# How cheap can you ski?



## rocojerry (Nov 18, 2014)

What is your target $ per day (or year)/ actual $ per day / total days

Basically, who is the cheapest skier on alpinezone, assuming it's someone with a pass to a smaller mtn with a lot of days, but if someone can pull this off by mastering the free/cheap skiing game, props.

I'm guessing 40$ / ? / 10days will be mine, but we will see...


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## Tin (Nov 18, 2014)

Last year at Crotched....14 times and the pass cost $299 (might have been 259, don't remember). So $21 per day.

I want to beat that this year with Magic for my $219 pass. MRG/Bush might be harder with the drive.

Last year my GF and I skied over 30 times each (Loaf, Jay, Smuggs, Bush, MRG, K, Magic) and paid about $1200 in lift tickets/passes.


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## BenedictGomez (Nov 18, 2014)

rocojerry said:


> *I'm guessing 40$ / ?*



WAY less.   Or are you including food and gas too?  Lodging?    

If you're talking just lift ticket price, $40 is barely a SOTC gentleman's passing C grade.


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## Quietman (Nov 18, 2014)

Work part time(weekends) at a local area, and ski for free.  Positive net impact on the checkbook. :lol:


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## freeski (Nov 18, 2014)

I was taking MBA classes at Plymouth State a few years ago and could ski at Cannon for $6 all day any day. Man I miss that.


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## snoseek (Nov 19, 2014)

Work mostly nights, ski most days-free epic pass. May pic up a sierra at Tahoe pass for 250 to supplement. Waiting to see if it dumps until I buy. so for now-0$.


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## Smellytele (Nov 19, 2014)

I can ski for free at the local hill. When you take that out of the picture I usually average between $25 and $32 per day over the season.


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## JAM614 (Nov 19, 2014)

Always Cheap at Black Mountain of Maine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=_mg1_Bfvl1M


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## drjeff (Nov 19, 2014)

Last year, I had my Peak Nor'easter pass down to $23.67 a day for the 46 days I used it a Peak properties (45 times at Mount Snow and 1 time at Crotched) - That's just my per day lift costs.  If you factor in gas, lodging, food and beverage, gear, etc, etc, etc, then it's way over $100 per day


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## tree_skier (Nov 19, 2014)

Coach weekends so its all free for me and family.  it is also a positive bump in bank after all expenses


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## joshua segal (Nov 19, 2014)

I suppose if you consider the cost of skiing to be the price of the lift ticket, you can come up with some pretty impressively low numbers.  But the lift ticket is a relatively small part of the cost.

Other direct costs - 
- A car costs about $0.55 per mile to operate; 
- Equipment/Clothing wear-and-tear
- Lodging costs: m/hotels or ownership or rental of a condo for the season
- etc.

While my lift ticket cost for 132 days last season came to about $3.25 per visit when I add in the cost of my condo, the driving, the equipment replacement, h/motel when I am not at my home area, the cost of lift tickets is about 5% of my cost to ski.


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## xwhaler (Nov 19, 2014)

Typically average between $20-$25 per day in lift tickets over a ~25 day season. Looking to ski 30 days this yr at an average just under $20/day.


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## 4aprice (Nov 19, 2014)

Too many variables to say right now.  I have a pass to the local bump, look for deals whenever possible, other factors such as weather and work schedule play into it.  The season to me runs from Nov 15th to April 15 (+ or - a week), got 1 day under my belt already and the home hill looks to be opening early this year.  I'll get anywhere from 40 to 60 days if everything falls into place from the Pocono's of Pa. to the Greens, Whites, Dacks, and Catskills, and he best the Wasatch of Utah.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ


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## Ski2LiveLive2Ski (Nov 19, 2014)

Picking up 2 $55 Pocono Ski and Ride Cards each good for a day at each of 6 mountains (or which I will use at least 4) should keep my average down, even considering the $30 ski club membership I had to buy to get them. Throw in a $30 card for one day at Windham a $50 mountain sports club card good for 2 days at Shawnee, the Hunter big lift card, and an offer I got for a free day at each og Gore and Whiteface and I could well bring this season in at under $25/day for lift tix. I will keep you posted.


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## C-Rex (Nov 19, 2014)

freeski said:


> I was taking MBA classes at Plymouth State a few years ago and could ski at Cannon for $6 all day any day. Man I miss that.



Six bucks?!!!  Damn!  I'd consider going to get my MBA if I could get that deal.  Especially at Cannon.


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## joshua segal (Nov 19, 2014)

freeski said:


> I was taking MBA classes at Plymouth State a few years ago and could ski at Cannon for $6 all day any day. Man I miss that.


Well, if you are over 65 and can produce a NH driver's license, Cannon is free.  Even better than $6 a day - although at $0.55 per mile driving expense, the day still costs me almost $100.


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## Cannonball (Nov 19, 2014)

Right now I'm at ~$550 per day for this season.  Hoping to get that down a bit to ~$15/day.


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## Smellytele (Nov 19, 2014)

joshua segal said:


> I suppose if you consider the cost of skiing to be the price of the lift ticket, you can come up with some pretty impressively low numbers.  But the lift ticket is a relatively small part of the cost.
> 
> Other direct costs -
> - A car costs about $0.55 per mile to operate;
> ...



Well seeing I live 6 miles from my local hill the added cost is low. While on the added day trips I supplement the local hill with are mostly within 1:30. the rest I wouldn't even think about adding unless I was anal which I am not. I would have to own and wear some type of winter clothing anyway.


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## Smellytele (Nov 19, 2014)

If I really sat down and think of it my head would explode - I also have 3 kids and a wife I am paying for as well.


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## 4aprice (Nov 19, 2014)

C-Rex said:


> Six bucks?!!!  Damn!  I'd consider going to get my MBA if I could get that deal.  Especially at Cannon.



Was at Cannon,  this year the PSU deal is with Waterville.  Bought my son the NH4 College Pass so he can do Cannon.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ


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## Ski2LiveLive2Ski (Nov 19, 2014)

Smellytele said:


> If I really sat down and think of it my head would explode - I also have 3 kids and a wife I am paying for as well.



Kids would bring my average cost per lift ticket way down, bsaed on them skiing free at Shawnee and having a lot of vouchers I got with their season rentals that give them free lift tix other places. Include kids' tix and I will do better than $10 per lift ticket


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## bigbog (Nov 19, 2014)

joshua segal said:


> Well, if you are over 65 and can produce a NH driver's license, Cannon is free.  Even better than $6 a day - although at $0.55 per mile driving expense, the day still costs me almost $100.



As perverted as it seems...those are days I do, in a strange way, look forward to....along with planning to continue to work.   Paraphrasing Warren Miller's exact line(forgot the exact line..that I like(d))..but it had to do with _age is just a number..you are = what you do_...  Sugarloaf will be a freebee as well...


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## dlague (Nov 19, 2014)

rocojerry said:


> Basically, who is the cheapest skier on alpinezone



Can't think of anyone off the top of my head!


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## dlague (Nov 19, 2014)

C-Rex said:


> Six bucks?!!!  Damn!  I'd consider going to get my MBA if I could get that deal.  Especially at Cannon.



State Owned School, State owned ski area!  I am a NH Veteran and have a season pass for $273 at Cannon with no blackouts!


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## Vortex (Nov 19, 2014)

I think am around $13 per day.  Pretty much tied to one area due to being lazy.


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## dlague (Nov 19, 2014)

joshua segal said:


> I suppose if you consider the cost of skiing to be the price of the lift ticket, you can come up with some pretty impressively low numbers.  But the lift ticket is a relatively small part of the cost.
> 
> Other direct costs -
> - A car costs about $0.55 per mile to operate;
> ...



Equipment and Clothing are not annual expenses and often a spread out over several years.  Lodging - we day trip it and rarely stay somewhere for a weekend (twice last year and one was free and the second - we stayed at a friends condo and paid low dollars).

Car cost seems high.  I know that is the governments reimbursement rate, but .....


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## Domeskier (Nov 19, 2014)

Let's factor in lost opportunity costs while we're at it, too!


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## freeski (Nov 19, 2014)

dlague said:


> State Owned School, State owned ski area!  I am a NH Veteran and have a season pass for $273 at Cannon with no blackouts!


Yes, this an incredible deal. You spend money at the mountain so they make out there, but NH really treats the skiing veterans well.


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## Savemeasammy (Nov 19, 2014)

Domeskier said:


> Let's factor in lost opportunity costs while we're at it, too!



And don't forget to factor in savings on heating fuel.  After all, you don't need to heat your house as much while you are out skiing.  


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## joshua segal (Nov 19, 2014)

dlague said:


> Equipment and Clothing are not annual expenses and often a spread out over several years.  Lodging - we day trip it and rarely stay somewhere for a weekend (twice last year and one was free and the second - we stayed at a friends condo and paid low dollars).
> 
> Car cost seems high.  I know that is the governments reimbursement rate, but .....


Equipment and clothing may not be annual costs, but generally, boots are good for about 100 days.  For some of us, that's one season.  Most seeing clothing and equipment amortize at between $20 and $40 per day.

There are people who fix their own cars who can run a car for less than $0.55 per mile, but for most of us, generally speaking, we are either paying for repairs or for depreciation. (Note how much the car leasing companies charge per mile over the lease cost.)


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## Smellytele (Nov 19, 2014)

joshua segal said:


> Equipment and clothing may not be annual costs, but generally, boots are good for about 100 days.  For some of us, that's one season.  Most seeing clothing and equipment amortize at between $20 and $40 per day.
> 
> There are people who fix their own cars who can run a car for less than $0.55 per mile, but for most of us, generally speaking, we are either paying for repairs or for depreciation. (Note how much the car leasing companies charge per mile over the lease cost.)



One of my vehicles has about 250k on it -  long past depreciation schedule.
Also only thing i have repaired on it in the last 5 years is 1 set of tires and brakes.


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## catsup948 (Nov 19, 2014)

The max I'll pay to ski is $35 bucks this weekend at Okemo.  Otherwise most of my skiing is paid for.  I won't know what I end up with until I'm done using the fox 44 card.  Hopefully I come out less than 28 bucks.  This doesn't include my employee pass at Berkshire East.


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## SkiFanE (Nov 19, 2014)

Ski2LiveLive2Ski said:


> Kids would bring my average cost per lift ticket way down, bsaed on them skiing free at Shawnee and having a lot of vouchers I got with their season rentals that give them free lift tix other places. Include kids' tix and I will do better than $10 per lift ticket



See...kids are the problem (lol).  For husband and I to ski as much as we want, we had to get the kids into it.  3 kids...3 extra passes (only free til they are 5/6)...3 ski programs...gear x3... handwarmers/toe warmers...  

I will pay $15-16/day with my pass and ~60 days skiing (forget price I paid for pass).  But add in the ski house, gas, equipment... it's not cheap in any shape or fashion.  Keeps me thankful for my job!


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## Vortex (Nov 19, 2014)

The pass is just a cover charge.



SkiFanE said:


> See...kids are the problem (lol).  For husband and I to ski as much as we want, we had to get the kids into it.  3 kids...3 extra passes (only free til they are 5/6)...3 ski programs...gear x3... handwarmers/toe warmers...
> 
> I will pay $15-16/day with my pass and ~60 days skiing (forget price I paid for pass).  But add in the ski house, gas, equipment... it's not cheap in any shape or fashion.  Keeps me thankful for my job!


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## mbedle (Nov 19, 2014)

Will ski around 20 days at the local place under a season pass, at around $22 per day. February up at Stowe and spend about $44-$67 per day skiing there 20 times (have yet to find any better deals). Add the costs of the one month condo rental, food, beer, travel, etc. price goes up to around $180 per day. Not bad for a one month vacation.


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## dlague (Nov 19, 2014)

joshua segal said:


> Equipment and clothing may not be annual costs, but generally, boots are good for about 100 days.  For some of us, that's one season.  Most seeing clothing and equipment amortize at between $20 and $40 per day.
> 
> There are people who fix their own cars who can run a car for less than $0.55 per mile, but for most of us, generally speaking, we are either paying for repairs or for depreciation. (Note how much the car leasing companies charge per mile over the lease cost.)



I paid around $120 for ski pants and jacket at a tent sale last summer (2013) and the skis I skied on the last 4 years I won on a $20 raffle during a TGR film four years ago, the bindings were $120 over 4 years, boots I bought were $199 four years ago.  This year I paid $500 for new boots, skis, bindings and poles.  I get and will get way better than $20-$40 per visit out of my gear.  We ski close to 40 times per season and hope to hit 50 this year!


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## witch hobble (Nov 19, 2014)

SkiFanE said:


> See...kids are the problem (lol).  For husband and I to ski as much as we want, we had to get the kids into it.  3 kids...3 extra passes (only free til they are 5/6)...3 ski programs...gear x3... handwarmers/toe warmers...
> 
> I will pay $15-16/day with my pass and ~60 days skiing (forget price I paid for pass).  But add in the ski house, gas, equipment... it's not cheap in any shape or fashion.  Keeps me thankful for my job!



French fries and hot chocolate too


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## Cornhead (Nov 19, 2014)

Please, I'm a professional skier, they pay me to ski, OK, it was only $1.25, but a professional nonetheless.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2


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## joshua segal (Nov 19, 2014)

Smellytele said:


> One of my vehicles has about 250k on it -  long past depreciation schedule.
> Also only thing i have repaired on it in the last 5 years is 1 set of tires and brakes.



And sometimes, we win the lottery with respect to car repairs!  The problem with citing averages is there are people, like you, who do much better than average - and since this appears to have been defined by some as a "cheapskate thread", most of the responders will be among those who beat the averages.


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## BenedictGomez (Nov 19, 2014)

Smellytele said:


> *One of my vehicles has about 250k on it* -  long past depreciation schedule.
> Also only thing i have repaired on it in the last 5 years is 1 set of tires and brakes.



That's inspirational.  I have 123,000 on my 4x4 Envoy, which I love.  It's getting harder and harder to find real SUV trucks, as opposed to Crossovers (i.e. station wagons) built up high on a car chassis.  Not to mention, the cost of used SUVs has absolutely skyrocketed.  I need to take care of her!  Oil change tomorrow.


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## Smellytele (Nov 19, 2014)

BenedictGomez said:


> That's inspirational.  I have 123,000 on my 4x4 Envoy, which I love.  It's getting harder and harder to find real SUV trucks, as opposed to Crossovers (i.e. station wagons) built up high on a car chassis.  Not to mention, the cost of used SUVs has absolutely skyrocketed.  I need to take care of her!  Oil change tomorrow.


  My vehicle is a ford ranger with the original clutch. It is my 3rd vehicle that I would rather put mileage on than my other 2. When the whole family goes though we bring the SUV (that is all paid for as well with 130k on it).


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## deadheadskier (Nov 19, 2014)

Smellytele said:


> My vehicle is a ford ranger with the original clutch. It is my 3rd vehicle that I would rather put mileage on than my other 2. When the whole family goes though we bring the SUV (that is all paid for as well with 130k on it).



That's awesome your Ranger has 250k miles and still going strong.  Best vehicle I ever owned maintenance wise was a 94 Explorer which I got 200k miles out of despite beating the crap out of it off road.  Until the radiator blew at 200k the only thing I had to fix were ball joints other than basic maintenance.


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## dlague (Nov 19, 2014)

SkiFanE said:


> See...kids are the problem (lol).  For husband and I to ski as much as we want, we had to get the kids into it.  3 kids...3 extra passes (only free til they are 5/6)...3 ski programs...gear x3... handwarmers/toe warmers...
> 
> I will pay $15-16/day with my pass and ~60 days skiing (forget price I paid for pass).  But add in the ski house, gas, equipment... it's not cheap in any shape or fashion.  Keeps me thankful for my job!




Except the years when they can use the VT passports and NH Passports.  During those years our lift ticket cost average dropped to $8.06 with out any season passes!


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## JDMRoma (Nov 19, 2014)

4aprice said:


> Was at Cannon,  this year the PSU deal is with Waterville.  Bought my son the NH4 College Pass so he can do Cannon.
> 
> Alex
> 
> Lake Hopatcong, NJ



PSU is going to Waterville now !
Well so much for me trying to get my daughter to go there next year !
The college pass is really good though !


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone


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## mbedle (Nov 19, 2014)

Alright, I am trying to understand this and having a hard time. You are telling us that you ski for $8 a day for (based on your last year total). 39 days a season. I can put my hand around that. Do you drive to a different resort every day you ski?




dlague said:


> Except the years when they can use the VT passports and NH Passports.  During those years our lift ticket cost average dropped to $8.06 with out any season passes!


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## Kleetus (Nov 19, 2014)

Last season I managed $35 a day for 31 days with no season pass. Shooting for the same this year but missed out on a few deals so outlook is a little grim right now. I don't like being tied to one place...if I was ok with it I'd make out well under $35 a day.


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone


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## Scruffy (Nov 19, 2014)

joshua segal said:


> Equipment and clothing may not be annual costs, but generally, *boots are good for about 100 days.*  For some of us, that's one season.



*boots are good for about 100 days. *:-o  Skis maybe 80-100 days, but boots? X5 that for me, and that's hard charging.


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## BenedictGomez (Nov 19, 2014)

There's a difference between boots and liners. 

YRMV, but that can be a big difference depending upon what different people are talking about regarding "boots".


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## skiNEwhere (Nov 19, 2014)

BenedictGomez said:


> There's a difference between boots and liners.
> 
> YRMV, but that can be a big difference depending upon what different people are talking about regarding "boots".



Yup. Liners compact over time too. Just today, I had to unscrew the top buckles on my boots and move them over an inch because they were too loose even when on the last notch of the buckle.


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## deadheadskier (Nov 19, 2014)

Scruffy said:


> *boots are good for about 100 days. *:-o  Skis maybe 80-100 days, but boots? X5 that for me, and that's hard charging.



500 days out of boots?  Wow.

150 tops for me.  The Krypton's I just retired were more like 125 and are totally shot.  It's not just liner pack out either.  Buckles are shot, plastic has softened; just junk.


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## gmcunni (Nov 19, 2014)

deadheadskier said:


> 500 days out of boots?  Wow.
> 
> 150 tops for me.  The Krypton's I just retired were more like 125 and are totally shot.  It's not just liner pack out either.  Buckles are shot, plastic has softened; just junk.



What replaces the Ks?


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## deadheadskier (Nov 20, 2014)

Nordica Fire Arrow.


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## jaytrem (Nov 20, 2014)

deadheadskier said:


> 500 days out of boots? Wow.
> 
> 150 tops for me. The Krypton's I just retired were more like 125 and are totally shot. It's not just liner pack out either. Buckles are shot, plastic has softened; just junk.



I got well over 1000 on a pair of Lange Tii liners I still use, LOTS of bump skiing.  I had to replace the shells after maybe 800-900, thank you ebay.  I've tried other boots but I keep going back to them.  They're must be packed in just right, can't imagine at this point they'ed get packed in any more.  I don't use them as much these days.  I spend more time on teles or a snowboard.  So hopefully I'll get a another 30 years out of them.


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## Scruffy (Nov 20, 2014)

deadheadskier said:


> 500 days out of boots?  Wow.
> 
> 150 tops for me.  The Krypton's I just retired were more like 125 and are totally shot.  It's not just liner pack out either.  Buckles are shot, plastic has softened; just junk.



What the hell are you guys doing to your boots   I just retired a pair of Tecnica Icon race boots, they were my everyday boots for 15 years, they seen lots of bump duty - loved them. I have another pair of recent tecnica race Infernos I use for racing. I replaced the old Icons with Dalbello Lupos.


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## jimk (Nov 20, 2014)

Kleetus said:


> Last season I managed $35 a day for 31 days with no season pass. Shooting for the same this year but missed out on a few deals so outlook is a little grim right now. I don't like being tied to one place...if I was ok with it I'd make out well under $35 a day.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone



Well played sir.  For me this is one of the more meaningful posts in this thread because I too ski almost as many days per season without a season pass.  Keeping costs down when you prefer not to be tied to one ski area requires a lot of scrambling.   While you guys in New England bemoan expensive passes compared to Colorado, you still have some very good deals compared to the mid-Atlantic.  Also, I concur with the gist of JoshuaSegal's posts that lift tickets are just the tip of the iceberg, especially for folks like me who accrue a lot of ski days far from home.  However, my adult son instructed at a local bump last season and I got to ski it 6 or 7 days for free because of him.  Seeing how I bought him a lot of lift tickets over the years, turnabout is fair play.:-D


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## VTKilarney (Nov 20, 2014)

If you want to keep daily costs as low as many people are claiming, you need the flexibility to ski on weekdays.  People who are limited to weekends should not be fooled into thinking that they can average $12 per day if they intend to ski at larger mountains.


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## deadheadskier (Nov 20, 2014)

Scruffy said:


> What the hell are you guys doing to your boots   I just retired a pair of Tecnica Icon race boots, they were my everyday boots for 15 years, they seen lots of bump duty - loved them. I have another pair of recent tecnica race Infernos I use for racing. I replaced the old Icons with Dalbello Lupos.



I take good care of them; dry, buckle and store appropriately after each use.  By 75 days max a boot isn't capable of locking my foot in the same as when new and I don't like the accompanying drop in performance.  I hold onto them for another 50-75 days to get my monies worth, then replace.  This has been the case with 2 sets of Lange's, 1 Rossi, 1 Dolomite & 1 pair of Dalbellos I've owned over the past 20 years.


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## xwhaler (Nov 20, 2014)

Kleetus said:


> *I don't like being tied to one place...if I was ok with it I'd make out well under $35 a day.*
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone


+1 I love the diversity of skiing different mtns as they all have their own unique vibe/culture. I can find positives in just about any mtn if I set my expectations accordingly. On Sunday I plan to have a great day at Okemo with friends and family. Okemo is awesome for early season as they go a nice job grooming, pump out a ton of snow, and move people up and down the mtn efficiently.
Ask me if I would ever go to Okemo mid season during a powder day when they groom everything out  and of course I wouldn't. Take what the mountain gives you and pick places to ski based on value, terrain, time of year, drive time, social companions, etc.


Last yr I skied at 15 different mtns over a 25 day season for an average of $21.79/day. Love checking out new places.
I ski at places ranging from Whaleback/Pats Peak to Sugarloaf/Smuggs so get great diversity in my winter travels.


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## Abubob (Nov 20, 2014)

If I didn't ski it's not likely I've live where it snows regularly. So add snow blower, ice scrapers, snow shovels, extra insulation, winter clothing NOT for skiing plus heating oil and snow tires (for my wife's car too) to my skiing cost.

Other than the yearly expenses like that and cost for skis, boots, gas (I'd probably be driving somewhere if I didn't ski) and food (no doubt I'd be eating if I didn't ski) my per day cost to ski last year was about $30.00 average.

If I calculated what it costs me to live just where I can ski ... I think it would be well over Josh Segal's $100 per day.


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## Smellytele (Nov 20, 2014)

VTKilarney said:


> If you want to keep daily costs as low as many people are claiming, you need the flexibility to ski on weekdays.  People who are limited to weekends should not be fooled into thinking that they can average $12 per day if they intend to ski at larger mountains.



I only ski weekends for the most part and ski larger areas but the deals are out there. I can keep it down to around 30 a day per person. 10 days skiing in CO last year at 6 ski areas (Breck, Copper, Abasin, Wolf creek and Taos) and I had it right around 30 a day/person


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## VTKilarney (Nov 20, 2014)

Smellytele said:


> I only ski weekends for the most part and ski larger areas but the deals are out there. I can keep it down to around 30 a day per person. 10 days skiing in CO last year at 6 ski areas (Breck, Copper, Abasin, Wolf creek and Taos) and I had it right around 30 a day/person


If you take out the Colorado days, what was your average?


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## joshua segal (Nov 20, 2014)

xwhaler said:


> +1 I love the diversity of skiing different mtns as they all have their own unique vibe/culture. I can find positives in just about any mtn if I set my expectations accordingly. ...



I too, love the diversity of being at a different area every day.  And being retired, I have options that the younger folks don't have.  There was a period in the 1970's when I would have blown off skiing at a big area to collect a lift ticket from some dippy hill.  In 1976-7, I maxed out at 42 areas skied (56 days in total).

At this point in time, my objective is 100 days: 80 at my home area and 20 elsewhere.  There is something wonderful about being a mountain-insider with a collection of powder stashes and knowledge of all of the off-the-trail-map glades.  There is also the opportunity to experience the evolution of the ski season from the guns going on in the fall to hiking the hill after the lifts quit for the season.  

That being said, it is also great to check out what else is out there.  What you don't see me doing any more, is taking a day out of my season to ski places like Living Memorial, Northeast Slopes, etc. just to say I've been there.


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## Smellytele (Nov 20, 2014)

VTKilarney said:


> If you take out the Colorado days, what was your average?



well as I noted early in this thread, I have a free pass to the local hill but still skied 15 days else where besides the free and Co days and probably averaged right around 30-33 skiing at K, Magic, Saddleback, Sugarloaf, Cannon, and Sugarbush.


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## BenedictGomez (Nov 20, 2014)

jimk said:


> *  Keeping costs down when you prefer not to be tied to one ski area requires a lot of scrambling.*



I consider that work a labor of love.  

I have no desire to ski the same area over and over and over again.  Plus, I'm a storm-chaser, and I'll head to whichever area got the goods.  I imagine this will all change when I have kids, as the Season Pass must really keep costs down at that point, but until them, I'll stay _Mountain Promiscuous_.


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## VTKilarney (Nov 20, 2014)

Smellytele said:


> well as I noted early in this thread, I have a free pass to the local hill but still skied 15 days else where besides the free and Co days and probably averaged right around 30-33 skiing at K, Magic, Saddleback, Sugarloaf, Cannon, and Sugarbush.


How many of those $30-$33 days were weekend days?  If there were several, I am indeed impressed.


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## Abubob (Nov 20, 2014)

VTKilarney said:


> How many of those $30-$33 days were weekend days?  If there were several, I am indeed impressed.



I had three weekend days last year in that range. Plus two half days less than $35. If I had followed the ski and ride card tour last year there would have been a few more.


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## BenedictGomez (Nov 20, 2014)

VTKilarney said:


> How many of those $30-$33 days were weekend days?  If there were several, I am indeed impressed.



Almost all my weekend days are that or less, but in addition to pre-bought vouchers, I achieve it with BOGOs.


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## SkiFanE (Nov 20, 2014)

Scruffy said:


> What the hell are you guys doing to your boots   I just retired a pair of Tecnica Icon race boots, they were my everyday boots for 15 years, they seen lots of bump duty - loved them. I have another pair of recent tecnica race Infernos I use for racing. I replaced the old Icons with Dalbello Lupos.



I had a pair of Tecnicas for 6 years - 6x60days = 360 days.  I replaced the heels about 300 days in.  But they just didn't fit so snug anymore - in the bumps unless I cranked them down real tight - my feet would slide around.  Then cranking them tight made my toes fall asleep or my foot/calves hurt.  I like control.

So have 4 days on my new Tecnica Mach 105s - LOVE them.  Have the control and comfort I need without the pain and aggravation.  Can't imagine getting out another year on my old boots - it was becoming unsafe.


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## VTKilarney (Nov 20, 2014)

You guys are good!


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## Smellytele (Nov 20, 2014)

VTKilarney said:


> How many of those $30-$33 days were weekend days?  If there were several, I am indeed impressed.



All except for 4. 2 days a K, 1 at Sugarbush and 1 at Saddleback. Magic were all holidays (wife had a free whiteout pass)

Come to think of it Killington weekdays were technically Holidays. Thanksgiving day and good friday


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## Scruffy (Nov 20, 2014)

SkiFanE said:


> I had a pair of Tecnicas for 6 years - 6x60days = 360 days.  I replaced the heels about 300 days in.  But they just didn't fit so snug anymore - in the bumps unless I cranked them down real tight - my feet would slide around.  Then cranking them tight made my toes fall asleep or my foot/calves hurt.  I like control.
> 
> So have 4 days on my new Tecnica Mach 105s - LOVE them.  Have the control and comfort I need without the pain and aggravation.  Can't imagine getting out another year on my old boots - it was becoming unsafe.




 If you're cranking them down to get a good fit, then yeah it's time for new liners or boots. I guess I was luck with my old Tecnicas. I ski with loose buckles, unless I'm racing. For free skiing I prefer a softer boot, probably comes from years of tele skiing. I use to tele ski in leather boots, bumps, steeps, crud, pow, all mountain ( still do for BC only ), and that teaches you to pressure the ski without a stiff boot and solid binding connection. I'm also lucky in that, with orthotics, and perhaps the shape of my feet, my feet are firmly planted in the bottom of my boot and I can ski without cranking the buckles to get my feet to keep from slopping around. 

The new Tecnica Mach series looks like the bomb. Good luck with them.


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## SkiFanE (Nov 20, 2014)

Scruffy said:


> If you're cranking them down to get a good fit, then yeah it's time for new liners or boots. I guess I was luck with my old Tecnicas. I ski with loose buckles, unless I'm racing. For free skiing I prefer a softer boot, probably comes from years of tele skiing. I use to tele ski in leather boots, bumps, steeps, crud, pow, all mountain ( still do for BC only ), and that teaches you to pressure the ski without a stiff boot and solid binding connection. I'm also lucky in that, with orthotics, and perhaps the shape of my feet, my feet are firmly planted in the bottom of my boot and I can ski without cranking the buckles to get my feet to keep from slopping around.
> 
> The new Tecnica Mach series looks like the bomb. Good luck with them.



I grew up on crap hand me down equipment, I can ski on crap quite well   But I really didn't feel in control in the bumps/trees with my old ones anymore.

I love the new boots so far - and it seems like i got the last pair in my size - the entire line is sold out for this year.  Whatever that means (hard to belive sold out by Nov.)...but they were hard to find.  Luckily I don't need any bootfitting - I can fit my feet fine in Technicas, but orthotics do sound nice.  Maybe someday (as 12 years of college tuition hit our budget....probably not for 13 years lol).


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## dlague (Nov 20, 2014)

VTKilarney said:


> If you want to keep daily costs as low as many people are claiming, you need the flexibility to ski on weekdays.  People who are limited to weekends should not be fooled into thinking that they can average $12 per day if they intend to ski at larger mountains.



I ski weekends almost always!  Only mid week is night skiing at Gunstock for $16 on Tuesdays.  Deals like the FOX 44 card are huge if you can visit most of them.  Comp tickets are significant as well.  The years we have done best are years our kids had Passports in VT and NH.  Comp tickets are often hard to come by but do drop your average significantly.

Last year our average was $20.21  What killed us was the early and late season skiing (9 days) that averaged $33.16 while ski season between 12/24/2013 and 04/12/2013 we averaged 15.89 (27 days)


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## Cannonball (Nov 20, 2014)

I also love the diversity of different places.  When I skied 15-25 days a year I spread that over a dozen places/year.  But in the past 5 years I've bumped up to skiing 50-80+ days per year.  In order to get that many days, and in order to be able to afford it I've traded off some diversity.  I still ski ~6-8 places per year.  But I could never afford or get to >50 days if I had to be driving far each time and finding deals.  I'm always balancing a mix of quantity-quality-cost-convenience-diversity.


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## MadMadWorld (Nov 20, 2014)

Cannonball said:


> Right now I'm at ~$550 per day for this season.  Hoping to get that down a bit to ~$15/day.



What a bargain hunter!!


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## Cannonball (Nov 21, 2014)

Cannonball said:


> Right now I'm at ~$550 per day for this season.  Hoping to get that down a bit to ~$15/day.





MadMadWorld said:


> What a bargain hunter!!



Now I'm at ~$225/day.  Closing in!


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## jaytrem (Nov 23, 2014)

uphillklimber said:


> You wanna talk cheap? Work at the mountain and they GIVE you a pass, good for every day and night off. Of course, with ski mountain pay....



I always looked at that as part of your compensation.  Working at a ski area just for the pass never made much sense to me.  If you enjoy the work, that's a different story.  But it seems to me there are quicker ways to make money on the side to pay for a ski pass.


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## joshua segal (Nov 24, 2014)

uphillklimber said:


> You wanna talk cheap? Work at the mountain and they GIVE you a pass, good for every day and night off. Of course, with ski mountain pay....


A number of years ago, I computed the cost per hour to ski.  I included everything in the cost: cents per mile, wear-and-tear on equipment, etc.  Then I noted that as a ski instructor, there was an unpaid commitment that seriously cut into my skiing time.  I subtracted the amount I was paid and divided by the number of hours skied.

Then, I went back and redid the calculation adding in the extra skiing hours plus the cost of a season pass.  As much as I thought I saved as a ski instructor, it wound up costing me $0.50 per hour more to be a ski instructor than to buy a season pass!

That being said, as I enter my 37th season as a Snowsports instructor, the intangibles of being part of a ski school are priceless and I will continue to do it for the foreseeable future.


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## jimk (Nov 24, 2014)

joshua segal said:


> A number of years ago, I computed the cost per hour to ski.  I included everything in the cost: cents per mile, wear-and-tear on equipment, etc.  Then I noted that as a ski instructor, there was an unpaid commitment that seriously cut into my skiing time.  I subtracted the amount I was paid and divided by the number of hours skied.
> 
> Then, I went back and redid the calculation adding in the extra skiing hours plus the cost of a season pass.  As much as I thought I saved as a ski instructor, it wound up costing me $0.50 per hour more to be a ski instructor than to buy a season pass!
> 
> That being said, as I enter my 37th season as a Snowsports instructor, the intangibles of being part of a ski school are priceless and I will continue to do it for the foreseeable future.



I guess this is getting pretty far off the skiing cheap topic, but for JS:

Bravo!  Really admire the way you've woven some of your religious beliefs into your love of skiing and instructing.  Inspirational!  I never really had the time to be an instructor.  But more importantly, I didn't have the motivation or personality for it.   When I'm on a ski slope I just go into this bonkers fun mode.  I greatly enjoy skiing with folks, but can't get interested in coaching them or even being coached much myself.  I just want to play.  I suppose it's kind of selfish, but I share in other ways, for example taking and sharing photos of friends or posting useful trip reports (at least I hope some of them are useful).

This will be my son's fifth consecutive season as an instructor and he seems to be really hooked on it.  Initially, the big draw for him was all the coaching and clinics he could get from ski school trainers and examiners when he is not personally instructing students.  This has certainly paid big dividends with the improvement of his skiing skills.  I think he has also grown to enjoy the camaraderie with his fellow instructors and unlike myself he has the patience and temperment to find rewards in the process of introducing a newbie to the sport.   His salary is strictly to help cover gas costs to the ski area and it probably doesn't even do that.  He started instructing around age 19 or 20 and I've seen great benefits to his people skills, public speaking, and just overall maturity and self-esteem.  His natural tendency is to be an introverted computer geek (real job is software engineer), but in the winter his love for skiing turns him into an outdoorsy people-person.


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## Abubob (Nov 24, 2014)

joshua segal said:


> Then I noted that as a ski instructor, there was an unpaid commitment that seriously cut into my skiing time.


After teaching in CT for five years felt the same way too - just without the precise calculation. I was committed to skiing at the small area where I taught every weekend. (Mt Southington and Powder Ridge) I always got a lesson Saturday morning but not always in the afternoon and almost never on Sunday. It got to be a drag after and even though I got near 100 days one season I concluded that I'd get a lot more satisfaction from less skiing.


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## Smellytele (Nov 24, 2014)

If skiing became work than I would probably hate it like I do all other forms of work. When I am made to do something it becomes less fun than if I just do it because I want to.


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## BenedictGomez (Nov 24, 2014)

jaytrem said:


> I always looked at that as part of your compensation.*  Working at a ski area just for the pass never made much sense to me. * If you enjoy the work, that's a different story.  But *it seems to me there are quicker ways to make money on the side to pay for a ski pass*.



Depends on the area/price.   I worked 1 day per week at Stowe for 6 years for the free ski pass, which then cost $1,000 or so.

At that time, $1000 seemed like all the money in the world to me (note for contemporary comparison: due to the destruction of the USD, $1,000 in 1999/2000 was worth $1,400 in today's money).  Earning that much in after-tax money would have taken me a _LONG_ time, and been better used for other things.  And "working" at a mountain wasn't bad at all and wasnt all "work" IMO.  If the snow was good I'd quit a bit early and take the skis out of the truck and ski from 2:30 - 4.


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## joshua segal (Nov 24, 2014)

Smellytele said:


> If skiing became work than I would probably hate it like I do all other forms of work. When I am made to do something it becomes less fun than if I just do it because I want to.


There is another side to it, that is no longer operative now that I am retired.  So many potential skiing days during my working years, I was incredibly busy - and if I didn't have the commitment to the Ski School, I might have blown off some of those days!


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## rocojerry (Nov 25, 2014)

BenedictGomez said:


> WAY less. Or are you including food and gas too? Lodging?
> 
> 
> If you're talking just lift ticket price, $40 is barely a SOTC gentleman's passing C grade.



I'm not as cheap as i once was, and don't get out as many weekdays solo...   for sake of this thread, lets keep gas, food and of course beer out of the calculations...






Cannonball said:


> Right now I'm at ~$550 per day for this season. Hoping to get that down a bit to ~$15/day.


Nice.  It is a nice feeling with a pass that the more you ski, the cheaper it gets... especially once you cross the per day ticket line, or the half-price day ticket line!     

Nick, how bout two awards at the summit?  Cheapest ski'er on a seasons pass and cheapest ski'er without one?


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## Smellytele (Nov 25, 2014)

rocojerry said:


> Nick, how bout two awards at the summit?  Cheapest ski'er on a seasons pass and cheapest ski'er without one?



there is also the hybrid of the 2. I have a season pass but I also ski other places about the same amount.


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## dlague (Nov 25, 2014)

Smellytele said:


> there is also the hybrid of the 2. I have a season pass but I also ski other places about the same amount.



+1


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