Skiing
on a Budget
10
Commandments of Cheap Skiing and Snowboarding
Winter
sports are very popular in the U.S. but the conventional wisdom
tells us that skiing and snowboarding are not getting any cheaper.
Because of the high cost they are seen as elitist activities
similar to yachting or equestrian sports. The truth is that
skiing and snowboarding require a huge amount of expensive infrastructure
and will never be as cheap as let's say street basketball. But
you don't need to make a six figure salary in order to ski inexpensively.
There
was only a brief period of time when I could not afford to
go skiing while in college. But even during those dry years
I managed to go to the slopes every now and then by setting
skiing as one of my top priorities. My intention is not to
change your priorities. I'm sure you're well aware that curtailing
frivolous expenses may save you just enough money to enjoy
weeks of skiing and snowboarding.
Instead
I will show you how to save tons of money and make a ski trip
affordable. These ten commandments of cheap skiing are all
tried and tested techniques. I regularly use any combination
of them to maximize the number of ski days each season.
Now
with 20% extra! Yes you heard it right! Not ten but twelve
commandments of cheap skiing are here free of charge so let's
get started.
1.
Join a Ski Club
Most
ski clubs are as fun as geriatric wards but if it saves me
a buck or two I'll play along. The thing is that ski clubs
organize all inclusive ski trips with undeniable fiscal benefits.
For an inexplicable reason winter resorts like ski clubs and
at often offer discounts. These discounts are then passed
onto the members.
It's
a curious thing because a low end travel operator probably
brings in far more guests than a ski club ever will but resorts
still like the clubs. Maybe it's a thing of the past. But
before it's faded out of sight like leather ski boots please
investigate the opportunity.
Compare
the cost of annual membership versus the savings. I've seen
some clubs that still offer discounts to non-members if you
pay what amounts to a "trip fee.
2. January is the Cheapest Month
January
tends to be a slow month in North America. People party for
the new years, everyone is too drunk to get out on the snow
the first week of the year and before you know it a couple
of big storms dump a ton of snow and you just don't feel like
going out at all.
Did
someone say "dump?" January tends to be a stormy
month and most people stay away from the slopes. Good skiing
is intricately connected to snowfall which in turn is a product
of snowstorms. Using this logic one could argue that January
is the best month to ski and I agree.
I
don't want to scare you away by mentioning storms. The actual
weather patterns depend on more than just calendar month but
January seems to have more snowy days than other months. This
doesn't mean that there will be a blizzard every day.
Because
people tend to stay away in January many resorts and travel
agents will offer discounts. This is great news for me because
I get more deep powder skiing days in January than any other
month.
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