Ah, those ski bums. They trade security and income for skiing endless powdery, bluebird days, and whimsical lives. But it takes a special kind of talent to live large on 8 grand a year, plus the idea of being a 30-50 year-old server or bartender might not be a huge draw to you (and definitely not to your spouse/kids/pets). Luckily, in ski towns, there is a middle road. Some people have real jobs and still ski every day. Welcome to the elite club of dawn patrollers, who, in order to live the dream, traipse up mountains before or after a day at the office, like strange, very fit, powder-loving vampires.

Zahan Billimoria, director of communications for Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, and avid dawn patroller found time to offer some tips on how to get started. Billimoria holds a full time job, runs a language school, and is an Exum mountain guide and father. He can do it, what’s your excuse? Soon, you’ll be shunning lifts and skinning in the dark even on your days off.