A TIP IN LIVING THE DREAM - SKI BUMMIN' - Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Blog

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On every mountain there is a select few that earn the high title of a SKI BUM

Now this is not as easy of a feat as you might think. To start, we will define this mountain hero.

A ski bum, male or female, is one that has nailed a way to LTD (Live The Dream). This enthusiast’s life consists of three things. Skiing, waiting to go skiing, and talking about going skiing.

Here is what it might look like if it were you… LTD as a ski bum means you will be skiing pow or searching to ski pow, ALL of the time. Working, well when, how, and just enough to get you by and somehow it is on your terms. This fine combination requires tactics, skills and working the system of more bang for your buck when it comes to just about everything. Once you get in the mindset, it isn’t so bad. As a ski bum your income is, well, limited yet if you dial in the system, it is plenty to LTD. You will land a work gig where you can slay pow all day and then find jobs that start around 4:30 to 5pm and sleep when the snow isn’t so good. You think of tactics such as landing a food service job that includes employee meals (so eat up) and helps to minimize any grocery trips. And sometimes, if you are a powder chaser and skip a few shifts, you might have a few jobs in a single season. Your room might be under a stairwell, hallway or garage, yet your real room is a massive mountain range serving up pow turns all day so what’s the big deal anyway. Heck, you might even start with couch surfing. And if you are really good, you will eventually land a room at The Hostel or in a slopeside cabin paying magically less than everyone else. You travel very light. All of your belongings (mostly ski items) fit in a few bags you can easily throw them in a bus or car. You live with the cash in your wallet, a pre-paid phone plan, and avoid credit cards or pets to limit anything that can tie you down from LTD. You buy only what is necessary and nothing else. When you arrive home from an epic ski trip in Chile with a few bucks to your name, don’t worry. There are free peanuts at the Q Roadhouse Brewery and I am sure someone will buy you a beer because they were a ski bum once too. And lastly, when summer comes, you work hard, really hard, to save up as much money as possible to make next years ski season even longer. And eventually your dream of hitting it big as a professional skier lands on your lap and you have made it to 365 days of chasing powder. And a last bit of advice; if there is any insurance you might carry, you make it medical.

Whew, what do you think? Are you in? If so, read on…

The last 6 days (since Jan 30^th) here at JHMR have been nothing shy of EPIC. 37 inches of snow have landed that spot of LTD day after day. The snow is so fun that you just keep asking for more of your body as you take it to the limit every single day and somehow roll over the next day to see even more fresh snow and you are at it again. By now, you have skipped work for days and will deal with that later, and your bank account is getting smaller by the minute, yet you cannot help but live in the moment and keep skiing.

With that said, here is our one ski bum tip to pass along to you to not make the below crash n’ burn happen…

Flat out FAMISHED! Totally starving, leading to epic crashes, yet you cannot afford the huge price tag meals so you just keep skiing. We are here to help you out and show you just how to keep living the dream by showing some tips on the most calories for your dollar at the resort and landing a massive meal for under $7 bucks. This note is not for those looking for the low calorie salad, as that will keep you maintaining that famish. This is for the steadfast, hard charging, ski bums.

First up: CAFÉ 6311 located at the base of the Bridger Gondola serves up a breakfast bagel loaded with an egg, bacon, and cheese for $6.50. This is roughly 700 calories. 108calories/dollar!

Maybe you nailed breakfast and it is a feat of famish that hits right before you are supposed to head out for a huge ski lap from the tram and you just have no idea how you will manage. No worries. Race into Corbet’s Cabin to enjoy a Top Of The World Waffle fully loaded with peanut butter and bacon for just $6.50. It is wrapped in tin foil so you can literally eat it in seconds or at the same time that you are tightening up your boots to get back out there. Side note: these waffles are very generous. So we are looking at a quick estimate of 800 calories. So even better 123 calories/dollar!

All right now what if you are mid mountain and famished from skiing Paint Brush to Toilet Bowl or Tower 3 chute on repeat. For this, we bring you a goldmine meal by just hopping on the Marmot lift to the Rendezvous Restaurant. Head on in and order up a KIDS grilled cheese. I know what you are thinking, kids? That’s a joke. Well actually it is, and in your favor. It is enough grub for one seriously powder hungry ski bum. This triple decker surprise loaded with fries is only $6.25. If you smile real nice, maybe the chef will throw on some bacon at no extra charge. This grand meal has got to be over 1200 calories. Giving you a whopping 195 calories per dollar for a gourmet meal!! That is A LOT of charging on the mountain that you can get through.

Now let’s say it’s 4:30 and you are so stoked about the shred sesh you just had and hanging out with all of your buddies at the Village Café, yet you feel like you are going to pass out. Quick fix for within seven bucks is to order up a slice of pepperoni pizza $3.50 and a Ranier tallboy $3.00. Heck the slice of the day is only $4.00 and is loaded with goodies and still stays right at $7. These slices are huge and filling landing you at an estimate of a quick 700 calories. 100 calories/dollar. Side note: Don’t leave them out for a thought on breakfast. We heard word that they additionally make a killer breakfast burrito for $6.00 loaded with chorizo, potatoes, sour cream, salsa and black beans.

And last but not least if you need a quick calorie fix, The General Store is loaded with ski bum snacks that fit the calorie/dollar system. We recommend snickers bars personally due to their rockin’ glycemic index (basically long lasting energy quality).