Mammoth has Bishop which is like a 45 minute to an hour drive south of it which isnt that big at all but mammoth as a community is pretty decently sized
 
fuck steamboat and manmoth, and skquaw is now cursed so that leaves alta and hood id chose hood cus its my home moutain and its got summer skiing but alta is pretty dank too
 
Tahoe tends to get heavy wet snow and Utard gets the nice light stuff. I'd really consider Utah dude."The type of snow that falls in the Sierra is directly related to the amount of moisture that the storm taps into. This type of snow is known as "Sierra cement," and while it's not so great for snow sports, it is exactly the kind of snow we need to replenish our snowpack. A winter storm that doesn't draw this moist air northward will drop snow that's more fluffy or powdery, which is what the skiiers and snowboarders love to see. Powdery snow is more common in drier climates, like the Wasatch Mountains in Utah."
 
Squaw's the shit because the sierra cement everybody loves to knock on sticks to all the really cool lines. Having skied in california and colorado, I know that while CO has sick pow, its to dry to stick to anything worth skiing.
 
Head north. Kicking Horse and Revelstoke are where it's at. No dealing with overgrown tourist traps like Steamboat Springs and the entire interior of B.C. is your playground.
 
If you're looking for great snow, don't go to Mammoth. Personally, I'm from WA, so I don't mind heavy powder, but I'll admit it doesn't compare to Teton ego pow. Steamboat is in Colorado, which is flat, so if you're looking for steeps don't go there. Squaw wouldn't be bad, Snowbird wouldn't be bad, Alta wouldn't be bad, Whistler wouldn't be bad, and Jackson or Targhee wouldn't be bad. In fact, most of them would probably be really awesome. I'd go with Whistler.
 
Squallywood, although, you can't really go wrong with Alta/Bird or Jackson if you're looking for Big Mountain terrain. Jackson/Grand Targhee/Tetons has some amazing BC and guide books to help you, but you would probably want to have a little bit of experience before venturing out to a lot of the areas. Alta/Bird is you can't go wrong with. Right up the Canyon from SLC, lots to do, and some amazing snow. The only thing about Utah though, is the predominantly sandstone rocks, which erode and cause flat landings. They also are a bit grabby, more so then granite, which is found in Squaw. Squaw's snowpack, Sierra Cement some call it, although much heavier, is super good for landing big drops, it sticks to everything (look at Tram Face, McConkeys, The Fingers, etc.) and we still get plenty of 5% water content snow. I love Utah pow, but I rode the Bird a few days this year and had some of the gnarliest conditions underneath 6" of pow. Not that you won't find that anywhere, but I'd rather land on steep's when you have dust on crust. Squaw also is right next to Alpine, which has some sick sidecountry access, a sick park with my favorite jump line anywhere, and word on the street is that Squaw may have bought Alpine. Good luck dude, I'm sure you'll make the best decision for you!
 
TGR is based out of Jackson. If you're looking to get into big mountain, it seems like the most logical place to be.
 
mammoth lakes is a good sized town right at the base of mammoth. it's actually pretty sick there. there is cerro coso community college. they call it the harvard of the west coast.

but i'd look into alta/bird. this is coming from a tahoe skier relocated to utah
 
Honestly, if I were you, I'd make my number 1 choice Alta/Bird. Some of the best powder in the US. Absolutely fun terrain. And the cost of living in SLC is very reasonable. Basically, you get all the great positives of great skiing, without the retarded high prices of mountain towns.

My next choice would be the Tetons. But instead of Jackson, go to Targhee. 100" more snow a season, and less crowded.

I live in Colorado now. For big mountain riding here......well, go someplace else.
 
unless you are going to be touring a bunch, and even then i would still go to Jhole. targhee is fun, but the main mtn, freds, is really mellow and gets boring after a few days. Peaked is super fun but short.
 
Really appreciate all of the comments, except from forum10 (why are you still posting again?). Utah isn't really a place I want to live in. I have skied there, understand the snow is second to none, but Utah as a place to live...ehhh I'm a little skeptical (no disrespect).

So, is there any process to moving up to Canada for the ski season? I haven't really thought about that.

The rents are kinda pressuring me to go to Colorado because I have a lot of family there. I don't really care tho I wanna just find the right place for me.
 
Steamboat is a pretty sweet town and they have good light pow and some sweet tree runs. Plus you are only about 1-2 hours away from summit with good snow every so often (this spring was the shit) and you can get the 5 mountain pass which is around $400 which isn't too bad. But there are no steeps unless you go south to Telluride, Silverton, or Crested Butte which i went to this past season and was pretty sweet, I got 2 pretty solid pow days in and its a cool vibe being up there. I mean you could go to squaw but G.N.A.R. is probably going to bring in half of the world next season because of the radness it portrays. Or go to Bozeman, they have Bridger Bowl and Big Sky which are pretty much vacant and have some sweet fucking lines and good pow.. Hope that helps!
 
Squallywood is looking more and more likely. Just a note to all the skiers out in the woods of squally, although I am from MN, I am better than you!!!
 
Are you disagreeing with the fact that sierra cement sticks to steeps? Because it clearly does. I love skiing in Utah, but it takes more snow to cover stuff up there. I do like Utah face shots though.
 
I should add that although Jackson is insane, from what I have heard, it is not an easy place to ski bum. I could be wrong, and I'm not an expert, but I would seek out advice from folks there before I chose to relocate.
 
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