I think the term “ski bum” somehow implies sleeping in your car (or van, down by the river), but there’s tons of people here in town that have a roof. Paying for a room requires a job, and obviously a nights-and-weekend job is ideal for leaving your days free to hit the slopes. Some bums might travel from mountain to mountain, hiking up the hills and ducking through lift lines instead of buying tickets, but that’s outside my experience. I’m going to stick to the semi-legit ski bums, those with jobs (or savings) enough to stick around at one mountain for a season.

My monthly expenses are easy enough to list: rent & utilities, food, car payment, insurance, and cell phone.

Room: the cheapest room is one you don’t have to pay for; couch surfing is cheap. A case of beer might buy you a week, and if you don’t care who you piss off maybe three or four weeks. Mountain employees here (at Mammoth) can stay in employee housing, which can be as cheap as $270 a month. Crowding a bunch of people into a room can also reduce expenses; a $30 or $40 hotel split six ways is pretty cheap. But for a bit more, you can get a real room. There were dozens of ads available here for $500 rooms, although utilities were extra. And those utilities can add a lot, especially if you don’t have a fireplace or wood-burning stove. Electricity might run about $60/mo during the winter, less if you’ve got wood burning or gas heating. So plan for about $50-100 for heating expenses, depending on how tolerant you (and your roommates) are to the cold. An internet connection, telephone, and TV add a bit, too. If you’re willing to sit at a coffee shop without buying anything, you might get your inet fix for free; otherwise, it’s $2 for a cup of joe and several hours of surfing. (Or blog posting.)

Food: Eating paleo can be expensive. Grass-fed meat is not cheap, and raw-milk cheeses typically run around $14 per pound. Factory-farmed meat is very cheap; one of the great things about Mammoth is the free bus that runs throughout town, for about 20 hours of the day. Getting to the grocery store is cake, and it’s only a two-mile walk elsewise. So I can check the specials each week. Last week, factory ground beef was $1/lb; this week, chicken is $1.97/lb. I’ve found cheap steak, pork, ham, bacon, and cheese. Eating on the hill can be grossly expensive, so don’t do that. My weekly food budget is $30, but that doesn’t include any extra drinks, snacks, coffee, etc. I cook at home a lot more now, which is both cheap and paleo-friendly. Mostly. I wish there was a Whole Foods in town, although then my food budget would double. I do fast at least 4 meals a week, eating about 10 meals a week total. I’ve got over 200,000 calories of fat to burn off here so that helps too!

Car: The ideal path is to own your car outright. I bought a new car shortly before heading out, so I’ve actually got a car payment that’s kinda hefty relative to my new mountain lifestyle. I’m recommending against car payments, for the record.

Insurance: Car insurance is kinda critical whether you own or are making payments, though, and that’s another $80-200 a month, depending on your state, car, driving history, blah blah. Health insurance also varies a lot from state to state. If you’re young and healthy, health insurance might seem like a needless expense, but if you’re skiing — you might want it! An accident won’t just end your season, it’ll bankrupt you.

Cell phone: Plans are the same whether you live in the city or in the mountains. Chances are you already know how much this costs. Having a cell phone is, I think, critical for keeping in touch with friends and family.

My monthly budget is just under $1200, but it could have been much cheaper if I didn’t have a new car. If you’re willing to go into debt, your out-of-pocket expenses could be much lower — just over 500 or 600. With a part-time job or two, you have that made.

For those with “real jobs” that want to take six months off, the key is savings and debt. No debt payments is critical.  At $1000 a month, a season-long vacation costs about as much as two weeks’ vacation to someplace fancy. That’s what brought be here!