Pro Skiers and Side Jobs.

[Christy]

This was in today's Seattle Times and I thought it worth sharing. I don't hear about many people that are balancing "regular" careers with also being a pro skier, and helping to share the sport and make it safer.

North Bend’s Krystin Norman: Starbucks scientist, sponsored athlete, advocate

Krystin Norman's day job: ensuring coffee quality at Starbucks. On the weekends, she's a high-level sponsored athlete making the outdoors more inclusive.

www.seattletimes.com

CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN — When a snowstorm left 14 inches of powder at Crystal Mountain over Presidents Day weekend, the timing lined up perfectly for North Bend resident Krystin Norman to spend her Sunday testing out prototypes from Seattle-based K2 Sports in Crystal’s steep Southback zone.

The next day, she clocked in as a senior coffee quality specialist at Starbucks. The day after, she caught a flight to Crested Butte, Colorado, for a weeklong backcountry skiing photo shoot with Outside magazine. When the snow melts, she’s liable to be digging mountain-bike jumps in Utah for Red Bull.

Somewhere amid that frenzy, Norman keeps tabs on the 87 women — over half of them women of color — who were awarded scholarships this winter to take avalanche-safety courses through a program for which Norman and her adventure partner, Yulia Dubinina, organize and fundraise. They do so as volunteers with SheJumps, a national nonprofit that promotes the participation of women and girls in outdoor activities.

Is Norman, 32, a food scientist, a professional athlete or a behind-the-scenes booster for getting women into the mountains and safely home again? She’s all of the above — and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“She works incredibly hard and she plays incredibly hard,” said Matt Lincecum, co-owner of Fremont Brewing, where Norman worked for four years. The brewery is a financial sponsor, along with K2 Sports, of the Snowpack Scholarship, which Norman and Dubinina launched in 2018 and have run for four of the last five winters.

Norman’s trajectory shows how an introverted scientist can balance a Fortune 500 career with professional weekend warrior status in the often extroverted world of the outdoor industry.

“She isn’t the loudest voice in the room. She’s not massively enthusiastic in a boisterous way,” said Charlotte Guard, program director for the Northwest Avalanche Center, which helps oversee the scholarship. Leaning on slang for someone who excels in her sport, Guard said Norman is “a quiet crusher.”

(More by clicking the link).

 

[ski diva]

Unfortunately, unless you're a Mikaela Shiffrin or in the upper echelons of ski racing, being a pro skier really doesn't pay all that well. I know of a number of top tier skiers who rely on other jobs to support themselves. I also think it's far harder for women than it is for men, since women have historically been paid less.

 

[Christy]

She made the choice to pursue education and career and do skiing "for fun"--I thought she was an interesting example of how a person can be successful in both arenas, and arguably have as much if not more of an impact on the sport as if she was a full time pro skier.

 

[ilovepugs]

I’m sure I read about a nurse who was also a pro level skier a few years ago. Ski-travel nursing is definitely a well-trod lifestyle, especially this many years into the pandemic.

I’m trying to imagine what my life would be like if I had gotten into snow sports earlier. Would have probably tried to go to school in places where they have more snow… but I basically can’t think of any top-ranked law school that is close (less than two hours) to the mountains. My five to ten year plan is to quit full time work, bill at a healthy hourly rate to support myself, but ultimately work very little (10-15 hours per week) in the winter so I can spend more time skiing. If only I had gotten into skiing and riding earlier, so I could be cool like this lady!

 

[kmb5662]

Unfortunately, unless you're a Mikaela Shiffrin or in the upper echelons of ski racing, being a pro skier really doesn't pay all that well. I know of a number of top tier skiers who rely on other jobs to support themselves. I also think it's far harder for women than it is for men, since women have historically been paid less.

Yep, and even at the upper level it's still not great.

On Her Turf

Stay updated with the latest news, live coverage, and highlights in women's sports all in one place on NBC Sports.

onherturf.nbcsports.com

“Our main income is through contracts” with sponsors, Ross explained.

“As an athlete ranked tenth in the world, being a female is a lot more difficult than being a male that’s ranked tenth in the world. You’re making a lot less money.”

Early in her career, Ross discovered that her ski sponsor was paying her half as much as a male athlete with a lower World Cup ranking.

But just because she knew she was being paid less didn’t mean she was able to do anything about it.

“You can’t raise the issue,” Ross said. “You are contractually obliged to not talk about your contracts.”

“Contracts between the men’s and women’s side, it doesn’t matter what type of gear we’re talking, the men’s [contract] is better than the women’s,” said Paula Moltzan, a U.S. tech specialist who made her Olympic debut in Beijing.

 

[Iwannaski]

I am absolutely shocked that women are not being paid for their work…

… said no one, ever.