By Jardine Hammond

August 17, 2000

We get so many letters and e-mails here at Snowboard Life from people all over the country who want to quit their jobs, school, or hum-drum lives, and move to the mountains to live the Snowboard Academy life.

Ready for communal living? Former World Champ Kevin Delaney, Rookie, and SBL's Kurt Hoy livin' la vida stoka in los mountains.

As easy as this may sound to some, it�s actually quite a feat when you think about it�giving up all security, familiarity, and comforts of home to, quite possibly, work a low paying job and/or live in a two-room apartment with five of your new, best friends. To change this inevitable scenario from going down without some pre-relocating advice, here are a few tips.

o Plan ahead. Go to the decided destination of choice to research housing and jobs before packing up your stuff. It could be heaven on earth, or it just might not be your scene after all.

o Talk to people who live there, get advice, ask questions about jobs, housing, weather conditions, transportation, and anything else you can think of. Make sure you talk to people who know what�s up and not a rookie who landed there a week before you did�they�re trying to get the same jobs and houses you�re after.

o Even though Buster may keep you warm on those cold winter nights, don�t move with a pet! He may be the best dog ever, but if a landlord gets a choice among hundreds of applicants with or without pets, who do you think gets the place?

o Having money saved before you move will save you many restless nights in run-down hostels or sleeping on beer-soaked couches. Remember to book motels in advance because they fill up fast when the snow starts to fly.

o The job thing is a little bit of a catch 22. You have to move up before the season starts yet it�s hard to find a job until it does. The resorts often provide housing along with employment, but you�d better get cracking, they�re usually the first jobs to go. Look on resort Web sites for personnel info.

o Restaurants are also a good, viable source of income, but often you�ll have to work your way up to the optimum, much sought-after night shifts. Start looking in early fall and don�t give up until you get hired. When they say they�re waiting for business to pick up, it�s true, and they�re not just blowing you off.

o Finally, get your pass early or find out about volunteer work with the resort to get a pass. Ask locals if there are deals, and they could probably tell you something you wouldn�t find out otherwise.

Most importantly, just get off your ass and move! Come December when the face shots have become commonplace, it�ll be hard to wipe the smile off of your face. You�ll have memories to last forever and could quite possibly change your whole life path. Who knows, you may even find yourself working at a snowboarding magazine in the years to come.