Am I too old? - Page 3 - Snowboarding Forum

david_z · 01-20-2011, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kraig4422

Breaking into the pro scene and making a living from it is probably harder than getting into the NFL draft.

It's because you don't have enough credits on snowboardingforum.com :P

kraig4422 · 01-20-2011, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by david_z

It's because you don't have enough credits on snowboardingforum.com :P

Has to be it

ZenFlow7 · 01-22-2011, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kraig4422

Alright dood here is my advice. Your best bet is on the business side of this sport. My advice would be to go to school, ride in your spare time and do everything you can to get out West/network with companies - Burton, Forum, TW snow, resorts, etc... Not trying to burst your bubble but I'm 32, have ridden pretty much everywhere in the West/Canada, been riding for 17 years and haven't gotten as much as a free lunch in a resort cafeteria. Breaking into the pro scene and making a living from it is probably harder than getting into the NFL draft.

Aye, as Ive said Im not planning on going pro by definition. Maybe I should have worded that differently. What Im aiming for is more documentary aimed any way, and thus would require going back to school. So I am keeping that in mind with planning, although its only one of many factors. The last thing I want to do is become one of those sport sellout whores, like the david beckham of soccer... gets paid a milli just for wearing a fuckin pair of shoes for a certain amount of time. Regardless though... I do understand what you're saying. Im not beyond hope yet though... Im too in love with it. If I can get just one piece of something like jeremy jones does.... thats all I could ever wish for.

Edit: Back to the original questions... does anyone have any tips about location advantages? Id like to hear about it from someone who has lived or currently lives near any of the areas I listed... Cali/AK/CO etc. Any information helps... especially on the alaska front. Where are the major colleges, mountains etc.

wrathfuldeity · 01-23-2011, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZenFlow7

.... lets just say Im on a years probation for my last job.

What was your last job?...bank robbery, murder, kidnapping...well if a felony...probably no Canada and pretty sure no heli piglet...well maybe heli mule across the boarder.

ZenFlow7 · 01-23-2011, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snowolf

Alaska:

Anchorage is your best bet...University of Alaska and Alyeska is the only resort in Alaska that has a lot to offer in the way of good terrain and they now have a super pipe. There is a ton of BC riding in the Chugach.

Oregon:

Mt. Hood is where to be if you want the longest lift accessed season possible. With Timberline, you have year round riding up on Palmer. During the winter, Meadows is where it is at for natural terrain. University of Oregon is down in Corvalis.

Side note on the heli pilot idea:

I am a Private pilot and pre 9-11 was in an airline training academy to become an airline pilot. Heli is the most competitive aviation job there is and only a very experienced high time commercial heli pilot has a chance at this job. It is something that heli pilots only dream of. Before you can even hope to get a job in the right seat of a fixed wing regional carrier, you better have a minimum of 1500 hours of pilot in command time. For a heli, double it. Before you could have a chance at being a snowboard/ skiing heli pilot in some place like Alaska, you would need years and thousands of hours at the stick of a news helicopter and a lot of that time would need to be in Alaska. I think you have better chance of becoming the next Jeremy Jones than this based on my own experience in the aviation industry.

As an instructor I am "technically" a "pro snowboarder" but I make about $200 a week tops doing that....not going to give up the day job just yet....

My advice is to have your career and then have snowboarding.

Thanks much for the info! I had no idea oregon was such an option. Makes sense though, I have been out that direction before.

As far as the pilot idea... Ive actually come close to my private pilots license, only have a few hundred hours flight in a cesna 189(?) but that was years ago. So thats where that idea had spurted from. im pretty settled on the direction of journalism/documentary... And Ill do what I have to along the way.

To answer the question about my last job... aggrivated trafficking in scheduled drugs. gonna leave it at that.

Edit: Ill end up with a year of probation, so canada is out of the option until thats over. better than taking a felony charge and never being able to leave again though.

gls:maverick · 01-24-2011, 05:44 AM

If your looking for a way to make some scratch and get a max amount of time boarding during the good months out west (basically the equivelant of going pro) try Alaskan fishing. I have a good buddy who didn't do crab (I think he did some sort of fish), but it was in Alaska. He made enough in a fishing season to take the rest of the year off, pay for an apartment and shred 24/7 for like 5-6 months a year. Always sounded like a good idea to me.

Now he is a wildfire fighter in Tahoe I think.....or maybe northern Cali. Either way; good luck.

ZenFlow7 · 01-24-2011, 10:57 AM

Aye, Ive got a couple friends here from alaska that said the same thing. They may even know a few people to get a hold of who need crews over there... so you never know. Like I said... Im willing to do just about anything to make it work. Ive been an avid mountaineer most my life... and after how much Ive changed this season, back to my old habbits... the healthier ones... and after watching movies like deeper, and nowhere... I know what I want to do.

crsv619 · 01-25-2011, 06:52 PM

since i fell in love with snowboarding, i've been trying to figure out how to shred 100 days a season and still make a living. ruled out going pro, but thanks to this thread, i've discovered becoming a fisher(wo)man in alaska. where do i sign up?

ZenFlow7 · 02-12-2011, 05:34 PM

Just wanted to check in again and update progress.

1 broken thumb
1 dislocated collar bone (which I unfortunatly let heal wrong and just found out about)
several bruises on my arse, legs, and back
2 bad incidents of snowburn on the face
1 run of just about pissing myself on a double black at sunday river.

All in all Im pretty happy, Ive hit a couple double blacks, never hit less than a single if I can help it now.. Been practicing in the park the last few days now, threw my first frontside 360 ever yesterday... nailed a couple more today. Grabs are getting smoother, been nailing methods left and right. Riding a few rails, but nothing with crazy curves yet. So yeah... guess my main aim right now is to nail 360s on frontside and backside.... then either work on bigger air or backflips... although Im wicked hesitant about flipping... Any more tips for where Im at would be really appreciated

ZenFlow7 · 02-14-2011, 12:26 PM

So.... put together a short with a few clips a friend was taking of me... Its nothing great, especially after watching some of the videos out there... but, I was just fuckin around with it anyway. Still a long ways to go before I really care about the quality.

YouTube - First snowboard short

01-24-2011, 05:44 AM	#26 (permalink)
gls:maverick Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Howell Posts: 86	If your looking for a way to make some scratch and get a max amount of time boarding during the good months out west (basically the equivelant of going pro) try Alaskan fishing. I have a good buddy who didn't do crab (I think he did some sort of fish), but it was in Alaska. He made enough in a fishing season to take the rest of the year off, pay for an apartment and shred 24/7 for like 5-6 months a year. Always sounded like a good idea to me. Now he is a wildfire fighter in Tahoe I think.....or maybe northern Cali. Either way; good luck. __________________ No Rules; Just Gnar '10 153 K2 Jibpan/National.....686-Nike

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01-24-2011, 10:57 AM	#27 (permalink)
ZenFlow7 Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 20	Aye, Ive got a couple friends here from alaska that said the same thing. They may even know a few people to get a hold of who need crews over there... so you never know. Like I said... Im willing to do just about anything to make it work. Ive been an avid mountaineer most my life... and after how much Ive changed this season, back to my old habbits... the healthier ones... and after watching movies like deeper, and nowhere... I know what I want to do.

01-25-2011, 06:52 PM	#28 (permalink)
crsv619 Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 96	since i fell in love with snowboarding, i've been trying to figure out how to shred 100 days a season and still make a living. ruled out going pro, but thanks to this thread, i've discovered becoming a fisher(wo)man in alaska. where do i sign up?

02-12-2011, 05:34 PM	#29 (permalink)
ZenFlow7 Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 20	Just wanted to check in again and update progress. 1 broken thumb 1 dislocated collar bone (which I unfortunatly let heal wrong and just found out about) several bruises on my arse, legs, and back 2 bad incidents of snowburn on the face 1 run of just about pissing myself on a double black at sunday river. All in all Im pretty happy, Ive hit a couple double blacks, never hit less than a single if I can help it now.. Been practicing in the park the last few days now, threw my first frontside 360 ever yesterday... nailed a couple more today. Grabs are getting smoother, been nailing methods left and right. Riding a few rails, but nothing with crazy curves yet. So yeah... guess my main aim right now is to nail 360s on frontside and backside.... then either work on bigger air or backflips... although Im wicked hesitant about flipping... Any more tips for where Im at would be really appreciated

02-14-2011, 12:26 PM	#30 (permalink)
ZenFlow7 Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 20	So.... put together a short with a few clips a friend was taking of me... Its nothing great, especially after watching some of the videos out there... but, I was just fuckin around with it anyway. Still a long ways to go before I really care about the quality. YouTube - First snowboard short