This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Every time I think about it, I always come to the same conclusion.
It’s not ski bums that are poor, it’s youth.
Spending time in the mountains in the summer is a great compliment to skiing them in the winter.
It was an interesting, eye opening, reality check on living on your own.
For the most part, I survived without much stress, that is, until mid March.
At the time I just accepted living dirt poor as part of the lifestyle that is a ski bum.
That was a very ignorant, childish mentality which I now realize as false and unrealistic.
One has to ask themselves: “what makes a ski bum?”.
Is it being broke?
Is it being anti-conformist?
The answer is simple in nature - organize your life to ski as much as possible.
The big question, of course is how.
How do you revolve your life around spending half the year skiing?
The options are endless.
One of the more popular approaches is summer industry work.
Ski patrol, working the restaurant/bar scene, and ski guides are just a few examples.
Dubbed the ‘bluff block’, it had more rock than dirt.
In the end, it makes sense though doesn’t it?
If you were to remain poor while chasing the dream of skiing, it wouldn’t be worth it.
Jesse Barlett: Ski Bum, Treeplanter, all around awesome guy.
We work together in the summer and he is one of my go to riding buddies in the winter.
1)How did you get into tree planting?
Who do you currently work for and where are you located?
I got my first planting job from a friend who was running a crew.
I work for a company called Greenpeaks Resource Management in Nakusp, BC.
- What kind of experience did you oughta get the job?
How would one go abouts getting the job?
I had no experience, I just knew someone.
After a few years experience you’re able to be more picky about who/where you work.
- How long is your typical work season?
What kind of shifts do you work and what can you expect for days off?
There is also some summer work for people who want to brave the heat and bugs of northern Alberta.
In my experience the bigger the company the more moves you make in a year.
I work mostly in one place now but have had years where I’ve criss crossed the province.
What kind of money can you expect to make over the season?
Do you have a winter occupation?
If so, what is it?
Where is home in the winter?
I do a few odd jobs in the winter but mostly ski bumming consumes most of my time.
I live in the powdery West Kootenays.
Jesse (red hat) and friends planting away near Revelstoke.
- Take me through a typical day at work.
Wake up at 6am, eat breakfast, make lunch, in the truck by 7.
Get to the job site around 8/9am and work all day.
Planting is almost always in a bush camp environment so there’s not a lot of societal distractions.
Live, work, and sleep outside day in, day out.
- What kind of people do you usually see as guests/and or co-workers?
Is there a “party culture”, or a more serious work ethic?
Serious work atmosphere during the day/shift and a big party culture on nights off.
- What is the “worst” and “best” part of your job?
If you’ve ever spent time in Northern Ontario you have an idea what I’m talking about.
I’ve seen people go crazy and quit just because of the bugs alone.
Best: besides the parties?
Seeing beautiful corners of the country that are normally left unseen.
This time airing into a small pillow line in Vancouver Island.
- Would you consider your job to have an element of danger?
Is it tough manual labour or chill?
for the most part, no.
It IS tough work though.
If you’re working ‘easy’ flat ground you’re pushing to put as many trees in as possible.
- Do you see your job as a sustainable “career”?
There is no cross over for the skills you learn tree planting.
- Any advice for someone interested in this kind of work?
Be prepared to be mentally and physically challenged.
It compliments a ski bum lifestyle in an awesome way.
Jesse following my tracks down a small chute at Duffy Lake.
That concludes this instalment of the series.
