I dont know what it feels like to be a professional skier.
I dont know what it feels like to be a professional cinematographer or photographer.
I dont know what it feels like to be much of a professional anything in skiing.
I do know what it feels like towantto be a professional whatever in skiing.
I know that feeling really well.
And Instagram has made it even easier to progress along that path.
Its jarring when the final leap to Im doing that!
is so large and abrupt.
At the root of the challenge are two competing facts:
Skiing is expensive.
Being active in the ski industry is expensive, and comes with massive opportunity costs.
Camera gear is expensive, and youre not getting hired to shoot without it.
Plane tickets are expensive, but good luck competing or shooting if you dont travel.
Sleds are expensive, gas is expensive, lift tickets are expensive.
Every damn element that adds up to a career in the ski industry is terribly expensive.
And if that wasnt bad enough, skiing is cheap.
Or more accurately, the brands and organizations in skiing that have money tend to be cheap with it.
Its hard to get paid in the ski industry.
Its hard to get promised pay, and its even harder to follow up and receive that payment.
Nobody wants to pay you, and they really dont want to do it on time.
So we undervalue the work.
We accept getting paid well under the market rate because we love what were doing.
That goes for pro skiers, and for the professionals who make the content and equipment that support them.
So people who have the means, privilege, the generational wealth, have an automatic head start.
Why is anyone surprised that skiing is so white and straight and male?
Were making slow progress on both fronts.
The folks who treat whatever aspect of skiing theyre trying to be part of like a job.
Thats really hard to do when youve been skiing out of love for years.
And if you dont have generational wealth, you cant afford to not do the work.
Do you want to be a professional skier?
Do you want to get paid to take photos of skiers, or maybe write about them?
You should do that!
Dreams are made to be chased.
How will you manage that expense without digging too deep a hole of fiscal and emotional debt?
How will you keep yourself and the people you work with accountable to make this worth your while?
