So this was my second year bootlicking the trail with the Method tribe and bouncing around Europe from event to event like a mountain pinball. I've taken trains from Austria to the Pyrenees. I have lived off triangular rest-stop food. I have slept in planes and trains…and train stations. But don't call me a gypsy because event organizers can hook up some pretty fancy housing. I prefer to call my kind of people something else: Snowmads.
I'm not the only one out there running around, following riders like yaks and chasing the snow like gold. Filmers, team managers, brand reps, photographers, and event coordinators are all on the same caravan. Pro riders are Snowmads too, but the kind that ride cushion-saddled horses. This life has its pluses and its minuses, but there are a few things to remember and some advice I can offer after wearing down my rollerbag wheels from St. Lary to St. Moritz if you want to be a Snowmad.
PACKING
Let's start with packing. Most of these tips are to help your back from collapsing worse than the Greek economy. Bring one board, a mid-sized board, not the powder torpedo and not your dinky griptape-less skate deck. Who knows what the weather will be like, and you probably won't ride much anyway so don't bring both jackets, one is fine McFly. Keep the shirt count low and dark ones hide spilled drinks best. Also, don't forget your yellow lenses for those graybird days, turbo! Tape your shampoo cap closed because you can't bring it in your carry-on and your luggage will be tossed around like Tuesday's trash bags once it goes through those rubber curtains at check-in. This will help avoid your toothbrush getting 24-hour dandruff protection, nahmean? Twenty kilograms is usually the limit for luggage on them fast food airlines, so weigh your bag before you leave home or else you'll find yourself wearing 15 layers when boarding your flight. Oh, and bring your best mustache!
TRAVELING
When working in media, most of us roll with enough computers, hard drives and camera equipment to rival NASA. Anticipate 20 minutes at the security check and 3 passes of all 5 trays through the X-ray machine. This is when you realize that shoe lace belts are actually quite genius, unless you enjoy dropping trou in front of ladies in suits. For land travel, get a driver's license (unlike myself because suspended American ones don't count) to avoid a lot of hassle. The alternative is to learn how to sprint and spit German at the same time, because you're going to have only 3 minutes to switch trains and you won't know the platform so get ready to say "Entschuldigung!" about 20 times till someone helps you.
EVENTS
Now make sure you show up ready to your events. Clear your cards and charge your batteries, d'uh. Get ready to take minimal runs and watch a total 259,200 degrees of rotations. In your contest report everything was just perfect even if the weather resembled a Siberian hurricane! If the party is open bar that doesn't mean your mouth should stay open, guzzling more vodka than oxygen all night long, or else you might mistake a snowbank for your hotel bed. Don't forget to wear your VIP wristband loose to hook up the homies once you're in. Don't lose your credentials while partying and don't puke on brand reps/owners, it's not good for ad sales. Free socks are always good, so grab as many as you can, you will eventually run out and everyone loves fresh socks, am I right? Magazines are heavy as fuck, so make sure to hand out all of yours as quickly as possible and take only the ones that you actually will read, the rest skim for photos in 40 seconds. Don't forget to get your 2 euro lift pass refunds. If you forget to get the refund, don't save the lift passes in your pass pocket thinking you will get your coin next time. It will only lead to problems with the lifties and unapproving beeping at the next resort's chair lift. Last, but certainly not least, don't forget your chargers when you leave or your shampoo in the shower, numbskull.
RIDING
So you think you're gonna ride all day everyday now that you are in the business? Keep dreaming... Remember, you are a writer not a rider so I would advise staying away from the pro line to avoid breaking your typing hands which are the key to your livelihood (god, would my dad be proud to hear this!). On training days, you can sneak some runs in but it will almost certainly be bulletproof. Conversely, it will usually dump on the day of the finals, almost killing the comp. Ever heard of Murphy's Law? And remember, if you actually get to go ride some fresh backcountry mountain mozzarella, that beacons were invented for a reason… So your friends can find you when you blackout and disappear from the party!
Voila, a little wisdom (or just some wisdumb) on how to make a long season of events, parties, "journalism" and riding go a bit smoother when fumblin' across the globe chasing the white stuff and attending all the Snowmad tribe meetings that make our little world go round. Also, don't forget to sleep on your stomach when wasted, that way you make sure you live to see tomorrow and keep your snore horn to a minimum to boot. And don't fret, the powder runs do eventually come around. And yes, in case you were wondering this is the best job in the world, well besides being a rockstar or maybe a tropical island caretaker...
By Alexis de Tarade