When most people think about chasing the dream to make snowboarding/skiing a central part of their life, thoughts turn to living the ski-bum life, living under someone's stairs and eating ramen noodles well into your forties. You see, most people forget to consider one important fact. Ski towns are just that, towns, and in fact have a need for all the "normal" jobs that every other town has. Mailmen, post-office workers, lawyers and even accountants are all jobs that can lead to a life in the mountains. Of course competition will be tough (rumor has is that the Whistler RCMP posting is the golden egg of the force) but that doesn't mean it's not possible. It just means you really have to want it. Like Eric Poulin.
You see, Poulin never had delussions of gradeur, he never thought he had a shot at becoming a world-travelling big-shot pro shredder. But that didn't mean he had to give up his dream of living in a ski town and riding 100+ days a year - while living on a proper salary! No no no. He chose to combine his passion and the "straight-and-narrow" path of acedemia into a career as a Pharmacist right in the town of Whistler. How sweet is that?
You have a rash on your what?! Portraits by Mike Helfrich
When it came time to head to university after a childhood spent in Regina, Saskatchewan (home of the triple-cork), Eric made a very concious decision to go to the University of British Columbia, which put him within spitting distance of three ski-hills, as well as less than a two-hour drive to the fabled slopes of Whistler. A $400 student pass to Whistler/Blackcomb only sweetened the deal and in fact, he got in 85 days riding in his last year of school. After a year-long residency in Vancouver he made the call to move up to Whistler permanently and now calls the pharmacy at Nesters Market his workplace. And while the rest of us are still struggling to make rent, Eric is happily collecting a respectable salary and gets to shred (almost) as much as he want. Pretty goddamn smart if you ask me.
A kind soul with a smile permanently glued to his face, Eric is exactly the kind of guy you wanna get advice from about that nasty rash you picked up on the dance floor last week. I've had the pleasure of shredding many a lap in the trees with Eric and in addition to being a killer good dude he also has a great shred style and goes huge and styley off anything in his path. I wanted to check in with Eric and give you all a taste of his sweet, sweet life... check out what he had to say below.
Method in the trees. Mike Helfrich Photo
33MAG: Do you remember when snowboarding became a passion for you?
Eric: Totally. Grade 9 shortly after I had first tried snowboarding, I got a hold of Technical Difficulties. That opening cab under flip of JP Walker's part was enough to convince me that probably felt awesome. I built a quarter pipe of snow in my backyard that winter and did roast beef grabs over patio chairs. It was the shit.
Did you have plans to be a professional snowboarder full-time or was school always in the books for you?
I never had plans to be a professional snowboarder, but I did have plans to always be a snowboarder. After high school I was actually torn between going to school, and pursuing snowboard filmmaking. I ultimately went with school and kept making shred videos with my homeys, and I'm pretty stoked on the choice. I get to keep my passions as my hobby, and keep the job separate.
It's not easy to turn your back on the mountains and head to the big city to concentrate on school. How did you manage?
For me, coming from Regina, heading to Vancouver to go to school WAS going to the mountains. It was closer to the mountains, anyway. Plus UBC has a super cheap student pass to Whistler. That was a huge selling feature, and made my 6 years of university super fun and exciting. Even though I was in school full-time I was still clocking about 40 shred days every season.
You're now a real-life pharmacist in Whistler. Is that, like, the dream pharmacist job or what? Kinda like being a mailman in Hawaii?!
Ha! A mailman in Hawaii, that's rich! It's definitely a dream pharmacist job for me. I work at Nesters, and it's rad. I have a chill schedule and chill coworkers, so I get to ride a fair bit. Plus the people up here are all really cool and generally happy, it makes the working environment pretty pleasant overall. The work is rewarding, and the shredding is great, I guess I'm having my cake and eating it too.
Pop it and drop it! Half-cab while splitboarding. Conrad PK photo
It's a pretty small town and you're privy to some pretty intimate details of people's lives. Does that get a bit awkward at parties when you see a buddy chatting up a hottie who was just in for some nasty rash? Do pharmacists have to take an oath of confidentiality?
Haha, are you wanting me to give you some pre-screening for chicks to talk to? Yes, confidentiality is a huge part of the job and it's extremely important, even more so in a small community like Whistler. There's a huge amount of trust in the relationship built with the customers, so it has to be taken very seriously.
What are the best and worst things about having a full-time job in a ski-town?
The worst part is that even though I get lots of days in, I don't have complete freedom, and I ultimately do miss some sick days here and there. There isn't a 20cm rule when people need prescriptions. The best part is definitely the people I get to meet. Whistler is a young town, and I get to meet a lot of the people who helped build what it is today. And as much as my friends who go out filming video parts and getting magazine shots are inspiring to me, they don't compare to the people I see who overcome terrible, crippling illnesses and still go out and shred their hearts out. Double corks take balls, but not as much as skiing 50 days in a season when you've just gotten over open heart surgery and then got diagnosed with cancer. That's gnarly.
Switch method. Conrad PK photo
So there you have it kids. Schoo can be cool too! If you're thinking of heading off to university or college but are struggling with a decision to move to the mountains as well just remember, the two are not mutually exclusive. Now get out there and do something rad with your life like my boy Eric Poulin!
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