Is it possible to ski affordably?
After I mentioned being at Lake Tahoe, a reader left this comment:
Skiing is so so so expensive, but I love it so much. I’m very interested in a budget breakdown of your ski trip. What you wore, and how much you think it cost (gloves, coat/ski pants, balaclava, base layer), etc. Where did you rent skis or do you own? Lift tickets?? Did you eat ANYTHING from the lodge or just survive off beef jerky and fruit leather for days?
I always have to buy incentive hot chocolate/waffle/hot dog/chips/gatorade etc. for kiddos when they get whiney. But I stuff my pockets with as much as I can! Is there a cheaper/better way to do this? My husband’s family is about 3 hours from Lake Tahoe, and I want to try sneaking in a ski trip with a visit to them.
When I go on a trip, I do not usually add up everything I spent. I don't exactly throw caution to the wind while traveling, but at the same time, I don't find the process of expenditure tallying to be particularly joy-inducing.
I'd rather just sort of ignore it. Ha.
This is in stark contrast to the way I live the rest of my life, I know. But in my everyday life, I generally make a habit of spending almost nothing extra. So when I travel, I have the space to let go a little, with zero budget worries.
That said, I'm gonna do my best to answer these questions because it might be helpful for all of you. But keep in mind that this is not my usual frugal behavior, so lower your expectations accordingly. 😉
What I Wear
I don't currently own skis, boots, or poles, so I rent those at Lake Tahoe.
This is not the most affordable option, but it is extremely convenient. I don't have to store the equipment, maintain it, or fly with it!
It is also very low-commitment. To make a skis/boots/poles purchase worth it, you need to use them regularly, and I haven't been able to ski at all for the last few years because of nursing school.
For clothing, I wear:
- ski pants from Costco, with regular leggings/sweats underneath
- a Bolle helmet from Costco (because we do NOT ski without helmets, please and thank you)
- goggles from Costco (are we sensing a theme??)
- a turtle fur neck gaiter that I have had since childhood (ha)
- long-sleeve t-shirts from my regular drawer of clothes
- a hoodie from my everyday set of hoodies
- North Face mittens that I bought on clearance back in 2022
So, the actual clothing part of my gear is pretty cheap.
Lift Tickets
There is no particularly cheap way to buy lift tickets, and I am not interested in traipsing up a steep mountain with my gear in high altitude air. 😉
So, I bought a 7-day pass for $567, which averages out to $81/day.
I chose an Epic Pass, which gives you access to multiple resorts. There are many different Epic Pass combos you can buy, depending on where you live, which dates you want to ski, and so on. So, you can customize it to best fit your needs.
A similar option is the Ikon pass, and I saw that they offer a nurse's discount. Soooo, I might look into that in the future.
Food
Breakfast
We always eat a big breakfast at the condo before hitting the slopes: eggs, oatmeal, toast, fruit, and coffee.
Lunch
For lunch, we pack food with us in our pockets/backpacks. That way we can avoid paying the wild prices at the ski lodges!
Some people in my family make sandwiches, but I just stuff my pockets with calorie-dense foods like nuts, Rx bars, beef jerky, and peanut butter crackers.
Soo, I did indeed spend $0 at the lodge. 🙂
Dinner
As I mentioned in my menu post, we always cook dinner at the condo except for one night of the week.
We buy groceries when we fly into Reno, and then we fill in as needed with groceries from the stores in Lake Tahoe.
We do bring some small ingredients from home; for instance, I put the dried parsley and oregano (for my stuffed shells) into a small container and packed it in my bag. There's no sense in buying whole bottles of herbs just for one recipe!
We went to a Mexican restaurant for our night out this time around, and I spent $28 on my meal (a big bowl of pozole and three taquitos), plus the tip. Restaurants are not exactly cheap in Lake Tahoe. 😉
And grocery stores are a little expensive too, but always way more affordable than eating out!
Lodging
Typically, we have stayed in a condo through my parents' long-held timeshare program, so that was super cheap.
But since our group was pretty big this year, we rented a condo through VRBO and divided the cost per person (my niece's three-month-old baby was excluded from the count because she didn't require her own bed.)
My share was $446 for the week.
Car Rental
My brothers and my parents all rented trucks/SUVs, so I just rode along and contributed towards the cost of renting one of the cars.
Flying
This is the easiest one for me: I use my Southwest Rapid Rewards points for a free flight.
I have the Rapid Rewards credit card, and I use it for most of my regular purchases (except for groceries, which I put on my Citi card because I get 5% back that way.) So, when I want to book an occasional flight, I generally have enough points to pay for the whole flight.
I try to pick a flight that's not the most expensive but also, I am unwilling to choose a red-eye type of flight just to save money. There's a balance to be had. 😉
I typically am able to make it out to Tahoe without buying airport food (I can pack good food from home!), but on the way back, I often end up needing to buy a coffee and a meal.
It's stupid expensive, of course, but there are not a lot of other options available, and I try not to think about it too hard.
What We Don't Do
You could make your trip more expensive than we do, of course!
We don't:
- go shopping (I did buy a clearance Tahoe t-shirt back in 2019, and I bought some Smartwool socks this trip).
- eat out (except for one restaurant dinner and our post-flight Costco hot dogs!)
- stay at a fancy resort
- go out at night at all (no drinking, gambling, going to shows, etc.) Our bodies are all on EST anyway, and I struggle to make it even until 9 pm most nights. Ha.
We go there to be on the mountain, so that's what we spend most of our time doing!
Quite Expensive
Ok! I think that pretty much covers all the aspects of a ski trip for me. To sum it up, I'd say that there's no way to make skiing/snowboarding cheap; it's all varying levels of Quite Expensive.
But it is possible to end up on the lower levels of Quite Expensive if you make careful choices. 🙂
When our kids were teenagers, we would go on ski trips. The first trip was a celebration of DH recovering from a health scare. We drove 5 hours in our 4-wheel drive vehicle, stayed in a condo, ate mostly in that condo except for buying hot chocolate at the bottom of the mountain, and going out for pizza. Soon after that, we bought a small condo (one furnished room with 2 big murphy beds and a kitchenette, and one bathroom) for about 30K. (this was over 20 years ago!) I can't remember how we could afford that as two public school educators, but we did. We stayed there and ate all of our meals there except for going out for pizza (it was baked in a stone oven and SO good) and the hot chocolate between ski runs. We tried renting the condo out to others, but the tenants always left it a mess, so we stopped renting it out. We bought our secondhand gear at a really good discount at an annual sale where customers turned in old gear for new gear. One year we "trialed" gear at the ski resort, sort of like renting, but its brand new. I bought my ski bib at a thrift store. One summer, DH volunteered for events at the resort and earned season ski lift tickets for us. When the kids were grown, we sold the condo and recouped the original cost plus a little more. We sold it at the exact time that we needed the cash, the timing was perfect. I sold all of our ski gear on FB Marketplace. Our kids still talk about those ski trips.
Having done one trip to Breckenridge (talk about $$$$), now when our son wants to snowboard we take him to the Poconos. A resort up there does a 3 day lift ticket for $199 with rentals, and there is a townhouse community that is ski in/out for reasonable prices. Renting a AWD suv was also cheaper in PHL than DEN airport during peak ski season.
I'm so glad you were able to go on this trip (and without any guilt or baggage).
You may be able to get ski items through ski swaps. I know they are common in New England.
Some financial advice people advocate spending on what really matters to you while being frugal in other areas of life. I think time with family, and travel, are good places to deploy your "it doesn't have to be frugal funds" if you can afford it. We are generally frugal but not when it comes to those categories.
Your share of the VRBO was very reasonable. Last spring our share of an AirBnB was $1200 (for two people) in Breckenridge CO and that was for four nights and off season.
I haven't been skiing (I haven't had the opportunity plus I'm nervous due to clumsiness!) but in terms of a trip in general, my parents would always rent a place with a kitchen when we were children and we would usually eat out only once a twice (there was a takeaway van which came once a week with the fantastic name Catch a Snack). For short trips (usually during the halfterm breaks at school) we would go to hostels and rent a family room for a few days (I think I remember there being a shared kitchen).
I don't know how practical this is for going up a mountain but it could be helpful to bring a thermos of coffee/tea/hot chocolate, and your own bottle of water. This wasn't for skiing, but I bought some special hiking socks once, and although I was scoffed at these socks have lasted for years because they were well-made, all of which to say I would advise spending extra on winter clothes once, as they tend to last longer than cheaper stuff which will need replacing.
I also spend a lot more on vacations than I do at home!
My one adventure in skiing in Europe was cross country skiing in Norway. Sadly I ended up at the bottom of a downhill ski course with no money to pay for the ski lift. So I painstakingly (and painfully) climbed all the way up the downhill course (kinda like "up the down staircase") on my cross country skis. Only took an hour or so!
I wish I liked skiing, haha! I tried it as an adult, even took a lesson, but it's under activities I don't enjoy (which includes bouldering, rock wall climbing, ice skating, & roller skating). I'm not really an adrenaline junkie, more of a melatonin Junkie 😉 I like reading in the lodge with a good view! And I might like snow tubing, I enjoy boat tubing.
Love this post and here are a few ideas!
- Check out smaller hills. These often have a lower lift fee! For example, in Quebec there are DOZENS of little, local hills that tend to have great conditions and relatively low day rates.
- If you live close to a hill, buy a season's pass. Check out early bird specials. I live 30 minutes from a small ski hill and a season's pass purchased in March is valid for that year (i.e. March 2026) PLUS, the following ski year (November 2026-March 2027).
- Buy gear second hand. Or, if you're not going often and have a friend that skis, see about borrowing it. The bindings may need to be adjusted for weight/skill level, but that can usually be done free of charge or inexpensively at the lodge.
- If you can only go for part of a day, look at the different intervals for partial day tickets. The hill I go to, for example, has an evening only ticket that is a fraction of the day rate. I think it's only valid from 6-9 pm, but it could be a great way to get in a few hours of skiing at the end of a day! Also, it's often cheaper to reserve/buy tickets online the day before than purchasing them day-of at the hill.
I wish I liked skiing, haha! I tried it as an adult, even took a lesson, but it's under activities I don't enjoy (which includes bouldering, rock wall climbing, ice skating, & roller skating). I'm not really an adrenaline junkie, more of a melatonin Junkie 😉 I like reading in the lodge with a good view! And I might like snow tubing, I enjoy boat tubing.
Turtle fur?
$81 for a whole day of fun and exercise seems very reasonable to me. You could certainly do worse!
Ha,ha, ha. I had to laugh at that also. I have owned a lot of turtles over my life and a bunch of tortoises but I have never seen turtle fur.
Our younger son had a green turtle fur Winter hat when he was young. It’s the warmest and also softest hat ever. He’s an adult now and I still wear the hat.
Great thoughts, Kristen!
I'll preface this with the fact that I don't ski, ha! But, my husband really loves skiing... So, I'll share a few random thoughts on ways he tries to make it more reasonable. These really make the most sense for those who know they want to ski often. Advice would be different for a single outing or for someone who's unsure if they like to ski.
-Live near enough to drive to a ski resort that is a member of a season pass program. "Near" is relative, of course, and not always an option. But it does reduce many travel related expenses!
-Get a season pass and use it often to reduce the per outing cost.
-Own gear instead of renting it. Secondhand can work if it's not compromising comfort or safety.
-One additional savings of owning gear (even if traveling by plane for a ski trip) is that on ski days, there's no time spent waiting in rental lines. Less time in rental lines means more time on the slopes.
-Quality warmth layers and equipment lend themselves to the desire to ski more often, and therefore maximizing the ski pass. (I don't own specialized warm / waterproof layers or comfortable ski boots etc. so the very few times I've tried to ski I've been cold with very uncomfortable feet in rental boots. Though, I do have terribly shaped feet!). My husband invested in merino wool layers, ski pants/jacket/etc, and custom fitted boots years ago and says it has been totally worth it.
-Packing food and drinks instead of paying resort prices, as Kristen said! For convenience, lunch and drinks can be left in the car or even strategically buried in the snow on the mountain. And of course stuffing one's pockets with snacks.
-Choosing to go during off-peak times if possible. This could be by the day (not a winter holiday when all the kids are off school and many adults are off work) or even which times of day (early morning is less crowded, and I understand the snow is better when it's fresh). If skiing is the primary goal, then more mountain runs per day technically makes it less expensive per run than going on a really crowded day/time.
-Ask if there are discounts for affiliations like military, teacher, homeschool, first responder, etc.
-Lastly, asking a friend with a season pass if they could let you use a buddy pass could be a good approach. Season pass holders often get a pack buddy passes to bring guests at reduced rates.
Looking forward to reading others people's frugal skiing tips! Though, I have no personal desire to start skiing, lol.
Glad you had such a fun trip, Kristen!!
Whether someone is an absolute newbie to skiing/snowboarding, or a lifelong rider, one of the best (and most frugal) ways to enjoy the sport is to work for a resort. One can choose to work just holidays, weekends, part time, full time, whatever--and receive a FREE ski pass good at all mountains affiliated with that pass. Vail's Epic Pass lets you ski all over the world https://www.epicpass.com/regions.aspx
So broaden your world and give your off-time a lift 🙂 by joining a mountain family. You'll gain friends, physical & mental improvement, and possibly enjoy snow more than you thought you could. If you're already a great skier, you could teach; or if you've never even strapped on boards, you could drive a shuttle bus, work inside a building, help in childcare, etc.
And by all means, if you're a guest and want to be more frugal, take not only all of your food but your beverages, too. When our kids were young, I took large carafes of both coffee and homemade hot chocolate, and everyone had their own refillable water bottle. Also, our kids skied & snowboarded every weekend on free family passes throughout long New England winters. We paid for lessons and TIPPED THE INSTRUCTORS every weekend so lessons and tips cost about $300/kid for the season twenty years ago.
Speaking of tipping, PLEASE DO tip your instructor well (20% of lesson cost). This person is teaching your or your child for hours on the slopes, keeping learning, safety, and enjoyment as top priorities. You tip the person who cuts your hair, why not tip the person teaching you to get down the hill properly with knowledge that might just save your life?
Since I didn't grow up in snow country (I was raised in TN and went to college in FL), and am not what anyone would call a natural athlete, I've never even tried skiing. My idea of a winter sport is shoveling snow! But as K D reminds us, and as I think is true for most of us, we're frugal in many ways so that we can have an occasional splurge in a few ways.
I never skiid (skid? Skied?) but I have a merino woolen neck gaiter that I wear all through the cold season. And whenever I have a throat infection, at night too. So much less bulky than a scarf! My neck gaiter has a little breast and neck piece, like a bib, to prevent cold creeping in behind the zipper. I bought it at a runners' shop and although it was expensive-ish the price per wear is now into cents, not euros.
You have a dickie! They were very popular before the 1960s and good central heating. The military requested knitters make them for soldiers during both world wars.
Skied.
Thanks WilliamB!
I did actually knit an additional one in a more stylish colour, using the bought one as a sample. But the merino is so finely knitted and snug, that it will remain my favourite. Whenever I feel it needs to be freshened up between laundry turns (you need to be careful with wool), I pop it in a plastic bag and leave it there overnight. Works like a breeze.
Knit. Ugh.
And I pop it in a plastic bag in the freezer.
More coffee.
I thought I was the only one to wear a neck gaiter for a sore throat! I sleep in it and wear it all day. It definitely shortens the illness, no matter what others tell me. I KNOW it works!
Just curious about what card games you play at night? Looks like a lovely trip!
I just came in from a day of skiing so this was timely. We buy season passes and get the early bird discount (10% off) so it's about $700 per person. We go there for Christmas, winter break, Easter, plus a few other weekends so the cost per time is low. I absolutely love eating out and drinking hot
chocolate in the lodges, and the pass gives us a discount. There is no "brown bag area" so if we didn't purchase food I would be never get to warm up...
Having had multiple children now we tried to buy mainly gender-neutral skis so they could all use them. We also buy skis used. I am pretty good about selling the old stuff online too, but the money earned on this is pretty minimal. We also have a huge shed of extras here for visitors to borrow, which feels generous.
For ski gear- wool underneath is key. Lasts for a long time and keeps you warm even if it gets damp. I am still using a wool sweater my parents gave me in high school (before the millennium...).
Skis are gendered?!? Since when? Sheesh.
You were surprised at all the "pink princess" type stuff they market to little girls! And to be fair I appreciate that the adult stuff is gendered- women have different needs than men. But for little kids it's just silly!
They want to make twice as much money so they say one is for boys and one is for girls!
You can make a good argument that boots should be gendered. But not skis. I skied seriously for a decade, including working at a ski camp. Never did I ever see, experience, or hear of any reason the skis should be different.
Women tend to be lighter than men at the same height, so men's skis are heavier and slightly stiffer. Center of gravity is also different for women. But there is certainly some overlap and for a mediocre skier it maybe doesn't matter much....I have felt much more comfortable with my gear after switching from a unisex set to something designed for women.
My tip is to go to a work conference at a ski lodge, so that work covers your travel and lodging. My husband goes to one in Utah at a ski lodge every few years. The conference has weird hours, just sessions in the morning and evening, so that people can ski. And a lot of them love it! But my husband doesn't ski nor does the rest of the family, so he doesn't take advantage of it. I told him to find a conference near a beach somewhere warm. I don't need to travel away from Wisconsin for snow! Ha!
There are a couple of more things you can do, to add to Kristen's list:
- Don't ski during the holiday season or on weekends. Weekdays in February are cheaper than the weekend after Xmas.
- Being tea bags, instant coffee, and packets of hot chocolate and use the lodge's free hot water.
- If the lodge has a microwave, your options expend greatly. Ditto if they have lockers you can rent or if your car is reasonably close to the lodge. These expand brown bagging options greatly.
Good luck. There's no real way to ski cheaply but we can try for pricy instead of super-expensive.
Clearly, this is skiing specific, BUT your basic ideas can be applied to most holidays where there are activities / you're in a place for that activity, more or less.
The big, huge one, in any country, on any continent, at any time, is mostly cooking for yourself (or taking advantage of inclusive meals). Even if the groceries are pricey, it's still worth it. It is always much cheaper and usually a lot nicer. Ditto any alcohol. Much, much cheaper to buy at a store. Obviously, going on holiday is also about relaxation and fun and socialising, so going for a nice dinner or similar is part of the fun. It's not about ultra-penny pinching, but more of an overall vibe and keeping track of costs. If there is a truly lovely thing you really want and will use and treasure, buy it! Why not? It will be part of the memory of the holiday.
It's more of a sensible attitude generally, not putting every single thing on credit and then being broke later, not keeping up with the Joneses, being honest and upfront about your situation BUT not doing what I have known some frugal types to do which is sponge off everyone else, quite openly. That's icky. Generosity is key!
Yes! Try cross country skiing! Equipment is a little different but no lift tickets needed, and you have more trails to ski in quiet winter. Anything that is a hiking trail in summer can be a ski trail in snow. I love the quiet and fragrance of the winter woods. Usually it’s also a better workout. Take a lesson or two to get the hang of it.
When I did it, it was also less expensive to rent the cross-country gear than the downhill ski rentals.
We went snowshoeing with new friends this last weekend and they were mentioning how they afford ski passes. They volunteer with the National Sports Center for the Disabled a few weekends a winter in Winter Park, CO and that gets them free season passes for that ski resort.
I have lived in Colorado for 15 years and grew up with the occasional family vacation camping in Colorado and I have never skied -- mainly because of the frugality challenge. I love my friends' idea of volunteering with the NSCD, but my volunteering time is already committed in this season, so we'll have to see that the future brings.
You have trained your children to behave the way they do. There's NO SUCH THING has "have to buy" them overpriced junk food. So, stop. Eventually, they'll stop "whining." For now, you've taught them that whining works so they whine. Instead, learn to sit with your discomfort and their discomfort rather than teaching them that whining works and that discomfort must be immediately placated (which are terrible things to teach). In fact, whining should immediately get them the opposite of what they want. It would also help to teach gratitude in your household. Well-raised kids should be grateful to be on any vacation, grateful to be on the snow, grateful to ski - not focused on the overpriced food they don't get because there's perfectly fine food back at your housing or in your backpack.
I was the person who left the question about skiing. My son is on the autism spectrum 😁😁😁 I’m a very good parent, and I know how to pick my battles. Children with special needs like my son need incentives baked into everything. Especially with learning a new skill. It’s worth it to broaden his horizons and give him the gift of skiiing and self confidence to go along with it. You should look inward to examine your judgmental attitude.
Are we allowed to scold others on here and sharply criticize them?
Our family is fortunate enough to live near a few small ski resorts (nothing like Tahoe!). When our kids were young, we purchased Sunday night passes, which gave us one free ski day and got us on the slopes at 3:30. We skied as a family the entire season. We would get to the resort before 3:30, set up a crockpot with our Sunday chili, have a bag of snacks ready, and hit the slopes. People came in for a break and we gathered together for a chili supper before heading out for a few more runs before calling it a night. When we priced the season passes over the cost of a season, we made sure to ski at least a certain number of times and it was very reasonable to purchase for a family of 5. We asked family to gift the kids ski apparel, rented each a ski package for the season, and bought the adult skis second-hand. When the kids stopped growing, because they had the same boots/skis for so long, the rental shop sold us the equipment for next to nothing for each child. Our "boys" and "girl" are still successfully using this quality equipment as 20-something adults. Whatever we bought we made sure was good quality so it would last.
We did the same with our XC ski equipment. We are fortunate to live near many free parks, have had a terrific, snowy winter, and can XC for free, except for the cost of gas it takes to get to trails. We have access to miles of groomed trails and parks with warming huts.
Skiing can be affordable if you are smart about it.
Question for you and others who bring food into a lodge. Do you set your crockpot down somewhere and hope nobody messes with it? Have someone in your group stay with it? Keep it in your vehicle (some places that might not be feasible because they are far away?) Rent a locker?
It's an honor system. The resorts near us are definitely not as large as Vail or Tahoe. The lodges where crockpots are left are usually filled.with families doing the same thing. No lockers either. Just round tables filled with belongings and/or open cubicles where people store things. It's lovely to be able to trust that what we leave will be there when we return. This resort has regulars from 3 states and Canada.
The way I currently have found to save money is to ski the less popular mountains. A bit of googling and you can find which ones are the best value. I've never skiied (sp?!) Tahoe due to the location/expense.
A bonus is the less popular mountains have cheaper things nearby (restaurants, etc...), so that helps, too!
Another thing I did last ski trip was hit up a thrift shop on my way out to the mountains. That's where I grabbed cheap goggles. I purchased my other outerwear on Amazon. Unsure if that's the cheapest, but it was cheaper than renting!
I only ski every few years, so I haven't bought skis yet, but if I did, they'd probably come from the thrift shop, too--possibly even a local one as skis are really cheap here given that we're pretty far from the mountains!
Hope that helps!!
I would like to know which Citi card you are using to pay for your groceries that gives you back 5%.
I've been looking around for a better card to use but I haven't seen anything that offers that on grocery purchases. Gas, yes, but not groceries.
My husband and I were avid skiers for years. We no longer ski, for various reasons, but when we did, we approached it as you do -- buying discount passes, searching out free parking or riding a shuttle, packing our lunches, wearing stuff we already owned. We did have our own ski gear -- if you want to go that route I highly recommend looking for used gear. My husband purchased skis at a local ski swap for $35 -- with bindings. And I see great ski clothing in local thrift stores all the time. But buy a new helmet -- you can't tell from the outside if the inner lining of a helmet is still in good shape -- one hard collision can shatter the lining and render the helmet less effective. (I once shattered a helmet lining in a hard fall and had to replace my helmet. )
Seeing that photo of you on the slopes with your family: LOOKS LIKE A PRICELESS VACATION to me! There is nothing like having all that family time together with liberal sprinkles of Joy!!
Frugality is a habit that serves us so well..and allows us,sometimes, to splurge on activities that feed the soul,right??
My husband is the great skier. He buys high quality ski gears that last for a long time eg. he still got gears from 50+ years ago. He buys an annual epic pass and uses it to ski in CO, VT, NY & Canada. It is indeed an expensive hobby but so worthwhile if you really love it.
Skiing is a financial commitment absolutely. I had stopped skiing for 20 plus years then had a child at 40. I wanted him to learn young to have options in later life. i picked up the sport again with the goal of not getting hurt until he could be on the mountain himself. Now I have the goal of getting a free ticket when I am 80 🙂
When he was little, we went to a small resort in Tahoe - Donner Ski Ranch. The tickets were much less and the mountain was tiny. While he learned, he and his cousin could do runs by themselves and enjoyed a real sense of freedom. Food was cheaper and when he got tired we just went back to the cabin since I hadn't invested that much into the day.
As a lone skier these days, I make sure to invest money in excellent equipment to avoid injury. the new skis practically ski themselves. I have bought a mid week pass which is awesome. I don't want to ski on the black out dates anyway. It gives me half price tixs if I have buddies who come with me. I don't ski full days anymore so I have a good breakfast and then quit to go eat lunch.
I know these are great luxuires and I am very grateful.
Our local place gives you the child price after age 65. I am 20 some years away from that but love the idea of still hitting the slopes when I am (hopefully) a grandma 🙂
I've never gotten to go skiing but a lot of folks from my region go skiing for spring break. Years ago I was told many of them bought blue jeans at Walmart or thrift stores or used some old pairs they already owned, and treated the jeans with Scotchguard waterproofing, IIRC. Not sure how well this works and in recent years, I have not heard of anyone doing this. But I thought I'd pass along that hack.
what card game is pictured?? because to me that's way more interesting than skiing. lol.
I've been skiing exactly once. I knocked down my instructor and it took me two hours to get down the hill (we went ONE ski lift stop up the slope). I'll be in the lodge with hot chocolate if you need me!
Have you seen To All The Boys I've Loved Before? There's a scene where the main character ends up on a ski trip but hates the cold, so she spends the whole time reading romance novels with snacks and face masks!
Oh Ginger that is hilarious! I have been skiing precisely zero times, but I instinctively know I’d be in your talent bracket!
I have no tips to make skiing less expensive; I think the cost is quite prohibitive for most. My husband and 2 girls ski (I don't) and I cringe every time they go for a day (they used to get season passes, but they didn't use them enough, and it's very expensive).
At least they all own their equipment, that was bought used.
the family skis locally for the day. and get there via metro north. i do not ski so i stay home with buddy the cockapoo.
Your family looks about the same as mine. We utilize my cousin's inherited time share. We packed bars, nuts, jerky and fruit leather in our hiking backpacks w/water bladders. With our military and medical professional discounts the passes came out to $80/day. Regular tickets are $157/day.
We have our own skis, boots and bindings, but have them tuned up and waxed far away from the resorts. I use bibs, coat, merino wool t shirts and winter running pants as layers all found at the GW bins. My helmet is my mountain climbing helmet. The goggles are from the lodge parking lot. Gloves were a garage sale find. I take both skis and snowboards. We drive to Tahoe in my big truck with a locking canopy. We cook our meals, bring Yahtzee and cards, a puzzle and there was a couple Nintendo switches. I brought my convection oven, instapot and tailgater grill w/Protective heat mat. if the snow pack is good in Oregon, we stay here. We've spent many holidays at Tahoe, water skiing, snow skiing and hiking section K of the PCT.
Sounds like the perfect thing to spend money on. Family/friends fun and outdoor movement! My two criteria for priceless.
Sugar Bowl is my fave slopes in Tahoe. Youth and Health are a gift, and now is your time to spend 😉 Yay you!!!
My daughter has taken up cross country skiing because there are parks around her where you can ski for free, or for a small fee. If it snows enough, she can ski on a sidewalk in her neighborhood! She bought a lot of her equipment second hand at equipment swaps. Swapping cross country for downhill is a good way to keep costs down.
Downhill costs are crazy expensive! I live close enough to a resort to be able to drive there for a day, but I’m not excited enough about it to pay for lift tickets. I’ll spend my fun money elsewhere, on world travel, for instance.
I do admire that you occasionally throw caution to the wind and spend money on experiences or cute lamps. Some of the frugal blogs are a bit too parsimonious, and I think I’m supposed to feel guilty if I go to Walmart and buy a cute bowl, when I should wait to find one on the side of the road instead. 😉
I used to ski "locally" (in southern Indiana) after work with my Dad, one of his friends, and an uncle. I had my own skis, etc., and there was a Lyft ticket price break for going after 4:00.
When we'd go SKIING, we went to Winter Park, Colorado, the first week of April - LOADS of snow (nearly 10" most nights), not horribly cold, and off-season rates.
We'd stay at a small local motel (a housekeeping unit with a kitchenette) about a mile from the slopes, and ride the free city shuttle to the lodge. No expensive resort stays for us!
We'd eat a cheap breakfast and dinner at a local place, and usually stopped for lunch at a mid-mountain cafe - chili in bread bowls and a soft drink (coffee for Dad).
Is usually being home a pin, T-shirt, or can coozie as my souvenir.
When Dad turned 75, some of the resorts offered a free lift ticket, assuming old people would bring others along (not always - LOL!).
We flew a few times, drove several times (with an overnight halfway there), and took the train a few times.
I think the big thing is to go during the off season. The week after we'd been skiing, all the shops would switch to mountain biking.
Just got back from a ski trip this morning and it is painfully expensive! We went with some very spendy friends and ended up spending even more than I would have liked but my husband positioned it as we only have a few more years before our kids are off to college and we provided an experience for our kids to ski with their friends when there might not be many opportunities left. So I did my best to let it go and saved where I could:
-Stopped by Walmart and grabbed some groceries for snacks and lunch for me, since I don't ski.
-Used the ICON pass to ski & also for a discount food/hot cocoa. The pass paid for itself every year but I do wonder if we wouldn't have gone on as many trips if we didn't have the pass. We kinda feel like we needed to make our money back.
-Brought our own helmets
-We rent skis, boots and poles but depending on where we're skiing and if we have a rental car, we rent from places other than the ski resort/lodge. We've found the prices better but also sometimes the condition of gear is better too.
-Bought our pants/jackets/socks/gloves off season. Keep an eye on REI's website. I got a really great Obermeyer jacket for <$100 and good quality ski pants for my daughter for <$60. We won't need to replace them anytime soon. They also have sales on darn tough ski socks, which have been great.
-They are mostly done growing but when they were little, we used hand-me-downs and weren't as picky with the brands since they would outgrow the gear each season.
-Buy base layers from Costco. Literally $6-$8 for a top/bottom set for the kids. the XL size still fits my 15 year old.
-Buy big packs of hand warmers from costco, amazon, or walmart for gloves
-Resell the nicer gear; any money back is better than no money recouped
-If you have someone who can drop you off, you'll save on parking.
-My friend skied with a super light backpack so she could put a bottle of water, a small snack, wallet, etc. My kids wouldn't like it but it helped her.
I learned to ski about 30-ish years ago, when I was in my early 30s. I was on a quest to find ways to enjoy winter, and I'd always wanted to leam how to ski, so I went for it. I can't say I was ever any good, and I'm the poor schlub who held up the ski lift because
I always fell when trying to get off the lift. So embarrassing. I loved every minute, but didn't/don't have friends or family who ski, so that fell by the wayside. Now, with a total knee replacement, I doubt I'll ever ski again. That's okay.
I will say, as a wildlife photographer, SmartWool socks are well worth the investment. I have several pair, some bought on clearance, and they are awesome. SmartWool also has a prpgram where you can send in socks of any brand, size, and material, and they recycle them.
I also tried snowboarding....yeah, NOPE. Ha. It's definitely a young person's sport. 🙂
Sign up w local ski clubs and save half on air/accomodations. If possible, buy the mid-week ski lift package or check if the resort offers passes directly and shop at ski area thrift stores. Freeze portions of meals like chili/lasagne/Alfredo chicken/shrimp and take in a small cooler in your luggage.
You have such an engaging voice as a writer. I don't ski, I don't want to ski, and I basically have zero interest in skiing, but I still enjoyed reading about you trip! I'm glad you were able to enjoy this time with your family.
Aww, this is such a lovely compliment. Thank you!
This was a great summary! I don't ski. I've skied twice, in 1993 (Pennsylvania) and in 1998 (Mammoth). It's not for me. We did go to Tahoe for the first time this past summer. My husband and I left the kid and dog at the hotel and took the tram up to the top. We enjoyed the scenery, and he did a little roller coaster thing. We got there with 1/2 walking and 1/2 renting scooters.
But the lodge cost...we were really thirsty, and we bought a bottle of water and a can of pepsi zero, and it was $13.67, lol.
Staying at a hotel, we ate out more often - and our hotel did not have breakfast. It had a table, microwave, and fridge though. So as typical, I ate a lot of turkey wraps on GF wraps and veggies and hummus. And overnight oats.
I was the person who asked about skiing! Thank you! Sounds like you’re doing everything I’m doing. We’re skiing again at Brian’s Head soon, which has kids under 12 ski free. Last year we skied in Flagstaff and they have the same deal. I bought my lift tickets months ago for Brian’s Head and they were only $31/ day! Yay! I think it’s cheaper because it’s more remote.
This is similar to cars. I always say there are expensive cars and then there are VERY expensive cars.