Are ski/snowboard family vacations crazy expensive?
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Anonymous
| There are 5 of us and I would like to take a 5 day or so trip to Utah or Colorado this winter with lessons for 3 younger kids, nice family friendly accommodations, lift tickets, etc. I used to go a lot when I was younger, but this will be the first time for the kids. Preliminary research indicates I will spend close to 7.5k, which seems insane. What am I doing wrong? |
Anonymous
| The lessons is probably part of it, and are you looking over holiday breaks? Looking in NE may be cheaper, and a better option anyway for first time skiers. |
Anonymous
| Very. And it will probably be more. |
Anonymous
|
7.5 inlcuding lodging, airfare and meals too?
It cost 4 of us about 10k for that in Vail last year for 4 days. |
Anonymous
| Yes. That seems low actually. Lift tix are $100 per person per day at least and lessons are what like $400 min per kid per day. And flights and hotel. We paid $4500 for flights for 5 to park city in Feb (non stop and convenient times) and then the hotel etc. we don't eat out though and cook breakfast and dinner at our kitchen in the hotel. |
Anonymous
| 12 K for lodging in beaver creek last year, same for deer valley the year before. |
Anonymous
Agree with this AND they probably need to rent the gear. It adds up! |
Anonymous
| How much cheaper would Vermont or Tremblant or Whiteface be? |
Anonymous
|
In short, yes; very expensive. There are a few ways to cut costs:
-Purchase an Epic or Icon pass, depending on where you plan to ski. They’re heavily discounted for active duty and retired military, if you qualify. If not, it’s still cheaper than buying lift tickets when you get there. -You may still be able to find seasonal equipment rentals at ski shops in this area. We’ve found that if we plan to ski more than a couple of days in a season, it’s cheaper to rent equipment locally (makes sense for kids as they’re still growing, and most shops will let you exchange mid-season if their sizes change). However, if you’re flying, then you need a ski bag, and you just may not want to schlep all that gear with you. -We eat most of our meals at home during the trip, making one big grocery trip at the beginning of the vacation. It’s just easier with kids, and everyone’s tired at the end of a ski day anyways. -There are some smaller resorts out west that can be cheaper — I’ve heard about Brian Head in Utah, and I’m sure there are others. -I wouldn’t count out local-ish mountains, as I’ve found good conditions in West Virginia (Timberline) and PA (Seven Springs). Good luck. It’s tough to keep costs down, especially as resorts consolidate and are bought by PE 😞. |
Anonymous
Flying to Tremblant is NOT CHEAP! |
Anonymous
| Sounds like maybe you all should rant a place in SnowShoe for a week instead. |
Anonymous
|
It will be nearly 3k just for 5 days of lift tickets. That doesn’t include airfare, lodging, food, rentals, etc.
We are flying on points and staying with relatives near Vail. We spent $2200 on four 4-day EPIC passes. Another $1k in rentals. Plus food on the mountain, a $600 rental car. |
Anonymous
Yes, Snowshoe is a great place for beginners. It's not cheap, but at least you'd save on rentals. |
Anonymous
Sorry, should be "At least you'd save on transportation." |
Anonymous
And airfare. |