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Fun, fun, fun. That seems to be the consensus when it comes to what it's like making a living as a snowboarder. And how could it not be? Let's face it: if you manage to make it as a pro, good times are ahead.

"It's just fun for me," says pro snowboarder Louie Vito. "Nothing beats waking up and going snowboarding every day rather than going into a 9-to-5 job. There is always something I can learn or do differently...."

"I get to stay active and do something fun while most are afraid to go outside," says Natasha Paterson, a snowboarder and snowboard instructor. "I love the mountains and in the winter, there is no better way to enjoy them."

"Everything, really," says Scott Birke when asked what he gets out of snowboarding. Birke is the editor of a snowboarding magazine. "There's nothing better than seeing one-inch diameter snowflakes before going to bed at night and then waking up to a foot of fresh snow and bluebird skies."

So it sounds like a lot of fun, good exercise and a way to enjoy nature. But can you making living while you're having such a good time?

"Of course," says Vito. "Snowboarding is growing fast and getting bigger. There are a lot of people snowboarding for a living."

But Paterson has a different view of making it as a pro snowboarder.

"Some do, but only a select few," she says. "It is not totally impossible. If you want it, you can do anything, but I would focus more on other areas of the industry before being the next pro on the cover of the magazine . . . like being the person who designed the cover."

Birke is also realistic about what it's like to be a pro. "Despite what most might think might be the best job in the world, it's tough and filled with tight contracts and obligations. The best part, though, is getting to travel, since being a pro often has you traveling all over the world doing contests, filming, shooting and demos."

It's important to realize that there are several other ways to earn a living in the snowboarding field, apart from being an actual professional boarder.

"There are a lot of different ways," says Vito. "Working in the industry for a company, owning a snowboard shop, making movies, running magazines, the usual."

"If you want to stay in the snowboarding industry, I think it is something that you can easily do," says Paterson. "You can work out in the mountains, teach, do your coaching licenses. You could even start your own club to teach boarding. It is endless with boarding.

"Snowboarding is an industry that has a lot more faces than just those you see in the magazines and on TV. Someone has to make the boards, design them, promote the riders and the companies, take their photos, fly the helicopter that just dropped them off at the top of the hill. Many of those things are specific to snowboarding and still keep you in the industry."

However, with any job that involves physical energy and strength, it is important to realize that it won't last forever. Therefore, we need to talk about the back-up plan.

"I try to be smart with my money now, so when I am done snowboarding I have some money to fall back on and do what I want," says Vito.

"There are many other jobs in the industry besides being a pro boarder that [can] help you to be a part of the excitement and experience," says Paterson.

"For instance, I went to school for graphic design and photography, and am now working in the publishing industry, still with the hope of designing and laying out snowboard magazines. I also know of people who are engineers that work for large winter-sports companies coming up with the latest and greatest in the world of winter sports."

Paterson has the last word, one of hope mixed with realism.

"If you love snowboarding you can make a life out of it," she says. "Just maybe not as the next pro rider."

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