Do I have a future in freestyle skiing?

Listen I know people ask questions like this a lot, but there is one small detail I want you to take into consideration.



I have not been skiing very long. Since I was 15, and I am 17 now. I am a pathetic weekend warrior, the closest skiing to my house is 2 hours away.



I have skied 17 days my whole life.



At this point I am going off jumps, doing small rails and boxes, jibbing some cool features, skiing backwards, and just trying to have fun and be creative with the mountain. It's nothing special by any means, and I have seen 10 year olds who rip a thousand times harder...



But... what I am asking is, is there something different about me? Everyone who I have talked to thinks I've been skiing for much, much longer, and people who ski at my level have skied like 50 times as many days as me.



Am I fast learner? If I moved and was on the mountain every day, would I have a chance to make a name for myself?



I know I can't compete with anyone who has been skiing every day since they were five... thats unrealistic. But I would love to be able to have some sort of say in progressing the sport I love. I would love to make a name for myself just to prove that I can. Do you think I have the ability to reach that sort of level?



Please spare me the ';if you put your mind to it..'; stuff. Thats how I got to where I am anyway, but I would just like some straight up honest opinions.



Thanks.



PS - I'm a girl.. if that makes any difference, IDK.Do I have a future in freestyle skiing?
Your willingness to play in the terrain park after only skiing for a short time does say something about you. A lot of people won't even touch a rail or box...I sure won't nowadays...at least not until the end of the season. So, seriously, good for you!



Unfortunately, park skiers are literally a dime a dozen. There are literally thousands of kids like yourself in terrain parks from Maine to California with video cameras who are trying to get noticed. Sponsors can pick and choose from any of them, and more often than not those videos go unseen by the marketing departments at the gear companies.



Whether you want to be a park skier or a traditional racer, the basic steps are the same. The first thing you have to do is spend more time on the hill. Sliding down a rail isn't gonna cut it. Doing a couple of 360s while you are on the rail, coming off big, and pulling a nice trick right before landing...now that might get you noticed.



Given the proliferation of home videos posted on the web and sent into the companies nowadays, the two best options for someone to get into the top tier are as follows:



Option #1: Ski a lot, go big or go home. Train, train, train and start entering freestyle competitions. Opens are the best way to get noticed, but don't enter a competition that has no press coverage. If your object is to get noticed, make sure there is going to be someone there to see it. All you need to enter many of these competitions is an entry fee and some determination. But first you have to ski more often that you are now.



Option #2: Networking. This biz is all about who you know. Sponsored athletes are the face of the companies they represent. Few people ever get to the top levels without sponsored help. While your technique has to be spot-on, you need someone to help you cut through the red-tape. Start by getting a job in a ski shop. You'll meet people like company reps and get the chance to go to industry events where you can meet other folks in the biz. THEY may not be the right people to move your career along, but they KNOW the people who can, and trust me, a call from a product rep to the marketing director at a ski company gets answered a lot quicker than a call from a nobody.



If you can't move to a ski town now, ski as much as possible and train at home with a balance board and a backyard rail (and Snowgel if you don't have snow in your yard.) Move to a ski town when you get out of HS, Skip college. (Take a few classes in Marketing and Business at a community college near the ski town.) Learn the biz and work on your skiing. Hire a pro sports photographer for all your pix too. If you progress as fast as you say, after a full season you might have the skills and contacts to move up the ladder.Do I have a future in freestyle skiing?
good for u girl. don't belive in it takes 3 years to learn skiing and stuff like that. some people learn and become experts in days. some take years. do ur thing..and have fun out there. then u can participate in races and stuff once ur confident. good luck