Is park the only option?

Jcamotts

Jcamotts

Member
I am still progressing and have a lot of time to go before I start thinking about getting sponsors. But it seems that only park skiers are getting sponsored. I enjoy skiing more when I am hucking cliffs or throwing 3's off of natural stuff than when I am in the park. I am very interested in learning more spins and flips like flatspins, which I will definetely start off trying on park jumps. I just have no interest whatsoever for rails and boxes, I can do basic stuff on them box but I just don't find them fun to do or to learn new things on. I just can't see myself being a park skier, or competing in those type of comps. My question is if you can still have a chance at getting sponsored if you are a freeride/backcountry kinda skier that can still throw some technical tricks. Because that is definetely what I am best at and what I want to continue doing.
 
If being sponsored is your sole purpose for skiing, you're gonna have a bad time.

That said their are sponsored skiers in all different areas of the sport. Also there are tons of unsponsored skiers and amateurs out there making a living within other aspects of the industry.

Coaching, working in shops, backcountry guides, building skis etc,

Also on that same note, it's good to take note that not everyone that has a sponsorship is getting filthy rich off of them. There are many different levels. Though it's great to get there, you don't want to assume that IF you manage to make it to a level where you pick up sponsors in whatever aspect of skiing you choose, that that will make your life a breeze.

In the meantime enjoy yourself out on the slopes!
 
Don't worry about sponsors. Just have a ton of fun doing what you love to do! Keep progressing your backcountry game and get a friend to film you and put it up on NS. People WILL notice and if you are having a great time and truly love what your doing (as well as putting out some quality content) then the sponsors will follow!

So in that case if you truly don't enjoy park skiing then simply don't do it
 
13632276:Borty said:
If being sponsored is your sole purpose for skiing, you're gonna have a bad time.

That said their are sponsored skiers in all different areas of the sport. Also there are tons of unsponsored skiers and amateurs out there making a living within other aspects of the industry.

Coaching, working in shops, backcountry guides, building skis etc,

Also on that same note, it's good to take note that not everyone that has a sponsorship is getting filthy rich off of them. There are many different levels. Though it's great to get there, you don't want to assume that IF you manage to make it to a level where you pick up sponsors in whatever aspect of skiing you choose, that that will make your life a breeze.

In the meantime enjoy yourself out on the slopes!
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I think you have the wrong idea, skiing is my favorite thing to do and regardless if I am good or not i will never stop doing or stop loving it. I've just noticed that all the big time skiers are mostly park guys and was wondering if I can make a living doing the type of skiing that is most enjoyable for me, whether being sponsored or coaching etc.
 
13632279:Jcamotts said:
I think you have the wrong idea, skiing is my favorite thing to do and regardless if I am good or not i will never stop doing or stop loving it. I've just noticed that all the big time skiers are mostly park guys and was wondering if I can make a living doing the type of skiing that is most enjoyable for me, whether being sponsored or coaching etc.
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How good are you at editing video and stills? How good are you at producing editable video and stills? How outgoing are you? How well do you write? How often do you go on cool adventures? How often do compete in big mtn contests? How many industry folks are you friends with? Where are you based out of, and how often do you travel to new areas? Do you often use sleds to access the goods, or strictly skins? Are you the best skier on your mountain?

What talents or combination of talents do you posses that will make another skier want to buy the product you're sporting, over the product another ripper is sporting?
 
13632276:Borty said:
If being sponsored is your sole purpose for skiing, you're gonna have a bad time.
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**This post was edited on Feb 17th 2016 at 12:35:50pm
 
For me skiing is about having fun...its freedom...its just the opposite of worrying whether or not some company is gonna like what I do. If to you skiing is all for the sponsorships then you aren't truly are missing the point of skiing.
 
13632279:Jcamotts said:
I think you have the wrong idea, skiing is my favorite thing to do and regardless if I am good or not i will never stop doing or stop loving it. I've just noticed that all the big time skiers are mostly park guys and was wondering if I can make a living doing the type of skiing that is most enjoyable for me, whether being sponsored or coaching etc.
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I wasn't trying to suggest you didn't love to ski, just saying not to worry too much about sponsorships. There are some people making a living solely from skiing, some people that have carved out a niche for themselves within the industry, and some people doing semi or completely unrelated things in ski towns to fuel the stoke.

I don't want to say don't have goals of being the best skier, or a sponsored skier etc, but just that even if that doesn't happen, it doesn't mean you have to give up skiing full time and get a job in an office somewhere.

I guess that all depends on you and what you want out of life but there are a lot of options. If you hang around the forums on here(and sift through all the bullshit) you can find some good ideas/good people to ask about this or that.

There are plenty of people on this website that aren't pro, aren't even sponsored, and skiing full time. And I don't mean just on a gap year between HS and College.

Don't sweat it, ski as much as you can, and have a blast. It might not hurt to think up some ideas at some point of things you might like to do within the industry, or jobs you could work outside of it, that would allow you to live in areas with good access to skiing etc.

Good luck
 
My uncle is sponsored by Nordica, and he's in his 60s and has probably never spent a day in the park.
 
Why do you care about sponsors so much? It doesn't matter as long as you go and have fun. Now stop writing a fucking essay and go and ski.
 
just do what ever you have fun doing, you gonna spend a lot of season obsessing over getting sponsored for maybe a 3 year career. just have fun and comps and filming will come later.
 
13632426:Lus146 said:
Why do you care about sponsors so much? It doesn't matter as long as you go and have fun. Now stop writing a fucking essay and go and ski.
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I mean if your goal is to ski all the time and minimize the amount of money you need to make at a real job in the pursuit of being a professional skier.... having a ski sponsor is a pretty critical component of that.

You can have tons of fun in the pursuit of a pro career, and being smart about your steps leading up to it is a really good idea.

I dropped out of college halfway through my second year to pursue my dreams of being a pro. I worked my ass off, and did a ton of stuff to get my first flow sponsor. Getting free new gear all the time was a big first step to not having to buy skis and dip into the money I had to support myself. I could work less, ski more because of it.

Didn't work out for me, but I had a blast in the five years of my life I pursued this dream to the fullest extent available to me. Ended up with my job here at NS after it all, so that was tight.
 
13632279:Jcamotts said:
I think you have the wrong idea, skiing is my favorite thing to do and regardless if I am good or not i will never stop doing or stop loving it. I've just noticed that all the big time skiers are mostly park guys and was wondering if I can make a living doing the type of skiing that is most enjoyable for me, whether being sponsored or coaching etc.
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Take it from a washed up am skier; the ski industry is notoriously hard to break through. Say that you are lucky and place a few podiums, the work to stay on top means risk of injury, overskiing and a general loss of passion of what got you doing this in the first place. Working with sponsors is a bitch. Not only a tough sell, but you have to bring in money to whoever who you are representing. If you can personnaly sell 20 pairs of skis, you might get one free. There is no such thing as prospectors of skiing talent.

Now here is how you do it.

1. Get ready to sell a lot of your luxuries. If you are going to do this, you are going to be poor and bussing tables at night.

2. Join a team. Moguls, Racing, Freeride or park from the FIS certified team on a local mountain.

3. Become the best in your age group and hold it for 2 years on different levels.

4. Get you level 1 ski instructor, park and pipe and coaching

5.Coach the 5-8 year old for 3 years

6. Get you level 2 ski, aerials and moguls

7. Coach the 10-12 year olds for a year or 2

8. Get all level 3s

9. Become head coach of the team and there! You earn 15,000$ a year!

Or, win superunknown

or,

1. Learn to make skis, clothing or just about anything.

2. Take a business college course

3. Spend 100% of your time making a shit ton of them for 10 years and almost commit suicide from coming close to bankcruptcy.

4. Promote your own brand
 
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