Best Colleges for Skiing?

Its amazing how opinionated, judgmental and condescending some of the comments have been in this thread. My goodness man the kid just asked what colleges are best for skiing not for a bunch of diatribes about how great one career is vs. another and how an allegedly "stubborn" 16 year old kid won't listen to a bunch of angry old men.

Sno I did have to laugh at the diversity comment but I did get where you were coming from. University of Wyoming gave my wife and I full tuition graduate scholarships that were only available to out of state students. They were truly trying to attract out of state talent to bring students in that otherwise would have gone elsewhere. My wife was also able to get a teaching assistant position and worked for the state historical preservation office. We still took some student loans for living expenses but were able to graduate with MS degrees with less than 10k each in loans. I'm not sure if UWyo still offers these types of scholarships, but I'd look. UWYO was very good to us and I'll never forget it.

Based on your short list and the criteria you've presented, I would lean strongly toward UVM. You have a great small college town with lots of stuff to do year round and some of the best skiing on the east coast is an hour or so away. If you work it right and you like the town, you can make connections through internships, etc. that keep you in Vermont after you graduate. If you decide to switch majors along the way or minor in something you'll be at a University that's big enough to provide lots of options.

If you go engineering or finance or IT and you are competent then you'll get job when you graduate. If you position yourself correctly and you really want to get into sales then you'll get into sales. I wouldn't go the accounting route. Those folks work their butts off during the heart of ski season. You would hate yourself.

raisingarizona wrote

So where do you guys ski at mainly? I have friends that are local or regularly (pass holders) ski at Stevens. They tell me it's got some seriously awesome terrain. Mission looks pretty rad tho too. That Bomber mini golf zone looks silly, I would love to get to know some of those lines and do some hucking.

I live at the base of Mission, but ride at Stevens pretty regularly. Both are equally sweet. Mission gets a lower quantity of higher quality snow. In a good season, Stevens is only second to Baker when it comes to Pow quantity

The "mini golf zone"... love that term. I thought the term was coined by our most famous local free-skier, the late Jim Jack. I didn't realize it was a common term.

Mission is packed with mini golf terrain features. They look big from a distance but are actually pretty low risk with safe, easily managed run-outs. Stevens has more aggressive terrain, but on weekends it's wall-to-wall with city folk.

From an outdoor perspective, You would probably love it here. The culture at the medical center is very progressive.... Powder days are always viewed as holidays.

go to Lehigh and ski blue mountain with the REAL GSS!

One of the reasons I think engineering is a good major is because it is easier to get a good salary when getting a job after graduation.  I'm also interested in technology and how things work as you may notice with my posts regarding snowmaking, grooming, and lifts.  If I decided to go to grad school and get an MBA, that would increase my chances of getting into a higher up position in a company just like coach said.  Considering that technology is improving exponentially, there are many jobs needed in the engineering field, so I'd like to take one.

gorgonzola wrote

go to Lehigh and ski blue mountain with the REAL GSS!

BwaHa!

snoloco wrote

One of the reasons I think engineering is a good major is because it is easier to get a good salary when getting a job after graduation.  I'm also interested in technology and how things work as you may notice with my posts regarding snowmaking, grooming, and lifts.  If I decided to go to grad school and get an MBA, that would increase my chances of getting into a higher up position in a company just like coach said.  Considering that technology is improving exponentially, there are many jobs needed in the engineering field, so I'd like to take one.

Be careful with basing your decision on Salary... That's what I did.  I work in IT... the salary is good, but to be honest, I kind of regret being a desk jockey.  Sitting in front of a computer for 21 years will make you rethink your salary based decisions.  If had to do it all over again, I probably would have entered a profession where I could have a field job (like a game warden or lumber jack)

nepa wrote

.

.  Sitting in front of a computer for 21 years will make you rethink your salary based decisions.  If had to do it all over again, I probably would have entered a profession where I could have a field job (like a game warden or lumber jack)


Sounds like mid life crisis thinking! I have been doing the same thing but about being a ski bum for too long! :) So maybe you would be doing the same sort of thinking even if you had done it differently?

But I'm ok with it, I look at my friends on facebook I was in high school with and I thank my lucky stars that I have been a ski bum. I may at times be a little envious of their wealth or at least the comfort factor they have in some stability and I do feel fearful now, having nothing, but for the most part I would never EVER trade in the magic moments enjoyed in the mountains for a different path. Absolutely. No. Freaking. Way.

It sounds like you have a good thing going tho eh? At least you have one heck of a playground out your back door!

nepa wrote

raisingarizona wrote

So where do you guys ski at mainly? I have friends that are local or regularly (pass holders) ski at Stevens. They tell me it's got some seriously awesome terrain. Mission looks pretty rad tho too. That Bomber mini golf zone looks silly, I would love to get to know some of those lines and do some hucking.

I live at the base of Mission, but ride at Stevens pretty regularly.  Both are equally sweet.  Mission gets a lower quantity of higher quality snow.  In a good season, Stevens is only second to Baker when it comes to Pow quantity<p>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YB32IE1kbvs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><p>
The "mini golf zone"... love that term.  I thought the term was coined by our most famous local free-skier, the late Jim Jack.  I didn't realize it was a common term. <p>
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/11015853?color=000000&title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe> <p>Mission is packed with mini golf terrain features.  They look big from a distance but are actually pretty low risk with safe, easily managed run-outs.  Stevens has more aggressive terrain, but on weekends it's wall-to-wall with city folk.<p>

From an outdoor perspective, You would probably love it here.  The culture at the medical center is very progressive.... Powder days are always viewed as holidays.

Nice! That's exactly what mini golfing is all about. It was a pretty regular term among the free skiing crowd during the late 90's and early 2000's. I had done a few laps at Alta with Jim Jack back in 98. We both also stood around at keg partys in a circle of dudes basically just bird dogging 3 or 4 girls hoola hooping in the center. His passing was very unfortunate.

raisingarizona wrote

Nice! That's exactly what mini golfing is all about. It was a pretty regular term among the free skiing crowd during the late 90's and early 2000's. I had done a few laps at Alta with Jim Jack back in 98. We both also stood around at keg partys in a circle of dudes basically just bird dogging 3 or 4 girls hoola hooping in the center. His passing was very unfortunate.

For sure. I didn't know Jim, but he has a very strong following in town. He seems like he would have been cool to hang with. How about the Bird Man? ever hang with him? Birdman and Jim Jack are our two local ski celebrities.

nepa wrote

 
Be careful with basing your decision on Salary... That's what I did.  I work in IT... the salary is good, but to be honest, I kind of regret being a desk jockey.  Sitting in front of a computer for 21 years will make you rethink your salary based decisions.  If had to do it all over again, I probably would have entered a profession where I could have a field job (like a game warden or lumber jack)

Sno, keeping it real I could care less where you go to college or what you do for a job. I'd just like to point out that right here is about the most solid advise one could ever want to get. Life is short lil buddy. Figure out what it is you want to do, then figure out a way to get someone to pay you to do it. If that includes going to college, fine. If not, well, that's fine too.

I would also add that college has its own things to appreciate. you can throw yourself into studies that you might not even think you'd enjoy, whether it's chemistry, or literature and be totally satisfied having your eyes opened. if all you do is ski and study, you might miss a thing or two like opportunity to make a friend or meet the love of your life or whatever. stranger things have happened! skiing is great. being outside is great. and it's obviously hard to take a long view of things when you're only 16, but there is such a thing as work/life or school/life balance, even with regards to skiing. i aim for 50 days every year, but if i get 44 i won't regret cutting out on my girl to ski six more days if they were all boilerplate, anyway.

so my advice is to find a school that has the possibility of good skiing, and that has a program and culture (student body / other opportunities like study abroad, grant money, hot girls, whatever) that you think you would thrive in.

Glade Runner U sounds pretty good for maximum ski time, but you might miss out on the other stuff.

ml242 wrote

Glade Runner U sounds pretty good for maximum ski time, but you might miss out on the other stuff.

I signed the petition in hopes that Glade Runner gives me a scholarship.

I like campy's post about finding out what it is you want to do and then find a way for someone to pay for it.  

My wife and I wanted to raise our son in the mountains.  It took us 15 years to work out how to make that happen but we did it 10 years ago.  Certain careers are never going to allow that so if that is really important to Sno plan ahead to be in the right field.

As far as Glade is concerned it seems he is starting to grow up.  If he wants to be a productive member of this society and promises to not tell everyone to go F off or call them AHs then maybe he can be redeemed.

ml242 wrote

I would also add that college has its own things to appreciate. you can throw yourself into studies that you might not even think you'd enjoy, whether it's chemistry, or literature and be totally satisfied having your eyes opened. if all you do is ski and study, you might miss a thing or two like opportunity to make a friend or meet the love of your life or whatever. stranger things have happened! skiing is great. being outside is great. and it's obviously hard to take a long view of things when you're only 16, but there is such a thing as work/life or school/life balance, even with regards to skiing. i aim for 50 days every year, but if i get 44 i won't regret cutting out on my girl to ski six more days if they were all boilerplate, anyway.

so my advice is to find a school that has the possibility of good skiing, and that has a program and culture (student body / other opportunities like study abroad, grant money, hot girls, whatever) that you think you would thrive in.

This is good advice. The culture of a place is very important, and it's good to feel like you fit in. If you don't like the vibe of UVM (too many hippies or whatever), visit some other schools. I still think you should do the Bates/Bowdoin/Colby swing this spring and check out Sugarloaf and Sunday River. It snowed a bunch during my Colby tour and I skied fresh pow at Sugarloaf the next day... Definitely aided in my decision.

College is a good time to figure out what you like and what you don't like. Involve yourself in a bunch of things that you think you'd enjoy, and maybe some things that you think you wouldn't enjoy, just to see what they're like. I did some intramural sports, lots of skiing, and a lot of partying and drinking.... So pretty much the same as now.

snoloco wrote

Did you read what Mattchuck wrote earlier?  If you treat college like a full time job and assume that you put in 40 hours a week toward your education, you are going to have plenty of time to ski.  I'd try to set things up so I got to ski at least 3 days a week.  Probably go one weekend and two midweek days.  I'd get many days that were all high quality and never ski at night, although I might do it on occasion.  If you actually sit down and do the work rather than complaining about it, you'll pass your classes and have time to ski.  If you just complain non stop, you'll do poorly and never ski.  My dad told me one of the best skills to have when in college is time management skills you're not working through the night and have time for doing other things.

Your dad is exactly right. Most people can't sit down and work at something to completion. If you have the ability to do that, it puts you way ahead in life (and way ahead of those losers in college and high school who just want to waste time).

Also read something about sales in this thread. Sales is fine for certain kinds of people, but I am not that kind of person. I'm not good at forming interpersonal relationships, I hate cold calling people, and I hate selling people shit they don't need (which is what sales usually ends up boiling down to). F sales. Just give me a job where I get a task, finish it, and get the next task. I don't want the responsibility that comes with having to sell product to afford dinner.

A lot of maybe even most sales jobs are exactly as Matt says.  

Thankfully I sell a technical product that I help design engineers solve a problem or need with.  If they don't need it or my product is not suitable I'd by wasting my and thier time.  I'm in a long term relationship business with these customers. It take me 2 to 3 years to get sales out of it but then they buy that product for 10 years or longer.  I'm still selling a product designed in before I was born to one customer.   I also get to see cutting edge cool stuff being created in dozens of different industries.  Sales is not for everyone though.  You fail at lot.  You have to be self motivated and persistent.  You also have more freedom than just about any other job and it can be rewarding and s a portable job.

Coach Z wrote

A lot of maybe even most sales jobs are exactly as Matt says.  

Thankfully I sell a technical product that I help design engineers solve a problem or need with.  If they don't need it or my product is not suitable I'd by wasting my and thier time.  I'm in a long term relationship business with these customers. It take me 2 to 3 years to get sales out of it but then they buy that product for 10 years or longer.  I'm still selling a product designed in before I was born to one customer.   I also get to see cutting edge cool stuff being created in dozens of different industries.  Sales is not for everyone though.  You fail at lot.  You have to be self motivated and persistent.  You also have more freedom than just about any other job and it can be rewarding and s a portable job.

there may be no better example of a job that really works for some and is that dream job but for others, it's a complete nightmare. I'm one of the latter. F- all that!

But I totally agree, if it works for you it probably really works for you and has some serious benefits.

gorgonzola wrote

go to Lehigh and ski blue mountain with the REAL GSS!

Free GSS!  

Is that dude still alive?

How can someone decide what they want to do for the rest of their life when they are 16? Most of the kids who are going to move on to college have to start the application process by 11th grade. ( Wow !...11th grade.... three toughest years of my life )
I would guess that if a person was to take a year or two off before college, get a job, go skiing and experience life outside of your parent's influence, they wouldn't choose the same thing they picked in High school.
I miss GSS.

lolkl wrote

  ( Wow !...11th grade.... three toughest years of my life )
 

FTW