Ten Signs You’re An Ex-Seasonaire
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase though my links, at no additional cost to you, which I’ll probably spend on more outdoor gear and travel to cool places.
My seasonaire days are over, but part of me still feels like I’m still the ski bum I once was. I think once you’ve worked a season, a part of you will always be a seasonaire. So I thought it might be fun to look at my own experiences and those of my ex-seasonaire buddies, and see how your life changes after you’ve worked a winter season.
Signs You used to be a Seasonaire
You Still See The Year As Only 2 Seasons
That’s right. Science has been lying to you. If you’ve ever spent a part of your life as a seasonaire, you’ll have learned differently. For seasonaire’s there are only 2 seasons; the winter season and the summer season. And what about everything in between? That’s the “off-season” but we don’t like to think about that so please don’t talk about it. The off-season is where we mope around not knowing where our place is in the world.
Goggle Tan Used Something To Be Proud Of
Goggle-tan used to be a sign of your hardcore-ness and dedication to the cause. Now you’re not a seasonaire it’s just a reason for people to look at you strangely.
You Still Consider Yourself A Local
Your seasonaire days might be over and you might be limited to one or two weeks on the slopes every year, but you will never consider yourself “a punter”. You still feel like a local and even though the faces you pass on the street are not the same ones, there are still a few familiar faces around the town.
You’ve Got Way More Equipment Than Most People
You learnt early on that the term “all mountain” was a lie, and your ski collection has somewhat expanded over the seasons. Some of it might be old and knackered, but it reminds you of the good old days. Plus, ducktape fixes everything!
You Still Have Some Kind Of Winter Sports Equipment Visible In Your Home
You might not have been on a mountain for 6 months but your snowboard jacket is still hanging proudly by your front door, just to make sure that anyone who visits knows where your priorities lie.
You Can Finally Afford Mountain Food
When you were a seasonaire you couldn’t afford to eat on the mountain. You still look for the cheapest thing on the menu in mountain restaurants even though now you can afford more than just a sausage with bread and a skiwasser!
New Seasonaires Look So Young
You see the fresh faces of the new holiday reps and ski instructors and you wonder if you also looked so young and fresh-faced “back in the day”. Oh, the things you could teach them.
P-Tex In Your Base Is A Reminder Of Good Times
That massive hole in your base that has a bodged p-tex job? Some people would call that a disaster. You call it a reminder of a great night session when you turned an old fridge into a jib feature (yes, that happened – Mt Buller 2010!).
Real Life Clothes Suck
Why can’t skinny jeans, oversized t-shirts and beanies be acceptable clothing for everyday life? It isn’t fair!
You’re Shocked At How Much Lift Passes Cost Now You Have To Buy Them
A day pass costs how much??
