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10 Signs You’re a West Coast Ski Bum from the East Coast

We've become a cliche, but we don't care

By: Torey Grace + Save to a List

As I tried to leave Utah at the end of the ski season, I ran into a local man in the desert who asked me where I was from. I relayed that I was from Upstate NY and just out West for one season. He told me that he hoped I had enjoyed the state, but wished for me to keep traveling back to mine, as "too many people keep moving to ours." I didn't even make it a full month away before returning to Utah. It's become a tale as old as time, something magic in those powder days and desert rocks that keeps East Coasters here longer than anticipated.

  1. You’ve started saying "last season" versus "last year" to refer to time, because the ski season dominates your life

  2. You have started using words like 'rad' and 'dope' non-ironically

  3. You’re never more than three degrees of separation from someone from UNH

  4. You rave about how the winters out West aren’t anywhere near as cold as back East

  5. You think your friends back East are crazy for working corporate jobs

  6. You constantly talk about missing beer with real percentages and your old local brews (Utah)

  7. You think you know snow until you see your first powder day and lose your freaking mind

  8. You get to experience life without humidity for the first time ever

  9. Most of your friends are also East Coast transplants

  10. You come out for a season, tell everyone you won’t get stuck, and then stay forever

We want to acknowledge and thank the past, present, and future generations of all Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples whose ancestral lands we travel, explore, and play on. Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

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