How do Pros do it?

S

steezerampage

Active member
How do they live the way they do. All I hear about are cool trips, skiing, and enjoying life from pros. I mean for the most part, sure Andy Perry and the like will talk about having to work a job. I know some of NS are under 18 and don't really get it yet but how do they afford to live this way. I mean I would think they have a car, rent, health insurance, car insurance, a cell phone bill, food, and random life shit to pay for. Sure take all of your ski equipment costs, season pass/lift tickets, and some trip costs out of it thanks to sponsors but outside of that I thought that most pro skiers don't really make much money.

I ask this because I just read the Tim Mcchesney summer article and I didn't hear one word about earning a dollar. I heard about surfing in costa rica, skiing in hood and what not, but no work. Nothing against Tim. He seems like a good dude and it is awesome to watch him ski. I just have to work for at least like $1,000 a month to live on. So does Faction pay $12,000 a year to ski for or am I just missing something? Not really any of my business but I can't help but wonder.
 
You've got it all wrong, most skiers don't make shit, except for a few who win X games or own parts of brands. JP auclair and Armada would be an example. Most skiers you see at Hood are working some form of job to pay for their summer and their sponsors subsidise part of their expenses. More time on snow=more exposure. As for trips to Alaska, BC etc most of the time they're there to film for upcoming movies, Tanner Hall PBP20 etc and their sponsors would pay for it.
 
from what I know and read up on, most pro skiers aren't these high class living kinda people, they usually can make good money winning comps, which might land them a 5k at most, but like he said they usually work in camps for extra money and their sponsors pay for whatever they can. guys like Tim Mcchesney have good sponsors or are from rich families, look at this forum for some questions you have..........
https://www.newschoolers.com/forum/thread/623391/Salaries-of-pro-skiers
 
13071619:ChubbyBoy said:
You've got it all wrong, most skiers don't make shit, except for a few who win X games or own parts of brands. JP auclair and Armada would be an example. Most skiers you see at Hood are working some form of job to pay for their summer and their sponsors subsidise part of their expenses. More time on snow=more exposure. As for trips to Alaska, BC etc most of the time they're there to film for upcoming movies, Tanner Hall PBP20 etc and their sponsors would pay for it.
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I'm sorry man, nothing you said adds to this conversation. You said I have it all wrong and then said nothing that does not agree with what I said. Read carefully

13071624:Every26 said:
from what I know and read up on, most pro skiers aren't these high class living kinda people, they usually can make good money winning comps, which might land them a 5k at most, but like he said they usually work in camps for extra money and their sponsors pay for whatever they can. guys like Tim Mcchesney have good sponsors or are from rich families, look at this forum for some questions you have..........
https://www.newschoolers.com/forum/thread/623391/Salaries-of-pro-skiers
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I get that some skiers work at camps. You don't live all summer let alone all year on 4 weeks of camp coaching. You pay your bills for about 4 weeks.

The thread you quoted has pro skiers saying how no one but the high profile guys make shit. So that still doesn't answer the question: How do they pay their bills?
 
13071630:steezerampage said:
I'm sorry man, nothing you said adds to this conversation. You said I have it all wrong and then said nothing that does not agree with what I said. Read carefully
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You asked how do they afford to ski all year round and I answered the question. You also basically answered your own question.
 
13071639:steezerampage said:
yeah nah
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Then what are you asking? Because from what I've seen you're asking how do they afford to ski all year round and still pay bills and shit and that's been answered.
 
They survive through sponsors and work. There are two classes of pro. There are your top 10 x games guys and then there are the rest. The games guys are doing this for a living. They won't be working and they have what they need from sponsors. The rest have to work and ski. Most his have a night job to pay the bills and then sponsors usually cover a few trips. Film companies may pay for trips too but often you need to cover costs to get there.

They are not making much but no one in a restoration is. The average yearly income in whistler is $24k so no one here is making money. This makes it easier to live as everyone is in the same position.
 
13071777:VeryDill said:
Can you live as a ski bum if you make minimum wage.
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Depends where you are and what you call living. Somewhere like whistler if you work for the hill you can do it ok. You get free passes so that saves you around $3000 a year. You also get half price food which hugely helps. ig you work in a rentle shop you will get pro deals so you can still have nice kit. So yeah if you work at the mountain somewhere like whistler you can do it fine and many do every year.
 
13071759:tomPietrowski said:
They survive through sponsors and work. There are two classes of pro. There are your top 10 x games guys and then there are the rest. The games guys are doing this for a living. They won't be working and they have what they need from sponsors. The rest have to work and ski. Most his have a night job to pay the bills and then sponsors usually cover a few trips. Film companies may pay for trips too but often you need to cover costs to get there.

They are not making much but no one in a restoration is. The average yearly income in whistler is $24k so no one here is making money. This makes it easier to live as everyone is in the same position.
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it's a pretty common misconception that film companies pay for trips. i've never even heard of that happening to anyone. every expense of the athlete is either covered by the athlete themselves (and subsequently reimbursed) or covered by one of their sponsors. film companies have enough trouble making the money to cover the filmers' costs.
 
13071780:loganimlach said:
it's a pretty common misconception that film companies pay for trips. i've never even heard of that happening to anyone. every expense of the athlete is either covered by the athlete themselves (and subsequently reimbursed) or covered by one of their sponsors. film companies have enough trouble making the money to cover the filmers' costs.
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Depends who you are filming with I guess. I have seen both ways But in general yeah most guys will be paying to get to the shoot but prob nothing after that.
 
13071791:tomPietrowski said:
Depends who you are filming with I guess. I have seen both ways But in general yeah most guys will be paying to get to the shoot but prob nothing after that.
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i would love to know which company actually foots the bill for athletes. them throwing up the initial cash then being reimbursed by one of the athlete's sponsors is common practice, but I've never heard of them actually paying for it, even with the big boys like MSP.
 
13071807:loganimlach said:
i would love to know which company actually foots the bill for athletes. them throwing up the initial cash then being reimbursed by one of the athlete's sponsors is common practice, but I've never heard of them actually paying for it, even with the big boys like MSP.
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Red bull media house and msp are the two I know of who have paid athletes to get to Shoots. But like you say it's uncommon but does happen for some skiers but again they are the top guys not your average pro.
 
13071812:tomPietrowski said:
Red bull media house and msp are the two I know of who have paid athletes to get to Shoots. But like you say it's uncommon but does happen for some skiers but again they are the top guys not your average pro.
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red bull media house cutting a check is most definitely =/= steve winter cutting a check. red bull media house = red bull, cutting checks for red bull sponsored athletes.

but i'll stop arguing with you now and just meet at it being a very rare occurrence and common misconception.
 
I would also like to know the the answer to that question.

My advice.

Get a flexible job for the winter. Get a full time job for the rest of the year.

Its more exhausting barley getting by and worrying about feeding your self then working really hard in a job and having something saved.
 
companies pay for flights, companies pay athletes, athletes know how to live cheap, cheap rent, some parents still cover their cell phone bills, anyone who's 25 or under can still be under their parents health insurance, some get part time jobs, it's not too difficult to make ends meet. people like that are good at figuring out how to do things cheap. and also, they all have incredibly high credit card bills.
 
13071807:loganimlach said:
i would love to know which company actually foots the bill for athletes. them throwing up the initial cash then being reimbursed by one of the athlete's sponsors is common practice, but I've never heard of them actually paying for it, even with the big boys like MSP.
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The only one ive heard of is Warren Miller Entertainment that foots the bill for athletes.
 
They live pretty minimalistic lives. They have to be very conscious not to spend money on stuff that isn't important to their ultimate goals. Some will spend a couple months in the summer working as many hours at a shitty job as humanly possible and save every cent they can. Sponsors help some out with salaries, travel reimbursement or incentives. Also they have all their gear that they can sell after the season if they want. I know most of the guys on our team will sell all their gear in the summer at Windells or online. We are ok with it because ultimately it helps them support their careers beyond what we are capable of.

If you're really committed you can learn to survive on not very much money at all and have some of the best experiences of your life. The lifestyle isn't for everyone but if it's what you really want you can make it happen.
 
And then theres also credit cards and going into debt. It sucks to take this route but if you want to live the life you can and worry about working and paying for it later in life.
 
My brother is an am in some races and considered a pro in others but he still lives a pro lifestyle in a way. Pretty much when he's not training he's working to pay for travel, rent, car payments, cell phone, bike repairs etc. His sponsors pay for some things(travel, gear, and his bike sponsor pays for bike related stuff sometimes) but it's not very much at all compared to most athletes. So yeah, pretty much a minimalistic life. If it's not a necessity, he doesn't buy it. We send him as much money as possible for training and travel but it's only a fraction of the total cost. He's got a really good sponsor too who let's him come into work whenever he has a free day. So he works for him for pay and also has sponsorship money and gear from the guy so it's a really helpful and flexible. With skiing at least there's an off season to work full time and such. With my brother he trains year round so there's not much time for work which sucks.

I guess when you want something bad enough, you learn to sacrifice things you don't need and make it happen.
 
13071831:loganimlach said:
red bull media house cutting a check is most definitely =/= steve winter cutting a check. red bull media house = red bull, cutting checks for red bull sponsored athletes.

but i'll stop arguing with you now and just meet at it being a very rare occurrence and common misconception.
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well... what would level 1 do when you would go on shoots?
 
13072068:Saga. said:
And then theres also credit cards and going into debt. It sucks to take this route but if you want to live the life you can and worry about working and paying for it later in life.
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Fuck you Saga, pay your riders.
 
13072180:Mingg said:
Fuck you for being ignorant.
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I want to see Saga stop giving out hundreds of product sponsorships and actually acknowledge the really good names that are on the "team" that they dont even promote on their website or on social media.
 
13072215:crazymofo said:
I want to see Saga stop giving out hundreds of product sponsorships and actually acknowledge the really good names that are on the "team" that they dont even promote on their website or on social media.
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Unless you've been sponsored by them I don't think your in any position to criticize them. How they advertise their riders is probably specified in a contract and if their riders were unhappy with it that's something they should argue.
 
13072215:crazymofo said:
I want to see Saga stop giving out hundreds of product sponsorships and actually acknowledge the really good names that are on the "team" that they dont even promote on their website or on social media.
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hah you're clueless
 
A lot of the best guys you see in films/edits, they don't have much money in the bank saved at all. However, it's completely acceptable to them because at the end of the day, if they are out skiing ALL winter and even summer for some, that's all that matters to them. It's just sorting your priorities in life and making cuts where needed.

And a lot of us working class/student NS's feel the same way about skiing, but they're just WAY better at it than us.
 
13072215:crazymofo said:
I want to see Saga stop giving out hundreds of product sponsorships and actually acknowledge the really good names that are on the "team" that they dont even promote on their website or on social media.
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sooooo you're saying we should stop hooking up people who were down with with free gear that they can A: wear for the year and feel good about and B: sell in the spring and summer to make some extra cash?

Also if you look at our team we are the primary sponsor of almost all of them. We want the people who are doing things different and we sponsor them. Who do you think was the first company to start paying every single one of them and helping them get the opportunities that have now lead them to where they are?

If we wanted to do what you're asking we would have to start cutting some of the "really good names" so we could support the "really good names". People seem to pretty easily forget how small of a company we are. I can assure you we bend over backwards for our riders and have even made employees take pay cuts so we can fund athletes.
 
13072215:crazymofo said:
I want to see Saga stop giving out hundreds of product sponsorships and actually acknowledge the really good names that are on the "team" that they dont even promote on their website or on social media.
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These sponsorships are most likely helping the skiers to expand their skills and hopefully gain more sponsors, all while saga is being promoted. It's actually a really good plan on their part. Also, how would you feel if a company who started your career suddenly dropped you just before your career tipping point?
 
13071619:ChubbyBoy said:
You've got it all wrong, most skiers don't make shit, except for a few who win X games or own parts of brands. JP auclair and Armada would be an example. Most skiers you see at Hood are working some form of job to pay for their summer and their sponsors subsidise part of their expenses. More time on snow=more exposure. As for trips to Alaska, BC etc most of the time they're there to film for upcoming movies, Tanner Hall PBP20 etc and their sponsors would pay for it.
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As to OP yes ive always wondered this also. like truthfully how do they do it?

as to the quote i have a few questions that id love anyone to provide their insight on. as many of us know skiing is a very expensive sport and the families and individuals are struggling to make ends meet. i mean ive seen just on NS this summer season people selling a bunch (if not all) their ski stuff because they need the extra $$ and wont be able to ski this season. i too am going to be struggling to buy my pass this season but i love the culture of the ski industry we live in today that to me it is all worth it. i mean a bunch of us on here including me mostly base our lives on and evolve around the culture of skiing. SO bringing us back to how do skiiers even working small low wage jobs make it happen? Skiing is really expensive so are they using previous saved money, still asking their families and parents for money, getting most gear from sponsors so they are barely paying for the expensive items AND lastly, are they having to pay bills, do they own apartments or do they have so many homies that they are able to travel around and crash/couchsurf from place to place?

Sparknotes: most skiiers love booty
 
Skiing all sumer isn't as glamourous as you'd think.

I was speaking with Steve Stepp earlier this summer and in order to ski on hood , he was living in a tent behind the ark and hiking up to windells because he didn't have a pass or lodging .
 
13072447:-emile- said:
Skiing all sumer isn't as glamourous as you'd think.

I was speaking with Steve Stepp earlier this summer and in order to ski on hood , he was living in a tent behind the ark and hiking up to windells because he didn't have a pass or lodging .
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Serious? I thought people camped in the forrest at Hood then skied the public park at Timberline or something. (hoodcrew did an article about it) But with company take overs I thought X company paid windells and in return Windells puts up accommodation and shit for X company riders. In this case saga and steve.
 
13072137:slauth1 said:
well... what would level 1 do when you would go on shoots?
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Either I would organize a trip and pay my own way or Josh would say "hey Logan, wanna go film here?" Then I would pay my own way. I would put the whole trip on a credit card, then fill out forms to be reimbursed from sponsors (when I had contracts). If I had run out of travel reimbursement money, I'd pay off the credits cards out of my own checking account. This is pretty standard for most people, unless they have sponsors that put up money up front.
 
13072483:ChubbyBoy said:
Serious? I thought people camped in the forrest at Hood then skied the public park at Timberline or something. (hoodcrew did an article about it) But with company take overs I thought X company paid windells and in return Windells puts up accommodation and shit for X company riders. In this case saga and steve.
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Steve made the personal decision to live in a tent and hike to the Windells park everyday. He has more than enough funds available to both rent a place to live for the summer and buy a pass. Sometimes Steve just likes to live like a dirtbag.
 
13071807:loganimlach said:
i would love to know which company actually foots the bill for athletes. them throwing up the initial cash then being reimbursed by one of the athlete's sponsors is common practice, but I've never heard of them actually paying for it, even with the big boys like MSP.
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Ive heard warren miller trips are all expense paid.
 
13072531:Saga. said:
Steve made the personal decision to live in a tent and hike to the Windells park everyday. He has more than enough funds available to both rent a place to live for the summer and buy a pass. Sometimes Steve just likes to live like a dirtbag.
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keeps his style nice and dirty.
 
I just want to testify that Saga is the most legit brand in the industry based on my experience with dozens of hardgoods and softgoods manufactures.
 
Save during the year , working sometimes during winter and working just before summer .

Get me doing double seasons for 5 years in a row , skiing all season in chile and skiing 2 months in the us.

Sponsor only for a year and just getting stuff , not paid.

Also sell a bunch of stuff i get in the us here , and old ski stuff too.
 
Also looking for deals on lift tickets , plane tickets , and aparments .

This can save you a lot of money , but you have to look during the year this could take a while.
 
Well sponsors are always a big help when it comes to the skiing side of it but as for living they are pretty much on their own for that one. I am sure some work on the side and have some money from comps and films but really I doubt most of them are bringing in the big bucks. You never see a skier living in a huge house or driving a really expensive car. So I am sure most spend their money on skiing and work during the summer to the extent that they can to support themselves enough for winter.
 
13071626:theabortionator said:
The pro skiers are bank robbers. They rob banks to finance the endless winter.
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Copycat.

MV5BMTIwNTk1MTgxMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODI4NDUzMQ@@._V1_SY317_CR9,0,214,317_AL_.jpg
 
Surprised it hasn't really been said yet, and I fear it's true for some skiers. But money from mommy and daddy is most definitely present in the equation. A wise skier once told me, "There's at least some kind of correlation between skiing ability and rich parents." But realize I'm not saying ALL pros or anything get this kind of funding, there are some VERY hard working skiers out there, and I respect the shit out of that (definitely not "well-off" either). However, you cannot deny that maybe a few pros or even general skiers are "living it up" thanks to the help of daddy's salary.
 
13071619:ChubbyBoy said:
You've got it all wrong, most skiers don't make shit, except for a few who win X games or own parts of brands. JP auclair and Armada would be an example. Most skiers you see at Hood are working some form of job to pay for their summer and their sponsors subsidise part of their expenses. More time on snow=more exposure. As for trips to Alaska, BC etc most of the time they're there to film for upcoming movies, Tanner Hall PBP20 etc and their sponsors would pay for it.
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Yeah right! All of the PRO skiers has a sponsor! They can not be called PRO or if they don't have even one. Those sponsors were also the ones who spend money for their ski trips.
 
Just to be clear:

Yes, the pros who are winning big contests such as x-games are the ones getting bigger (probably not as big as most think) money deals. In this discussion they don't matter, they are a rare exception.

I know there are cases of pros working and saving money to get through the ski season. Andy Perry and Logan Imlach are a couple I know I have read about on NS on how they balance making money to live off and time on their skis. I know there are others but it seems like there are many that do not.

Yes we all know skiing is a sport for people that are doing pretty good financially. It is not cheap. Even if you do it cheaply. When compared to many other sports such as basketball or skateboarding the cost to take part in skiing is much higher. Odds are kids who grow up skiing all the time and become talented enough to become a pro or proish skier have parents or a family that are doing pretty good. I would not go so far to say that all of them are rich or are cool with giving their kids lots of money to live on when they are in their twenty's.

So I guess my question is whats more common, Pro skiers living off family money or saving in the off season. Coaching a few summer sessions and selling a couple outerwear suits doesn't cut it. Living simply doesn't cut it either unless you get extreme. I know its not really any of my business but it your a pro skier you should probably get over people talking about you. Quality posts based on first hand knowledge appreciated.
 
13072447:-emile- said:
Skiing all sumer isn't as glamourous as you'd think.

I was speaking with Steve Stepp earlier this summer and in order to ski on hood , he was living in a tent behind the ark and hiking up to windells because he didn't have a pass or lodging .
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Sometimes living in a tent and wooking it is fun though. Also you can always say peace out 'Murca and find snow somewhere else.

13073071:blondie. said:
Copycat.

MV5BMTIwNTk1MTgxMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODI4NDUzMQ@@._V1_SY317_CR9,0,214,317_AL_.jpg
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Holy fuck. I just looked it up. They fucking stole my idea. Those bastards!
 
13072292:Saga. said:
sooooo you're saying we should stop hooking up people who were down with with free gear that they can A: wear for the year and feel good about and B: sell in the spring and summer to make some extra cash?

Also if you look at our team we are the primary sponsor of almost all of them. We want the people who are doing things different and we sponsor them. Who do you think was the first company to start paying every single one of them and helping them get the opportunities that have now lead them to where they are?

If we wanted to do what you're asking we would have to start cutting some of the "really good names" so we could support the "really good names". People seem to pretty easily forget how small of a company we are. I can assure you we bend over backwards for our riders and have even made employees take pay cuts so we can fund athletes.
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well I will Be Buying Saga In My Future
 
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