To work or to play? If you’re like most, that decision is made for you automatically five days a week, and there really is no question at all. Entrepreneurs of course can stay home and play if they like, take the day off and hit the slopes, get in a bike ride or play the links, if they are willing to take the hit of losing a days’ worth of productivity.

What if there was a third choice out there? What if choosing to play and choosing work were one and the same? Could such a dream truly be possible? Sure for professional athletes and celebrities that’s already the case, but what about the rest of us? Can we be paid to play?

Brad Steele out of Nelson, BC is living very close to that dream. Living in Nelson itself is stunningly unnormal enough to blur the lines between dreams and reality

Piece by piece, taking slow and measured steps, he began building a bridge from running his own creative business into utilizing his artistic abilities and work experience as a graphic and online designer, to dabble in the potential business of backcountry skiing. From a guide book, to an online product to a now thriving online community of backcountry skiers, Brad has built his own version of the dream. 50+ days of backcountry skiing, 20+ days on the lifts, and countless hikes later he’s making money directly from his passion.

Brad and I caught up in the Kootenay Coop Radio studios to talk about his tale.