Is there such thing as affordable skiing?

[Anonymous]

My daughter who is 8 enjoys skiing. It’s such an expensive activity. We are going to Timberline this weekend and staying one night at the lodge. Here’s our cost so far:

Lodging: $200
Ski lesson: $130
Lift ticket: $170 ($95 plus $65)
Rental: $138 (adult plus child)
Adaptive lesson for my son: $85

Total: $657 not including food.

Are there cheaper places or programs for students to learn skiing without breaking the bank?

We have another trip to Canaan Valley in February and I am thinking of cancelling. Some may suggest local resorts (Liberty/Roundtop/Whitetail), but these resorts have not been having snow this past 2 years.

I welcome suggestions and tips. I know skiing is a rich man’s activity, and we are far from it.

[Anonymous]

8 so 2nd or 3rd grade? This may help for 4th and 5th: https://www.goskiwv.com/2019/10/18/passport-program

[Anonymous]

I think Bryce is cheaper than Timberline although it is smaller and has less snow. it is also closer so you can go for a day trip (definitely bring food to Bryce the food there is not good).

One way to save money and hassle is to buy used equipment at a ski swap in the fall. That is a great way to get both kid and adult equipment. For your kid, you may still be able to participate in Alpine Ski Shop's lease program. if you get lucky and they have used equipment to lease it is a great deal. But even for new equipment it works out if you ski a few times. We just paid $300 for new boots/skis for our kid and they will buy it back next season for $150 in store credit (that we use towards the next lease). You could also buy a multiday Epic pass for liberty/roundtop/whitetail in the fall but those are no longer for sale.

It also gets cheaper once your kids no longer need lessons.

[Anonymous]

Skiing is more affordable for teens and up, and those who live closer to decent resorts.

Hate to say this but at some point quit the lessons.

Find friends who want to share the cost of trips and lodging. Join a school or community ski club if it will lower your cost.

Once foot size and height stabilize, purchase own equipment to reduce rental gear costs. If it makes financial sense purchase off-rental skis and boots at the end of the season. If you note down make, model, and size of rental equipment that worked well, you may be able to purchase used versions over the internet.

Visit ski swap sales looking for a great deal.

If you can commit to a lot of skiing, a pass such as the Ikon or Epic pass can lower your lift cost per day.

When you get a hotel, try to find one that includes fred breakfast.

It is an expensive hobby, but recently the Ikon and Epic passes have been credited with helping the industry quite a lot.

I don't know if it would be cheaper than West Virginia but you could look at Silver Springs and Hidden Valley in Western PA as well as Deep Creek in Maryland.

[Anonymous]

One tip for timberline is if you buy a season pass in the spring for the next winter, it is a steal. Serious discount and if you go even a few days you at minimum break even. So we do that - get it real early they have a few deadlines I think the first one for the cheapest version is like April or something. And then the seasonal rental/leasing is what we are doing next year. Then you can do it multiple times and feel it’s worth it. We also skip lessons but I’ve been skiing since I was little and so just teach my son. Eventually we’ll get him lessons here and there to help with technique I’m sure but usually we just ski and enjoy. Obviously understandable that the adaptive lesson is a very worthwhile cost.

But yes it’s expensive… ski swaps like someone mentioned are also good. Having your own skis generally makes the whole experience easier and more enjoyable in my opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:8 so 2nd or 3rd grade? This may help for 4th and 5th: https://www.goskiwv.com/2019/10/18/passport-program

OP here. She is in 2nd grade.

Thank you for the link. I will check it out.

[Anonymous]

Hopefully you have a kitchen, we are paying a lot more for AirBnB at 7springs but heating prepared meals and eating in to offset some cost.

Some places, tickets are cheaper on weekday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think Bryce is cheaper than Timberline although it is smaller and has less snow. it is also closer so you can go for a day trip (definitely bring food to Bryce the food there is not good).

One way to save money and hassle is to buy used equipment at a ski swap in the fall. That is a great way to get both kid and adult equipment. For your kid, you may still be able to participate in Alpine Ski Shop's lease program. if you get lucky and they have used equipment to lease it is a great deal. But even for new equipment it works out if you ski a few times. We just paid $300 for new boots/skis for our kid and they will buy it back next season for $150 in store credit (that we use towards the next lease). You could also buy a multiday Epic pass for liberty/roundtop/whitetail in the fall but those are no longer for sale.

It also gets cheaper once your kids no longer need lessons.

OP here. I will look into the ski lease program. Thanks! Waiting in line to rent equipments is a true hassle.

We are in MD, and Bryce is 2.5 hours drive for us and Canaan Valley is 3 hours away. I did consider buying the EPIC pass this spring but because the there hasn’t been a lot of snow for the local Vail resorts and I was afraid we won’t be able to use much of it. We were trying so much to go last year but it was such a horrible year for the resorts.

[Anonymous]

Not really. When people complain how expensive Disney is, I know they don’t ski.

[Anonymous]

PP. I don't know if this is helpful to you but you could consider driving to Michigan or Vermont for a longer break WHEN the snow is good. Vermont is more likely and has more famous resorts, including famous ones in the pass system.

The reason the pass systems work so well is that they guarantee travel business from people who really want to ski but find skiing a poor value per day. It lowers the cost enough that people want to purchase more days locally and then they might also choose to plan a big long distance vacation to a ski resort in the system instead of doing another vacation costing the same amount of cash. Apparently the cross-resort passes also encourage young singles to experiment with more resorts. A single person with a lot of buddies can often get a lodging deal that a family of 4 can't get or wouldn't consider.

There was a thread about bargain snowpants on DCUM a few months ago. Many liked Costco or thrift store gear. I favor Lands' End kids parkas and snowpants on their regular 50% off sale. The girls sizes are cheaper than women's petites and fit better on me. Helmets and goggles are much cheaper online than at resort ski shops.

Hey, at least it's cheaper than polo ponies!

[Anonymous]

Skiing is one of those things where it gets cheaper if you do it a lot. My season pass was $400, my son’s was $300, bought in March. We ski five or six weekends a year, and over winter break. Even if we only ski 12 days this year, it works out to about $60/day in “lift tickets”.

We own skis. Mine were bought end of season several years ago, and DS’s were bought at a ski swap. I think mine were $400 all-in, and his were $150. I will easily use mine for ten years. He will likely outgrow his in a year. Assuming 12 days of skiing, that’s $15 per day in “rentals”.

We did a few group lessons but DS wasn’t progressing so I just committed to teaching him myself. This wasn’t a huge undertaking for me, but if you can’t do that, then do a couple private lessons to start and then just ski together. It’s better bang for your buck. I’ll throw $300 into this number for two private lessons, but divide it over my 12 days of skiing. $25/day for “lessons”.

Find a condo instead of a hotel room and bring your own food. We usually eat breakfast and dinner at home, and get lunch in the lodge. Which sort of mirrors our at-home eating patterns (lunch out on weekends), so it’s a wash. I do a lot of crock pot dinners when we’re skiing.

So my ski weekend (without lodging) is costing me $100 per day. Add your condo back into that. Right now I am seeing 1 brs/sleeps 4 for $225/night. That puts me at $425 per day.

[Anonymous]

If you are truly committed, season passes. It'll pay off within three trips.

The problem around here is that there isn't great skiing. DC is not Tahoe. It's a to-do to pursue skiing around here. Wisp is maybe the best. It has the altitude to get the snow and the cold. But it's a little far for a day trip. Then you have all the other costs.

Liberty sucks. But might be ok for a kid just learning.

The other alternative is to Spring Break it for week out west. 7 days. The kid will learn how to ski. And then season pass things. I think Vail owns a lot of resorts, including out here. I know for military it's extremely affordable, but there must be some kind of family plan that makes it doable.

[Anonymous]

I know season pass friends who pack sandwiches to avoid the food costs.

[Anonymous]

Another possibility...child goes to a ski school some days when parents don't ski. Lowers cost per day of a multiday trip. Depends on the resort's offerings and what other attractions are nearby.

[Anonymous]

Another tip. You can rent skis for the season from sun & ski for $100. Much better than renting at the resort (and waiting in line for) and then you have them all season and aren’t buying new skis/boots every time your child grows out of them.

Skiing initially is an investment but once your kids get the hang of it lessons aren’t needed and it’s a great family sport and gets cheaper. Stinks the past couple winters have been bad snow wise otherwise you can do whitetail or liberty up and back in a day. We did that often when the kids were little and just did the small slope over and over again while they got the hang of skiing