Melt away skiing expenses with clever ideas
When I was a kid, this was my favorite time of year to ski. I grew up back East, so I didn’t like powder and would take fair weather any day. It was about this time of year that we would take off for our spring family ski vacation.
I have such wonderful memories of those trips, but I also carry this vague memory of feeling overwhelmed by the cost of the trip. That memory has stuck with me because a young girl doesn’t usually concern herself with such things. We save those worries for when we are actually paying for the trip.
Nevertheless, I remember arriving at our hotel and unloading a van full of gear and luggage at the main entrance. All six of us ferried everything up to the room, but somehow the massive pile of stuff was left unattended, if only briefly, and our ski poles were stolen. The next morning, my father bought six six-day lift tickets and six new pairs of poles. He said, “The hemorrhaging of money has begun.”
Not much has changed, except prices are higher. Resorts grapple with escalating costs and compete for a bigger piece of a pie that isn’t growing in size.
I spoke with a lady named Laura who put her son in a private lesson and her younger daughter in daycare. She took advantage of significant savings because her brother worked at the ski resort. Her son has been begging her to learn to ski, and that’s hard to turn down. She replied, “I’m nervous that he’s going to get hooked.”
What do you do when your child is dying to get out on the hill and learn to ski or snowboard, but the sheer cost of getting him out the door and onto the slopes is prohibitive?
The Inland Northwest Ski Areas Association (INSA) and the individual ski areas have programs designed to make skiing affordable. Affordable is a relative term, but following is a range of ideas for those who want to learn the sport or just want to do it more often.
Lookout Pass offers a free ski school for kids 6-17 that is staffed by volunteers. Lessons take place Saturdays and kids must have their own skis.
The EZ 1-2-3 program is an INSA program offered at all local resorts. “It is an excellent deal,” said Karen Stebbins, spokesperson for INSA, “for $69 to $99 first-timers can get rental equipment, lessons and lift tickets for three days.”
A “passport” for fifth-graders offers more than 40 free visits to INSA and Idaho ski areas. “The idea is to hook the fifth-grader for life,” Stebbins said. “Hopefully, they’ll bring their parents and when they grow, they’ll come with their friends and … their kids.”
Ron Nova, general manager at Schweitzer, suggested that those who need to buy equipment check with local ski areas now to see if they are selling their rentals. “You can choose from frontline gear to high-end demos at very good prices,” Nova said.
Most of the mountains start their 2006-07 season pass sales now. It’s hard to spend money now for something you won’t use until next year, but they sweeten the deal in a couple of ways. If you buy now, you can use it the rest of this season and the rates are significantly less than they will be in the fall. Check each mountain for its special deals such as family discounts and loyalty cards.
Schweitzer Mountain offers family vacations for which up to two kids age 12 and younger stay and ski for free. Two nights from $349 includes lodging and skiing for two adults and two children.
If all else fails, get yourself that job at a ski area. Pursue that lifelong dream to be a ski bum for a year and get great benefits such as free season passes and discounts on lessons and rentals. It may not make you rich financially, but sometimes the richness is in the experience.