Time to Quit the City Job

The earth spins through space at a rate slightly faster than 24 hours per revolution. We are all stuck to its surface by gravity, unable to free ourselves from its surface except by artificial means of propulsion.

Fortunately, for those of us who live far enough north or south of the equator, the warmer rain can get cold enough to become solid and fall in the form of ice or snow. Then those who afford themselves the cost of skis, boots and lift tickets can defy gravity from time to time as they fly off of bumps in the snow, a cliff or wherever their adrenaline lets them go that day.

Anyone who has skied and been airborne for even a half-second knows the feeling of being weightless. However, we are almost weightless as we glide over snowflakes. The only boundary to skiing is the lack of snowfall leading to our enjoyment that gravity, ski lifts and snow can bring.

As the white snow is replaced by bare brown earth under the hot sun, we are forced to replace our skis with some other form of bodily movement. That’s because we are a restless bunch who can never just sit still for very long.

Take a moment and look into the dark recesses of your garage or your storage unit and you will probably find a variety of what I call “freedom vehicles:” roller blades, a skate board, maybe a water ski or two, a surfboard, a windsurfer, a bicycle. These were all designed to get you farther away from anywhere in a shorter amount of time but require the mastery of certain skills.

Are you in a financial position to travel south of the equator and enjoy those powder snow days in July, August and September? Unfortunately, unless you were born with a silver spoon, this is the time when you work overtime to buy all of those ski lift tickets in the winter at Old Hickory Hollow.

As I meet people from all over the world at the Yellowstone Club in Montana, I ask them where they live and they tell me and I always ask them why they live there.

For some, it is several thousand miles from the closest ski resort. So I tell them, “Most of the jobs that you can do in the city are now necessary in a ski resort, particularly at the larger ones.” If you had to put a price on that perfect powder snow day what would that price be?

The father of our mountain manager here in Montana was on the Aspen Ski Patrol for 40 years. He raised a fine family that all skied all winter, fished all summer and went hunting in the fall. I would like you to think about that ski resort lifestyle as you arrive at work and stare at the poster of someone in waist-deep powder snow on your wall.

How many revolutions will the earth travel around the sun before you say, “enough,” and move to a ski resort somewhere? So do you really have to own that second car, make the suburban commute, pay for private school for your kids and think about those responsibilities instead of living and doing the same work in Aspen or Killington, with them on the junior ski racing team?

While you are running a computer for the ski resort company at night and skiing all day every day until the world revolves around the sun one more time and all of the snow has melted. Now you can get out your fishing rod, your mountain bike, your backpack and your sunscreen and wonder why you didn’t quit your city job a long time ago.

For more of Warren’s wanderings go to www.warrenmiller.net or visit him on his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/warrenmiller. For information on his Foundation, please visit the Warren Miller Freedom Foundation, at www.warrenmiller.org.