To high school seniors, becoming a ski bum after graduation can sound pretty appealing. No parents, living in your own apartment with your friends, heading to the mountain everyday—just living the dream. Maybe mom will even buy your seasons pass, especially if you make the youth cutoff. Sounds great, but in reality the life of an 18-year-old ski bum isn’t as glamorous as it sounds. After a few seasons of sketchy apartments, living on a dishwasher’s paycheck, and realizing you’re the only one left in your hometown because all of your friends have decided to get real jobs, you might regret your decision. This doesn’t have to be your fate. Here are 12 colleges that offer the best of both worlds: a degree and close proximity to skiing. That way, when your knees wear out you can get a real job.

University of Utah

Want to ski everyday in the morning and still be able to get to class in the afternoon?  Welcome to Utah. Many students at the University of Utah take advantage of the highly discounted season passes that the seven world-class resorts nearby offer. The faculty at the university recognizes how important skiing is to their students, as many of them are skiers themselves, and have worked hard to make the sport more accessible to students. Utah Transit Authority stops at the dorms and takes students up to the Cottonwood Canyon resorts. There is also a slough of classes offered through their Parks, Recreation, and Tourism department, like recreation planning and ecology and management of wildland recreation settings. Around 90 percent of out-of-state students that come to the university ski the crowd-free mountains, and there are plenty of pre-season ski activities, like movie premiers, for enthusiasts to attend.
ski.utah.edu