# Is it impossible to make it as a snowboarder?



## athompson4 (Jul 15, 2009)

I know like many of you your dream might be to make a living off snowboarding. I am wondering that if this is at all possible? I know that many pros today have grown up either living on the mountain or close enough, or have either had the fund's to ride all winter and travel to other countries to ride in the summer. I know that people say just ride for fun and if it happens it happens. But I feel like there is something inside saying dont quit or never give up on your dreams know matter how long they will take. I am just wondering if it is at all possible to make it in snowboarding without the "connections" because I know that in todays society its all about who you know not how good you are. Is that true in snowboarding as well? Personally I ride three times or so a week and I know that every time I step out on the mountain that all i wanna do is have fun and get better. And also in the summer time I have the only snowflex in the US in my backyard. Im just wondering is it possible to climb up the ranks and make it in snowboarding with sponsorship contracts winning contest like Xgames and dew tours and every one in between that.


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

Impossible question to answer. Making it big in pro snowboarding is like going pro in any other sport, most people, no matter how much effort they put into it simply don't have the talent to do it. Sad, but true. Without knowing you, it's impossible to say whether or not you have the necessary talent to have a legitimate chance.

Also, the amount of pro riders who make enough from their riding and sponsors to truly be dedicated full-time pros is likely very small. Most "pro" riders work their asses off all summer at shit jobs to have enough to ride all winter. If that's your goal, it's probably a more reasonable one. Shaun White is the only pro rider who is legitimately balling ass rich from snowboarding.


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## JoeR (Oct 30, 2010)

Riding three days a week is not going to cut it. Why do I say that? Because practicing only three days a week is not going to be sufficient to develop elite, world-class skills in _any_ complex, demanding activity in a reasonable span of time. Remember the 10,000-hour rule.

Beyond that, the biggest question is your age. Are you dreamin' these big dreams at age 30? Maybe it's time to consider an office job. But if you're 12, go for it.


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

Define your goal better. Is it to be a pro boarder, i.e. sponsorships and competitions etc? Or is it to make a living while snowboarding? If the latter, you'll have a lot better odds going for snowboard instructor. Doesn't pay great, but neither does going pro for most of them.


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## AlexS (Feb 12, 2010)

Eh if you want to do something for a living you're probably looking in the wrong place. I doubt the pros who do make a living off snowboarding envisioned it. And as Linvillegorge said, the only person who has more than enough money off snowboarding is Shaun White, but you've got to remember that half the reason he's as famous and rich as he is is his skill in both skateboarding and snowboarding.


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## JoeR (Oct 30, 2010)

linvillegorge said:


> Shaun White is the only pro rider who is legitimately balling ass rich from snowboarding.


If you wish to become wealthy, or even excessively comfortable , it's better by an order of magnitude to pursue a career in any big-time team sport than in an individual sport. That's true even of established, well-paying individual sports such as golf or tennis, and snowboarding is far below those on the pay scale. The world's 400th-best athlete in an individual sport will be scraping up funds to cover his travel expenses. The world's 400th-best athlete in a top team sport will make millions. Major League Baseball's bargained-for _minimum_ salary for 2011 is $414,500. (Don't ask what the average salary is. ) The active rosters of MLB teams add up to 750 players.


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

JoeR said:


> If you wish to become wealthy, or even excessively comfortable , it's better by an order of magnitude to pursue a career in any big-time team sport than in an individual sport. That's true even of established, well-paying individual sports such as golf or tennis, and snowboarding is far below those on the pay scale. The world's 400th-best athlete in an individual sport will be scraping up funds to cover his travel expenses. The world's 400th-best athlete in a top team sport will make millions. Major League Baseball's bargained-for _minimum_ salary for 2011 is $414,500. (Don't ask what the average salary is. ) The active rosters of MLB teams add up to 750 players.


That was my point. Most people equate being a pro athlete with being rich. If you're pro athlete with any type of sustained career in any of the main team sports, you're going to be set for life if you manage your money properly. Shaun White is likely the only pro rider who can say the same simply from his sponsorships and riding. When he's done riding professionally, he could ride off into the sunset and never be heard or seen from again and still be set for life along with future generations of his family. Shaun White is certainly the only pro snowboarder who can say THAT.

Most "pro" riders are simply guys at the mountain who compete well in local contests and have a couple of sponsors. Are they true "pros"? Depends on who you ask.


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## AIRider (Dec 25, 2010)

if you wanna make it as a pro, you have to breathe, eat, drink and shit snowboarding..... EVERYDAY. 

I'm going from experience as playing pro basketball for a short time overseas, and it's a commitment like no other. Games and competitions, or whatever you see on film, is maybe 5% of your overall work.

countless practices, conditioning, strengthening, perfecting your weaknesses etc ... it's a full time gig. 

is it possible? absolutely YES. 

it all comes down to you, how much you really want it. 

I've played with guys who were very talented but didn't give a shit, and they pissed it all away. Then I also played with guys who had no talents but overcompensated with absolutely stupid level of hard work. The latter were usually harder to guard or play against, because they gave everything every time..

but again. Is it possible. Fuck YES. don't let other kill your dreams, it all comes down to HOW MUCH YOU FUCKING WANT IT!!!


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## BurtonAvenger (Aug 14, 2007)

There's more than one snow flex place in the U.S. so might want to be a bit more specific. 

Here's a lesson for you in snowboarding sponsorship status.

1. Get hooked up by the local shop, meet reps, get a regional flow sponsorship through reps, film a regional movie, win regional contests. Have a real job.

2. In house sponsored regional rider, film regional flicks, compete in some contests outside the region, get a hump day interview on YoBeat or in some other publication of that sort, get product from the corporate office, still deal with the rep from time to time. Have a real job.

3. Man Am meaning you're full in house, maybe a few photo incentives, film a movie that's a bit bigger than regional status, do some more notorious contests, get a spotlight in TWS or Snowboarder maybe Snowboard Mag, might get invited to be a tester in the good wood test, definitely have a job lined up at one of the summer camps, photo incentives are a step in the right direction. Have a real job. 

4. Sponsored rider meaning you have a small travel budget, photo incentives, contest incentives, spend your time mixing between contests and filming. Have a summer/mud season job. Definitely working at at a summer camp. Getting shots in magazines, product catalogs, competing in bigger high profile events, maybe doing web edits.

5. Big Time status this means you're like number 4 but your sponsors pay you to ride with a full salaried position. Chances are you're riding for Redbull, Monster, or some lame ass energy drink on a big level as well as Oakley. You film banger parts, get covers, do high profile interviews, and people on the fringe of snowboarding near the mainstream have heard of you.

6. Shaun White status you fart and it makes you a million dollars. You hide from society and might have killed a hooker once.

Seriously to get anywhere in snowboarding you need to know how to market yourself, talk to companies, promote their product while promoting yourself, know how to be stern and effective in asking for a budget, salary, incentives. If you can't do that thats when you want a manager. They're the one that does all your grunt work so you can ride. But just remember no matter how good you are there's a kid in a t shirt shop in Breck, Park City, Tahoe that's better than you that doesn't give a fuck to be sponsored.


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

These guys are all right. To become a top athlete in any sport you have to do it every day as much as your body will take of it. People like White, torstein, rice, kazi (snowboarding) or Kobe, parker, lebron(basketball) dont get there by snowboarding/playing ball 3 days a week. Boarders get there by snowboarding 200 days a year. Basketball players will be on the court 8-10 hours a day shooting, running, doing drills, practicing..... all freaking year, they play in offseason leagues where they live and/or overseas..... Snowboarders take 100' air, eat shit and do it 3 more times until they hit it, then they do it 1000 more times to make it look good and make it like its just another run.... It has got to be your full time thing unless your some kind of freak of nature and can hit these kind of runs on slopestyle doing 80' of air with 10 spins/flips in there or you can to a pipe run getting 15' of air with double mctwist 1260 or something better..... Then to top it off you have to be a good fit for the public so that sponsors want to use your image on their products........

My son is 10 and wants to snowboard for a living so I am going to go live up in vail next sept and get an apartment across from a lift pickup so he can go snowboard every day, he can do his school work after 5 when the sun sets.... I will then go up to PNW so we can be in driving distance to Hood and he can ride daily in the summer too. That is the only way he can live his dream and I know that. If he follows through and does it, great. If he doesnt then at least my wife and I get to ride with him.


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## athompson4 (Jul 15, 2009)

I agree with all of you guys. I wasn't necessary pertaining to me becoming a "pro" snowboarder it was just a question that I figured would get a good broad answer. Oh and im in Lynchburg VA. Def all of your answers were correct and some more than others but thats why I asked. :thumbsup:


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## Extremo (Nov 6, 2008)

You can do it!!!!

Seriously though, there are a lot of kids going pro from my area and here's how, the short version.

Join USASA and do all the comps in your region...you'll get connections there.

Ride where other pros ride...here that is Waterville and Loon, find out where that is were you are. You will get noticed if you rip.

And finally once you get some connections become a digger at a summer camp until one of the pros gets you on their Am team. Being a digger means you maintain the park at Mt hood for the campers but thats what all about-to-be pros do to get in that essential summer riding.


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## BurtonAvenger (Aug 14, 2007)

USASA is the fucking poor mans special olympics. Anyone that thinks you'll get anywhere from that shit hole organization is seriously fooling themselves. You need to be doing Rails to Riches, Eastern Snowboard League, Gatorade Free Flow, Dew Tour, Grand Prix, X Games, Cholula Triple Air, Trans Am, and events like that.


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## Extremo (Nov 6, 2008)

All the kids out here making it are doing the USASA...yeah it's a joke because you don't need any talent to compete, just pay your membership dues. It's pretty popular with the Waterville Academy kids. Chas Guldemond did it, Lago did it, Tim Humphreys, Ben Ross, Brandon Reis, Pat Moore, too many to even name. And the guys that win are completely insane. I went to an event last year that had an 11 yr old throwing all four 9's.


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## Ttam (Jan 20, 2010)

Its a goal but before I start filming I really need to get better. I board as much as I can as the season in socal is really hit or miss like this year... I wish we had more snow.. All I need is 6 feet . I figure you have to be ready to give up everything.. When the time is right. I got to skate with Bradshaw this summer at the park and shit his whole life is boarding so.. You just have to be that into snowboarding.


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## Phenom (Dec 15, 2007)

OP, don't rule out the idea of higher education just yet.


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## loren646 (Dec 9, 2009)

where's my sponsorship? a few free boards and bindings will do


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## jliu (Jan 20, 2009)

Seems like competitions are the key to getting your name out there and networking in hopes to land a sponsor....but what about those "famous" riders that dont do comps...aka Mueller, Blauvelt, Ruff etc. These guys are huge in the industry. I know they all have big video parts...but were those after they got sponsored? How did they initially break into the industry? Its an honest question from me as I'm new to the industry. Did they compete back in the day only to retire and cruise big mountains and backcountry with a camera for cash?...hehe.


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## MistahTaki (Apr 24, 2010)

Phenom said:


> OP, don't rule out the idea of higher education just yet.


:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: so true


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## Peaceryder (Nov 21, 2011)

athompson4 said:


> I know like many of you your dream might be to make a living off snowboarding. I am wondering that if this is at all possible? I know that many pros today have grown up either living on the mountain or close enough, or have either had the fund's to ride all winter and travel to other countries to ride in the summer. I know that people say just ride for fun and if it happens it happens. But I feel like there is something inside saying dont quit or never give up on your dreams know matter how long they will take. I am just wondering if it is at all possible to make it in snowboarding without the "connections" because I know that in todays society its all about who you know not how good you are. Is that true in snowboarding as well? Personally I ride three times or so a week and I know that every time I step out on the mountain that all i wanna do is have fun and get better. And also in the summer time I have the only snowflex in the US in my backyard. Im just wondering is it possible to climb up the ranks and make it in snowboarding with sponsorship contracts winning contest like Xgames and dew tours and every one in between that.


Yes, like any other sport you 'can' make it without these connections, which indirectly applies to abundance or lack of prosperity. Even regardless of money you still have to 'know' the right people and have the right relationships, no matter how GOOD you are. Snowboarding is not a minority with respect to the it's who you know statement. It's more who you know than what you know. Two riders side by side, one clearly is a better rider, but the other has an uncle who grew up or had a relationship with a pro scout. Bam, you guessed who got the opportunity first  Doesn't mean it's impossible for you to do it, but it's good you acknowledge that not everything is within your power. Yes, you can choose to follow your dreams, no matter how vague the chances or vein you are about the challenge. I trained for pro soccer for nearly a decade, but in the end the right opportunities, the right people never shook my hand. Some of the most talented basketball players in history are not named Micheal Jordan - there's about a dozen guys on the streets of New York that could outplay him in a street game, at any point in time. These guys just didn't know the right people and so they just play in the street. 
I'm sure there's other riders like Travis Rice out there who still pay to go to the hill a couple times a week to shred. Talents unnoticed by most except a tight nit group of buddies who are WOW'ed every shred day. Not to burst your bubble, but yeah a lot of turning pro, in anything, has to do with who you know, almost as much as those countless hours you put into trying to perfect your style. For the record, know that odds are difficult may seem to bring you down for a moment, but if you're like me they just put a fire in your belly. Everything happens for a reason. I didn't end up playing pro soccer, but the things I learned along the way make me a fantastic Under-12 boys soccer coach. 

My advice, forget chasing glory of being a pro, just follow your heart. If you're boarding for the purpose of making it pro, then you're doing it for all the wrong reasons. Just shred as much as you can, practice as much as you can and continue to do what you're passionate about. Let the cards fly where they may and leave it at that. --- If it's your desire, then you'll find a way to ride as much as you can, regardless of being sponsored or w/e. 

I wish you luck and hope that you come to know the right person(s).


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## notter123 (Nov 11, 2010)

reviving almost year old threads... wooo


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## Rider161 (Oct 12, 2011)




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## Peaceryder (Nov 21, 2011)

notter123 said:


> reviving almost year old threads... wooo


LMAO, didn't even notice.


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