Do mountain athletes have jobs/normal jobs?

[griddles]

Not everyone has the same relationship to retirement that is office drones so. Would suggest a quick google for "The fisherman and the businessman"

[SnowAlien]

-athletes living some variation of the "dirtbag" lifestyle - this would include but not be limited to the athletes with seasonal jobs in the outdoors industry, ski instructors, etc.

What's the plan for retirement?

I live in a mountain town and work 35 hours a week (considered full time, with benefits) only every other quarter and max out my 401k and then some. Not all my coworkers do that, but there's definitely an opportunity to do so. Plugged in ski instructors make up to $1k a day.
Btw, I used to live in NYC and worked in finance (briefly) years ago and found it very hard to save there, despite a big salary, because the expense structure and taxes were (are) so high. Working 80 hours a week was detrimental to my health. I find Colorado "dirtbag" lifestyle super cheap and easy to downshift to save quite a bit, even with working 8-9 out of 12 months.

[onebyone]

Over the years I have discovered that there a lot of people who move to Colorado who either have trust funds, a big inheritance or are subsidized in one way or another.
If someone buys you a car, a condo, health insurance, you just need a part time job and roommate and you can live that lifestyle.

Definitely not saying all, but lots of young people move here from money. No hate. Who would say no to money. But def plays a significant role here.

[pvnisher]

One of my friends just told me his parents give them $10k a year at Christmas and bought them a car.

Kinda doing the pre inheritance thing. Want to see their kids enjoy the money rather than just pass it on. Plus the kids get to use it when they need it most, rather than in their 50s or 60s.

Not a bad way of looking at it, and I wouldn't turn that down!

[Dave B]

One of my friends just told me his parents give them $10k a year at Christmas and bought them a car.

Kinda doing the pre inheritance thing. Want to see their kids enjoy the money rather than just pass it on. Plus the kids get to use it when they need it most, rather than in their 50s or 60s.

Not a bad way of looking at it, and I wouldn't turn that down!

That's good to see, especially given there's increasing concern that the "Great Wealth Transfer" from boomers to GenX/Millennials, will likely be diverted to healthcare and end of life industries, rather than passing it on. People are living longer and health care is expensive.

[seano]

That's good to see, especially given there's increasing concern that the "Great Wealth Transfer" from boomers to GenX/Millennials, will likely be diverted to healthcare and end of life industries, rather than passing it on. People are living longer and health care is expensive.

It's the American Dream: grind away at some meaningless job that saps your will, dulls your mind, and enfeebles your body until you're 65, then give the money you've saved to a private equity firm to rent an old person storage unit to live out your decrepitude.

[nyker]

65 if you're lucky...

[zootloopz]

I finished the 14ers, did all of the Centennial 13ers and a bunch of bicentennials while unemployed over 2 summers.

Saved up a nest egg and procured a severance package right when summer was starting in 2021 -- then went wild until the end of 2022. Lived as frugally as possible in the back of my Tacoma. Solar, fridge, full size bed, organization system. Main costs were food and gas. Anytime Fitness membership for showers. Inflation definitely hit a bit harder than expected in 2022 though. I was open to hopping into a "dream job" should it have come along but it never did.

[SkaredShtles]

<snip> severance package

Severance packages are the BEST.

[daway8]

Not everyone has the same relationship to retirement that is office drones so. Would suggest a quick google for "The fisherman and the businessman"

Yes, that's a classic and thought provoking little story/parable.

Here's one short version: https://paulocoelhoblog.com/2015/09/04/ ... sinessman/

[mtree]

A friend of mine isn't an elite athlete or into hiking or skiing. He COULD have been, but chose the path of sloth. He got laid off from his job, but had saved up a decent war chest that could last him a number of months. With his low rent and unemployment checks he was quite comfortable. He could have chosen to hike mountains for a couple years or invested in ski bum status. Instead he spent 2 years watching TV, hanging at the local tavern, and occasional trips to local areas. When the unemployment checks ended he relied on his war chest. As that started to dwindle he would pick up odd jobs painting, cleaning, etc. Reality eventually hit along with the inability to pay rent. He needed to work. Unfortunately, he had been out of the work force for so long (3 years) no one would hire him in his previous area of expertise. After searching a year or so he had to take whatever he could get.

Now he's a warehouse worker. Fun fun. So there are various ways to eek out an existence AND be a mountain athlete. But nothing lasts forever so you better have a long term strategy or parlay your adventures into future revenue.

[SkaredShtles]

Over the years I have discovered that there a lot of people who move to Colorado who either have trust funds, a big inheritance or are subsidized in one way or another.
If someone buys you a car, a condo, health insurance, you just need a part time job and roommate and you can live that lifestyle.

Definitely not saying all, but lots of young people move here from money. No hate. Who would say no to money. But def plays a significant role here.

There is a lot of this going on *everywhere* - not just Colorado.