Can you make a life of skiing?

As a young man working my way through high school, and even into college, there was a poster hanging over my bed of Lone Peak (better known as Big Sky Mountain). I wrangled with dreams of moving west and spending my life skiing counterbalanced with the realities of finishing school and getting what could be called a "real job". I knew, or at least thought I knew, that being a ski bum wasn't an option for a full life. Even now I look back on occasion and wonder what could have been before being immediately grounded by the three boys tugging at my pant legs who I wouldn't trade for the world.

But the question remains, can I make a life or a career in the ski industry particularly now that I am officially rooted a couple hours from any mountain. This is another part of the magic that this endeavor has become, by researching lost ski hills and by working to bring some of them back to life through the products on this site I have found a way to tie skiing into my everyday life. As I study the histories of each area I find myself daydreaming, much like the little boy that I used to be, about the smell of snow or more importantly the smell of a snow storm on it's way (yes that's a real thing). I day dream of the frigid drive up to the mountain in my 30 year old jeep with the freezing air blowing in from all corners and wearing more on the drive than on the mountain. There are the dreams of the days first turn, fresh tracks, new friends, last turns and that first warm drink.

Hopefully each time you visit this site or the many others out there talking about these old hills you too get that feeling. When you first see the shirt and each time you wear it maybe you too will feel the exhilaration that skiing gives all of us. With these shirts I hope you don't forget your first hill, rope tow, or successful run. And I hope that this slice of skiing and the industry around it will continue to answer the question can you make a life of skiing. Yes you can.