Life of a Ski Bum Documentary 

A week after I graduated high school I was on my way from Toronto Canada to Lake Louise Alberta - Within a month I was employed by Skiing Louise in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. I was 18 years old, that was the start of the best decade of my life....over the next ten years, I skied on average a minimum of 100 days a year, traveled through five continents and over 50 countries around the world....at 28 looking at knee surgery, I decided to return to get my degree and have my knee fixed. I spent the next four years in University eventually graduating Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Japanese Studies///I am now 52 years old.....I have done a ton of things back here in Ontario since graduating University 20 years ago at 32 but the whole time the mountains were calling. I just called off my third engagement, I have sold everything I own. bought a van and converted it into a tiny home and I am moving back west to a small town called Nelson British Columbia to do God Knows What for a living but one thing I do know, I will be skiing the best powder Canada has to offer at Whitewater Ski Resort. Whitewater averages 700 inches of annual snow fall each winter. Every winter back in the day me and a few of the boys would jump into one of the old beaters one of us owned and do a road trip down to this sleepy town near the American border to ski some of the best powder this continent has to offer - this is Canada's best-kept secret, a small century town on sweet little river right in the heart of the BC interior. This region is home to dozen's of Heli SKi operations, it is world renown for its' powder heli-skiing. Whitewater Ski Resort is an old school ski hill to be sure. It has only a couple thousand verticle feet, just a few old rickety lifts, nothing fancy, no high speed quads here. It is just a simple, quiet little laid back town full of aging hippies that gets the biggest accumulation of fresh powder in the Country.....I'll keep ya posted !..I feel like I am 18 again and can't wait to hit the road to see what the last chapter of my wonderful life has in store for me....hopefully lots of beautiful ladies, good friends, and face fulls of big POWDER shots! Follow your heart folks - it speaks to you all the time and it has all the answers you just have to learn to listen to what it is trying to tell you! - Life is far too short, so don't let yourself get caught up in the acquisition game doing a job simply because it pays big dollars which allows you to buy all sorts of useless crap - money does not make you happy man. The most miserable I have ever been in my whole life was a period when I was making in excess of a quarter of a million a year. I lost myself in lines of coke, booze, and meaningless sex...a terrible waste of ten years man, It is fun for about six months but when it becomes a habit and your hooked it is a nightmare you wish would come to end but waking up from it takes years of hard work. If anything my young friends, do your best to accumulate healthy experiences, traveling the world, learning foreign languages and staying in shape participating in exciting sports that turn your crank.......be brave and do what you really want to do not what someone else wants you to do, or what society says is a successful life - that is just a commercial made to sell some bullshit product. Following your heart, that is how you will tap into life's true necter....and how sweet it is ! - best of luck to everyone out there and a big peace out for now !!! - Back on the road again, finally!

A subaru is essential to the ski bum's life

Love it! My kid's goal... He made his case so now we homeschool and he skis all winter... Hope he gets to continue for as long as he wants.

I'm 51 years old and haven't worked during the winter since I was 24. I am fortunate to have a job (tree svc.) that shuts down for the winter, leaving me plenty of time for skiing! I've never really considered myself a ski bum (I have a house, family, & responsibilities) but I have found a way to make skiing a very significant part of my life.

A great lesson for everyone! I changed from successful biz career to airline pilot, at 39, because I wasn’t happy! Life is TOO short, be happy! My wife was so great and supportive during the change!

I feel like a superhero in winter but after that feels like just an ordinary human... anyone feels the same?

New bum! Just moved to Utah from Chicago 3 weeks ago, already got 14 days racked up!!! Shred the bird every chance I get and gonna work my ass off as a pipe welder in the summer! No other way to live life.

Nice stories, my friends and I have been driving route 91 to Killington Vt for longer than I can remember, many of us get 60 plus days a year. We make trips to Stowe, Sugerbush and Jay Peak when the big storms hit as Jay Peak get nearly 500 inches on a big year. We also make trip to Alta, The Bird and Jackson. Some of us make big money and some of us not so much, we help each other out when we can, we kid about having the sickness, yes we do. Most of us have had more than one wife or none at all. Its what we do and when the snow melts we Mt Bike, hike or fish. Some are now on replacement parts we all hurt but don't talk about it much, it part of the life style. Winter is here as Killington opened this week, 91 north here I come.

Holy shit the first guy is exactly my plan. Associates in business, now taking woodland firefighting and planning on spending the winters in the mountains.

I just moved out of my parents house at 19 to move to a resort 2 hours away. I live in North Carolina on a little Mountain called Beech Mountain. It was a big step but the best thing I've ever done. I work at a pizza place and on my days off I hit the slopes!

My wife and I ski year round and still work. Last year we skied 89 days and aim for 100 this season (November 1 to October 31). She is Canadian and has been skiing since she was seven. I was a late starter at 19. Last season we skied the most at our home mountain Squaw Valley but took to the road to ski Heavenly, Mammoth, Winter Park, A Basin, Snowmass, Telluride, Lake Louise and Sunshine (Banff). This summer we skied the glaciers in the Alps at Tignes and Les Deux Alps. Capped the summer season with a week of skiing in Chile at the three resorts near Farellones and already booked to return for this coming August. This November, as we do each year, we began the season at Cervinia-Zermatt. I began trying out ski ballet but it is slow going. We have been to Whitewater near Nelson and it is awesome! Thanks for the great video!!!

11:32 Couldn't of said it better myself. This is why we ride, regardless of which sport you pick.

these guys are living my current dream even though ill probably never do it. thanks for letting us live vicariously through them via this doc!

Mad skills: 50 50 and straight air!? Nice wow

Awesome video. I love the sign at Hawkeye and grizzly intersection. Makes me want to ski at Sundance. Such a great little resort.

I work at a ski resort on the west coast and last year my boss moved to new Zealand and bought a van there and ski bummed! He absolutely loves it

Love the Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1-era music starting at about 3:55. Nice touch.

Man, I miss being a ski bum in park city Utah…

And he had on a SKI THE EAST sticker! That is awesome...

This is great, well done.

beautiful video

Always wanted to become a skibum, now im just a bum

Hahahah what a coincidence Joachim was my dads student at the u of m what a great guy only talked to him a few times but really chill dude.

11:05 That hits hard man

This is a really well done short documentary. It'd be awsome to learn about, if you took a closer look at the daily life and the real ins and outs of working on a mountain.

Yep, good living in the hills. Or, I mean, on the hills.

When I retire I am moving to Vermont or if I have enough money buy a nice house in PA near family and have a small one house in Vermont for winter. You can actually ski pretty long into your life. Just stay healthy and play it safe.

This documentary was brought to you by GoPro. All jokes aside I really enjoyed it, nice job!

wasent expecting the steppenwolf nice..=] I'm sort of a ski bum. I live in Baltimore I have to make the 7-8 hour drive up to Vermont usually for the powders. I live in my mercury grand marquis i outfitted with a bed in the back seat and a solar panned to run a heating pad. have my third salt lake trip planned in a month.

My plan is to go to a school like Montana state and work and ski on off days then when i graduate live the bum life. When i don’t want to anymore i have a degree so i can get my life figured out

Being a ski bum is great but it also has it's downsides especially as you get older, trust me I'm in my late 30's, they call it Peter Pan syndrome and it hits you like a brick to the face.

I'm almost 65 and have never worked full time in winter, except going to school in the 70's. You gotta have a plan for your future, be frugal, get a job where you can get time off in the winter, and not have kids. Otherwise you better have a trust fund or be a good enough skier to have sponsors, but even that will not last.

Thanks for hyping me up for the season!

Live your life be free do what makes you happy

Awesome man!

If I win the lotto I want to be a ski bum, in the summer get ready for the winter.

Awsome video!!! Great editing!!!

There's a reason suicide rates are very high in Ski Towns!! A true ski bum really has no future, one day they wake up and realize all there friends have successful careers and a family, but when a ski bum turns 40 and still sleeping on a couch at a friends house and broke reality sets in!! Google it, it's all be documented!! I became a ski bum when I retired at 50, I average over 100 days a year in the winter and then once ski season is over move to my pad on Maui and surf all summer. When the ski resorts are open top to bottom I move back to Tahoe for the winter. Sure I wish I could ski like I did 30 years ago but I can still keep up with the best skiers on the mountain with all the great new ski gear!!

I don't comment often, but this was worth a comment! What a great video!!

amazing film

Great music! Not everyone can live this lifestyle, but it's cool to see those who do. Good on ya mate

"mad skills"

Awesome video!

Nice work... love the ski bum theme

i was ur 100th sub

Great Doc!

what a boss

i like skiing

1:08 I'd rather the experiences too!

when skiing is your passion but their aren't any mountains in your country :(

I am in university right now but I am completely miserable. The only problem is that I would be giving up a law career at the top law schools where I live to do this and I am not sure if I should or not

OH SNAP ITS SAINT MOTEL

4:29 me and her would not be friends

I am the ultimate slc utah ski bum from living in my car and stashing my snowboard at the local shelters wich is not allowed 🚫 for 5 years. did splitboarding and now just scrape up what I can for a season pass at brighton ut.I only work when I have to pay rent now wich is voucherd at 364 a month, nobody is this bum I know in utah. I dont have to work just pay for season pass now knowing my body wont be able to keep doing it in my 60s😅

Nice edit

How do you have such a nice ski jacket if you are a ski bum?

Haha tell half the people in sun valley that you can only be a ski bum for a couple of years

If you have a job and don't live in your car or a tent, you're not a ski bum.

What’s their job?

this would be me if I didn't have a massive student loan debt.

any tips for a wannabe ski bum??

why does it have a bum in the name? that"s what i want to know.

these people are having the ski bum experience but not real ski bums. Maybe the Rice dude. Sorry

is Evan still a ski bum?

420th like!

how the fuck do you only have 78 subs

Their not called ski bums, Nowadays they are called Trustfunders

I want to marry Jessie Johnson.

hi

Ski bums are always college dropouts lol it's always they same story ohh corporate America just isn't for me. Who else could afford that lifestyle bahaha bums? Right...

Lol these guys are acting like they won’t be able to ski because they are getting older. My grandpa skis doubles with no problem and he’s 75

Come shred the PNW!

Partai pendukung jokowei tkg cipoa!!!!pendukung penjilat!!haram!