Just Go…

This was Tweeted a few weeks ago by someone I follow….

Now Ive talked about this before but its definitely worth repeating. Mostly because its getting into the late part of summer and there are those of you out there that are wanting to move west to a snow town. A very small amount of you actually will but most of you will put it off until next year ( just like you did last year). Its a scary thing to pick up and move across the country to a new place but not as scary as you think.  It is also much easier than you think.  Theres many things I could post or link to try and persuade you to finally make that move but nothing beats a first hand account. The following are the adventures and advice from four people each with a different version of the same dream. Two you are most likely familiar with, the third is my own account and the fourth is someone thats making the move from Indiana (via Tennessee) to Utah at this very moment to chase his own snow dreams. All three were kind enough to answer the same questions about moving to chase dreams of living the snow life and to help give you insight as to how  the experience worked for them. As you will see although all four of us have the same dreams none of us have traveled the same path yet when its all said and done here we all are living that dream. Answering the questions are myself, a snowboardingforum.com and Twitter friend SnowVols, The Angrysnowboarder, and Shayboarder.

How long did you consider making a move to a new place purely for snowboarding before you actually did it?

Burritos… I didnt plan too long. Most of my closest friends started getting the hell out of Alabama and I knew it was a now or never thing for me too. In less than a year I was able to save enough to move to Utah and get a place.

SnowVols… I first went to Colorado in January of 2008, so not too long but moving to the Western US is the only place I could see myself living.

Angrysnowboarder… Funny thing it took me 3 tries to get away from New York. The first was right after I graduated high school I was saving money and shredding at the local hill when I eviscerated my spleen. That took a few years to recover from then I tried again but made it as far as Las Vegas where I encountered the wonderful world of booze, boobs, and gambling for a few months then returned home. The third time was a charm. All in all I started considering moving west when I was about 16ish and realized that Western NY just didn’t have enough to keep me satisfied. A few hiccups in the road but I’ve been outwest now for the majority of this century and have no ambition of ever moving back.

Shayboarder… I grew up in Washington state and have always loved the northwest living.  It’s my home grounds and the snowboarding scene there is so laid back and they just kill it on the mountain.  As much as I loved it, I was ready to try someplace new.  I wanted to live in another location to experience it.  I knew that I could always come back to Washington if things didn’t work out so that was good to keep in the back of my mind.  Colorado was high on the list, the snowfall and sunny days seemed the opposite of the northwest plus they have a longer season with A-Basin nearby.  I made the decision to visit Steamboat Springs for a couple days to test it out and I knew once I was there that I’d be moving there.  A month later everything was packed and I made the move.

Many times those that are considering making a move for riding have to weigh how much there is to leave behind. How much did you leave behind as far as career (if any) at the time, family, and material possessions?

Burritos… Although I have a college degree Im not really too into using it (yet) and the same was true when I was getting ready to move to SLC. I had a good job but nothing that  couldnt be equaled here in SLC with a little looking.  I come from a very small family and only my mom and grandmother lived in Alabama everyone else is spread from Florida to Ohio and Texas. As far as material possessions were concerned I packed up a Ryder truck and took everything I owned with me.

SnowVols… At the beginning of March of this year, I started a new job in Indiana.  I had just become situated in my new job when this opportunity arose so I dropped that job and took another job right out of Salt Lake City in order to live in the mountains.  When I left for Indiana I was already away from my friends and family back home in Tennessee so it really did not affect me in my decision making.

Angrysnowboard… Most material possessions are easily replaced so I didn’t care about that stuff all that much. Plus I had my gear with me which is all I needed since I moved to shred. Toughest part about moving was leaving my dog at my parents to have them watch him. Poor guy didn’t know what to do right away. Luckily for me my parents were going to Montana a few months after I moved so I was able to have them drive him out to me. That dog has been a champ with moving all over and visiting both coasts.  When it came to my family there were things that made it easy and hard at the same time. My brother had just opened his bar a year or two before I moved so he was dealing with that and I had been helping out when I could. I was living with my grandmother who had just down sized in houses after my grandfather had died, so she lost my company and having someone to take care of. Then of course there were my parents who haven’t always seen eye to eye with my lifes decisions. I know they were a bit scared of me just taking the plunge and doing it.

Shayboarder… The timing worked out perfectly for making a new start.  I had completed my college degree the season before and was ready to try something new.  I knew that I would be leaving friends and family but I also wanted to live in a new location and try it.  Everything I owned fit into my truck and uhaul for the move out to Colorado.

Did you have any support network in place at your desired destination, friends, family, a waiting job?

Burritos… When I moved out here my Dad lived here but other than that I didnt know anyone. I came out here found a job, flew back to Alabama loaded the truck and drove out here. ProTip .. if you get a job first and then move your moving expenses can be tax deductible.

SnowVols… The only thing I have waiting for me in Utah is a job.  I figure I can get the rest once I am situated.

Angrysnowboarder… I had some rough connections set up in Tahoe for housing, a girl in Washington, and it was mud season so not exactly ideal to find a job. All in all I definitely pulled all the rookie mistakes on that one and if it hadn’t been for the girl I would have been fucked so hard. She definitely bailed my ass out when the shit hit the fan down in Tahoe and helped me even more when I made it up to Washington.

Shayboarder… I moved out to Colorado with Steamboat Springs in mind because it was the one resort town in Colorado where I knew someone even though I barely knew the person.  Within a week I found a place to live and left couch surfing at that person’s house and within a month I had a job lined up working year round for the ski resort.  Eventually I made my own friends in town but I had the support of friends and family for trying out Colorado. The first couple months were tough because I moved out with an ex and we broke up soon after moving to Colorado.  But as a result instead of counting on someone to be there, I had to find and reach out to make new friends.  Most of those friends are friends today.

Looking back was the whole process easier or harder than you anticipated? What has been your highest and lowest point through it all?

Burritos… Looking back it really was easy. I saved up a bit of money, came out, found a job, went back and grabbed my stuff. Once I was out here and stable I found a better job and nicer spot to live. I believe in general many people over think things and making a move like this is no exception.  There hasnt been any specific low so far  its all been great but I guess if there is one regret its not doing it sooner. I had the opportunity to move out here in the late 80′s when modern snowboarding was just taking shape and sometimes I wonder what if I had taken that opportunity. The high point is easy, its every deep pow day when Im strapping in and the resort is empty because every one else has been suckered into some sort of lame corporate career job. Having more days riding before the new year than most get all season is a good feeling.

SnowVols… So far it has been easy enough.  The hardest part was getting the interview.  I had applied to countless amount of jobs in Colorado and Utah with no response.  I started to believe I was just going to have to save up enough money to make the move and wait tables until I found a different job but I was lucky this place interviewed me.  I am still really early into my adventure, but the drive across the US from Tennessee to Utah has been good.  It is always enjoyable to see the country.  The lowest part would still be the drive because sitting for 12-16 hours in a car with no A/C is miserable in the heat of the day.

Angrysnowboard… There were definitely aspects that were easy and ones that were way harder than I anticipated. I made the decision to move on a whim and that was easy, but getting out west and staying was the hard part. Now I look at where I’m at with things and I’m happy I did it and encourage others to follow suit. There’s definite stand outs in the low points that I’m not proud of. Having to leave my dog behind twice and ultimately give him up was probably one of the bigger ones although he is doing great now living with my 91 year old grandmother. There’s other things that have sucked that I’m just now able to step up and be big enough to apologize for with certain people and I’ll leave it at that, they know who they are and how bad I feel about the shit that transpired. So once again I’ll just say I’m sorry to those people for all the grief and bull shit I caused. As far as a high point I’d say being able to continue living the life I’m living and not cashing in and moving back east for mediocrity has been huge. Getting to shred 100 plus days a year, product testing with various brands, and just knowing that people pay thousands of dollars to experience for a week what I experience all winter long.

Shayboarder… It was the best decision I’ve made, moving to Colorado changed my life.  For the last four years I’ve lived in a resort town where everyone loves and lives for the snow, I’ve made countless friends and the experiences have been worth the move.  The process was tough but it felt right, timing was right.  Probably the lowest point is realizing that I’d have to wrack up some credit card debt to help with the cost of moving but it’s worth the price.  The highest point has been how much it’s paid off and the powder days during some epic snowfall years were worth every low point I’ve encountered.

Finally what advice or tips would you give to anyone who just cant get over that mental hump and pull the trigger and make the move?

Burritos… I think too many people out there get hung up on their job as a major deterrent for moving. In my mind if youd leave your current job for another job in town why not leave it for one in another town? If you think you are irreplaceable you are most likely wrong. Hell theres protocol in place to swear in the VP minutes after the death of a President, dont think youre so special that supermegagiantcorp cant replace you. If you have that desire to go enjoy the snow life you really should go, regret is a terrible thing. Hell even if I were destitute in SLC and snowboarding I still would think it better than comfortable in Alabama bored as hell wondering what if. They say money cant buy happiness and I for sure believe thats true. I know a few folks that are very well off with careers, nice cars, and big homes but theyve all confided in me at some point that they think Im the lucky one for getting to “play” so much. Life is about living, enjoying and having fun not about business meetings, progress reports, or mission statements.Dont be worried about what others think or if you will disappoint your parents or whoever. As a parent myself I can tell you the biggest wish I have for my children is that they live a life that makes them happy and fulfilled. If thats working nights waiting tables so they can ride all day then so be it. If its working 70 hours a week in the stock market so they have a big stucco house then thats fine too as long as they are truly fulfilled.

SnowVols… They should do what is best for them.  If they see themselves moving to the mountains then they should do it, while it might take them some time to save up in order to move since moving is expensive.  I knew if I didn’t move I would regret it the rest of my life and who wants to live with a life full of regret?  If you are wanting a professional type job, don’t be too proud to flip burgers or wait tables until a different job opens up because either way you are living where you want to be.  Always live your life to the fullest since you only get one.

Angrysnowboard… Alright if you’re serious about moving then just shit and get off the pot. Too many people sit around and say next year I’ll move when I have the finances, or when I have this, or when I have that. Fuck it, you spend the first 18 years of your life a slave to school and doing what’s expected of you. After that you use the bull shit that’s force fed to you to apply to an expensive college that puts you in debt and gives you a piece of paper that says you’re educated. Then you spend the next 25 years trying to pay off that debt all while getting married and raising a family. Break the fucking shackles of conformity people and realize that you have 1 life to live and retiring to the mountains is lame you won’t ride like you’re 20 years old when you’re 60 and that’s a fact, well unless you’re Todd Richards but he drinks the blood of virgins. Your life is what you make of it and in the end would you rather say I shredded my face off in my teens and twenties, then did the adult thing or would you rather take the expected route and say I’m 65 years old and own a condo in the mountains and have to pinch pennies to be here so I can live the dream I had 40 years ago?

Shayboarder… Life is a journey of experiences, I knew that Colorado could be a mistake or it could be the best thing that ever happened to me.  Thank god it was the latter of the two.  Have fun, enjoy life and try new things.  Experience the world and meet new people.  Moving to a place where people pay to vacation too when you can live there is amazing.  Do it before you have things holding you back and you wish you had tried it.

There you have it, four different accounts all with happy endings. So I guess balls in your court now … just go.

You should already know about Shayboarder and Angrysnowboards sites. Obviously you know about this one because youre here. If you Twitter follow Snowvols and see how his first season in the real mountains pans out.