The mustachian skiing (and other non motorized winter sports) thread.

[ice_beard]

I've cheapened out on ski equipment and am wondering if that is a good idea.  I've  skied on the same equipment for 20 years.  After about 10 they won't check the release on your bindings.  I've disregarded this and just don't get them checked anymore since I'm doing low level skiing but always wondered if I was cheaping out on my safety. 

I've got a set of modern alpine bindings, un-used I'll send you cheap.  I'm not using them, they are sitting in my garage getting older. 
I don't remember the make/model, but they are a major brand and were bought new at a ski shop end of season in like 2015 or 16.  PM me if interested. 

The "new" shaped skis make skiing so much easier, IMHO, they've probably saved skiing itself as most people new to snow sports were gravitating towards snowboarding over skiing up until those skis came out and made the learning curve much flatter.  I know if I was still skiing the trash heap ski hills of the Midwest (grew up skiing in ski Mecca of Indiana) I would probably be rockin' the most difficult skis I could find in order to make that 250' of elevation a challenge.  Ever thought about telemark skiing?  It's a blast.  I could set you up with a tele setup too!!

 

[Askel]

I know if I was still skiing the trash heap ski hills of the Midwest

Hey, you be nice now! I'll have you know that we are now home to the 2nd best ski resort in the country: 

https://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-ski-resort-2018/

Let that lack of editorial oversight sink in for a few minutes.  ;)   

[TrMama]

@skp  I'm newly very risk adverse wrt equipment (see my post above for the reason) and if those were my skis, I'd replace at least the bindings and boots. However, since newer used gear is so cheap, it's probably easier to just pick up some newer skis that also have newer bindings.

Bindings that don't release when you fall are a big risk to your joints and bones because the ski makes an excellent lever. However, the opposite is also a problem. If the binding releases (or breaks) when it shouldn't, you'll fall unexpectedly. When you're a kid and your joints are still rubbery, this isn't really a problem. It's also not much of a problem if the hill you're skiing is pretty flat. However, if you're on a steep slope, you could fall face first a long ways and if you're "mature" you may not bounce back very quickly.

[skp]

I think I will buy new skiis at the end of the season.  They should last me until I retire from skiing.

[Daisy]

I got the IKON pass this year for $600. I plan to ski around 30 days. That's $20/day. Not bad for a Florida girl!

I make my own breakfast and pack a lunch for the mountain. I usually take sturdy vegetables like celery and carrots and a can of sardines and an apple. It's very easy to eat my homemade lunch at the restaurants/lodges on the mountains. Eat your frugal lunch while everyone else overpays for a burger or salad.

Pro-tip I received from another skier - bring your own powdered cocoa and get some free hot water on the mountain to make your own hot chocolate.

I try to stay at a hostel if alone, or rent a condo with friends. It's always nice to have a kitchen. I try to eat in as much as possible, unless swayed by friends to eat out occasionally. My one splurge would be a beer at apres-ski.

I splurged on custom boots about 10 years ago (no rental boots or off the shelf boots would fit my weird foot/calf ratio). I had the boots inspected last year and they are as good as new! I bought new skis at an end of season sale around 7 years ago so I don't need to rent equipment.

Ski towns usually have free transportation throughout the ski resort area.

Travel hack the flights.

[Hula Hoop]

Love these posts. My father grew up in rural Scandinavia and used to ski to his village school during the winter, ski to his friend's houses and generally just ski around town.  No one had cars back then and this is just how people got around. 

He immigrated to the US but is still very comfortable on a pair of cross country skis and straps them on whenever it snows.  However, he thinks down hill skiing is completely insane.  Skiing is a mode of transport for him and why on earth would anyone want to hurtle down hill at a million miles per hour, chop down all the trees and build chair lifts.  Not to mention spend $$$ on skis and ski gear (his dad used to make his skis out of wood).  My mother took me down hill skiing as a kid and he was terrified ("remember what happened to Sonny Bono!")


Anyway, thanks for putting this into words for me.  Skiing is indeed a very practical way to get around for people who live in snowy climates but it has unfortunately also become this  snobby and expensive industry that is horrible for the environment.

I went down hill skiing a few times during my non-mustachian days and agree that it is fun.  But the culture and industry that surrounds it is pretty non-mustachian.  Frankly, I'd rather put that money towards FIRE. 

[Askel]

Oof. Season startup is always rough. 

Lessee...

$156.13 Not one, but TWO pairs of NNN BC boots. I'm in a panic because all my duckbills are down for the count. I may send one pair back as it overlaps with an existing, but less sexy pair I already own.   

$73 Finally made it over to the shoe repair guy 100 miles away. It was a down payment on getting two pairs of those boots I refuse to give up on back in service.

$299.95 1 pair Madshus Epoch 68 skis.   I miss the days when people couldn't give stuff like this away and it could be found for pennies on the internet.   

The good news is the warranty claim on my heavy ski boots is looking good. The bad news is the boots they replaced are probably going to get fixed. And I just bought new NNN BC boots to replace the replacements anyway.   

I'll leave out the $33 breakfast, $54 bar tab, and $27 of gas to go fatbiking with the wife and friends this weekend. It was a mandatory good time. ;)   

[peeps_be_peeping]

I spent $0 to ski at my local club-operated town hill on Sunday. There were high winds so they couldn't operate the chairlifts. Only the T-Bar was running so they reduced the non-member lift ticket price and gave $0 lift tickets to club members like me. I did not buy any snacks or drinks. The snow wasn't half bad either.

[Linea_Norway]

$299.95 1 pair Madshus Epoch 68 skis.   I miss the days when people couldn't give stuff like this away and it could be found for pennies on the internet.   

In Oslo the big skiing clubs have a ski market where parents can buy and sell children's skis for low prices. We once found some good quality backcountry skis there, very used. They were donated by a couple who bought new ones and thought the old ones were to good to ditch. Such places usually have some pairs for adults as well, but you won't have the biggest choice.

[Askel]

Yeah, we have the same thing here. Unfortunately, that class of ski is kind of a niche here and the people who do buy them tend to ski them until there's nothing left. 

I'd been keeping an eye on the second hand markets for something similar since October but nothing ever came up at the right time. 

[Much Fishing to Do]

Our (admittedly modest) slopes have a season lift pass for $500.  Sure you can spend a ton off money on buying/replacing ski equipment but thats not necessary, there are ski swap used sales, and if you take care of your equipment it can last a very long time, so I think this can be small.

For someone fired who has the time to go often and loves it it doesn't seem that bad a spending choice to me.

[driftwood]

Askel, thanks for the opportunity to throw my opinion on the internet.

TLDR - me blabbing about my skiing setup

I won't ever claim that the backcounty skiing I used to do or the downhill resort skiing I do now is mustachian at all. I've tried to do it mostly cheaply though, but that's not the same thing.

I've been through a few pairs of brand new boots, tried choosing myself, tried having an 'experienced' ski shop person help me choose... all pairs tore up my feet. Then I saw an ad for a ski shop selling old rental boots, bought a pair for $15. Holy shit my feet were in heaven! Those boots have been from the Snowbowl in AZ to Switzerland. I finally wore the bottom off and they couldn't clip into skis. :-( But I used the almighty power of the internet to find the exact same old model on eBay so now I'm on my second iteration of heaven. I am sad that when these die, that old model will probably not exist anywhere and I'll have to find a new pair.

I've also gone through multiple sets of skis... I've done telemark and alpine and then regular downhill setups. My current skis cost $20 from goodwill. They match my skiing ability very well, so I'm happy with them. I also know that no one in their right mind would ever steal those old pieces of shit, so that's nice as well. But then again my ski poles cost $120 I think.

And then there's the cost of lift tickets. I've been through some long dry spells when I didn't live near a place to ski. I finally won the skiing lottery though - got stationed in Colorado springs, I get the Epic Pass for $99, which is UNLIMITED visits to all Vail resorts for the whole season. HOLY FUCK! Yeah it's a big deal to me. I got stuck on a broken chairlift a few weeks ago at Vail for maybe 30ish minutes... I get off the lift and they give us all a pair of vouchers for lift tickets. That's pretty cool, but I was more excited about the hot chocolate voucher they gave us too. Until later, I look up these lift tickets, and they're charging $199 per lift ticket for one day. HOLY FUCKING SHIT THAT'S INSANE! And now I look at the other skiers now and wonder if they're paying that mad price to ski. If I had to pay that I'd quit skiing. So I'm obviously very thankful for the circumstances that are allowing me to ski for relatively cheap.

My clothes setup is all over the price map. Bought goggles new with swappable lenses,  but a $15 garage sale helmet. I wear mountaineering pants (probably cost $150-$200 in 2010), and a $90 hoodie, under a big $50 Walmart jacket. Mittens maybe $15. I definitely go with what works best, and I've gotten a lot better at looking at shiny expensive new gear and then walking away and finding a better option. I've started to really appreciate it when I have the feeling of the 'perfect' gear/clothes setup as opposed to the newest, cutting-edge technology, most baddassest setup.

I'd say the whole experience of backcountry skiing to a yurt or cabin, using an outhouse with a full moonlit-snow-covered view better than the view that many millionaires have was pretty incredible and hard to beat. But on the other hand the amount of downhill time I can get in a day at a groomed place is pretty incredible. Backcountry skiing was a cool way to travel in winter, but spending hours walking uphill and doing snow checks for avalanche danger just to ski down a 10-20 min run wasn't nearly as fun. More peaceful and magical though.

I saw it mentioned how there may be judgement about having old gear, but I've only noticed it when I used to ski with snowblades. Other than that, I think people may notice, but most don't give a shit. They want to ski/snowboard and that's what they're there for.

[draco44]

Casual, 1-3x/year downhill skier here. For me it's about maximizing slope time and minimizing expenses. Others touched on this with comments about bringing in your own food, but my specific strategy is to stuff all of the pockets of my coat with snacks and a PB&J sandwich or two for those precious few days while I am on the slopes. No time or money wasted buying overpriced food in the resort cafeteria or trekking back to the parking lot to your car, you can grab a bite on the chairlift if you want, and if you happen to fall, well, you just have a bit of extra padding.

[Dr Kidstache]

I am loving this thread. I've just taken up skate skiing this winter (moved somewhere with groomed trails just outside my door plus a couple nordic centers in town) and am taking lessons with a women's group in town. Also bought some snowshoes for tromping around the neighborhood with my dog.
I'm a former snowboarder, currently learning to downhill ski instead due to a disability that's easier to adapt for skiing. I'd love to be able to downhill ski more but it's costly and restricted because I can only go on days that I can participate in the adaptive program. My hope, though, is that I'll be able to mainstream by next winter and be able to get a season pass which will cut costs considerably.

[2microsNH]

I'm so happy to find this thread! I've been obsessed with XC skiing for the past two years... I've lived in New England and snowshoed here for 17 years, and two years ago finally bought a decent pair of metal-edged XC skis and boots, and I'm so obsessed it's distracting... when we have snow, the only thing I can think about is getting out on my skis. I'm also a cyclist and most of my friends have fat bikes for winter, but I'm just not interested in cycling all winter -- I'd rather ski.

I'll ski anywhere; if my skis will glide on it, I'll ski it. Last week I started in 1" of fresh snow that was slush by the time I finished (snow had turned to rain), and it was a blast. I have a pair of battered rock skis for the crappy-snow days and for skiing on roads and gravelly rail trails. I prefer trails and logging roads because I love the quiet and solitude, but I'll pay for a day on groomed trails occasionally if I want a different experience.

I live in southern NH and it's been really sad seeing the winters here change so much.... every winter storm used to bring at least some snow, but the past three years we've gotten a ton of rain and sleet all winter. Even in the monster storm hitting New England this Sunday, my town will start with snow and then likely change over to rain / mix. I anticipate eventually moving north where the snow is still decent.

On a related note, it drives me nuts when people complain about the snow or describe a snowstorm as "bad" weather. I judge people who use that language very harshly.

[skp]

[qu  On a related note, it drives me nuts when people complain about the snow or describe a snowstorm as "bad" weather. I judge people who use that language very harshly.
[/quote]

LOL We say that all the time.  If you don't like snow why are you living in the snow belt of Ohio.  But on the other hand I get not liking to drive in the stuff, so my compromise is, let's coexist, I'm OK if it doesn't snow a foot,  as long as  it doesn't rain, and the temp doesn't go above 35.

[Linea_Norway]

I prefer the snow to fall occasionally, but in big quantities. Then we need to clean it sometimes, but not every day.

[dude]

Now, a fantastic cultural and phenomenal ski trip to Japan can be had for a relatively reasonable price...  but that's another thread!!!

@ice_beard, I did a Hokkaido ski trip a few years ago for my birthday -- one of the best trips of my life! Everything about that place is magical. The trip included 2 days of cat-assisted (i.e., the 'cat hauled us 45 minutes up the snow covered road to the base of a big cirque/mountains, and we skinned and skied surrounding terrain from there) and staying in a mom-and-pop onsen lodge on the Sea of Japan -- absolutely incredible! Been plotting a return to Japan ever since.  Hopefully next season.

[SEAK]

I absolutely love all forms of skiing. Grew up in Alaska cross country and downhill skiing, switched to snowboarding in college, learned to telemark ski while teaching our kids to ski, and now have come full circle and mostly cross country and downhill ski. Best part of my job is when I use cross country skis to access our streamgage sites here in Alaska.

We mostly piece together used ski gear for ourselves and the kids. I haven't found skiing to be terribly expensive. Rates at our local city owned ski area are subsidized by the city and the local cross country trails are maintained by a local non-profit. And there are plenty of areas around to just go explore without trails.

[Askel]

Another payday, another hundred bucks.

$57 on tubes and rim strips to undo a tubeless conversion on the used fat bike I bough.  Another $40 on new lowers and baskets for my Black Diamond Traverse poles. 

These poles have actually been a fairly decent investment. I tend to fall on my poles a lot, so they get bent. With these, I can just replace the bent lower every other year and the baskets roughly ever 4.   And I can adjust them from 155cm to 110cm- perfect for long stride XC or getting low and aggressive on the downhill.  About the only thing they don't really work for is skate. 

[Askel]

Oh, and the good news is my warranty claim went through and one set of ski boots is back in action!  May be able to stay on 3 pins for the foreseeable future. 

[cookielover]

I love downhill skiing.  We live about 2 hour away from a great NW ski resort.  SO and I get season passes every year and go to ski about 15 days a year.  After the initial investment on ski gears, clothes, and vehicle related upgrade (snow tires, ski box, etc), the cost each year is not that bad.  We try to ski cheaply.  We buy season passes with discount before season starts; we bring our snack and lunch, and we ski at least 5 to 6 hours whenever we go up to the mountain.  We usually buy medium to high quality new ski gears, usually at the end of the season. For us skiing is long term investment.  We get to spend quality bonding time together, exercise all day, and enjoy beautiful sceneries.  We plan to keep skiing until we are too old to ski, and hope we ski more after I retire.

[Linea_Norway]

I don't know if it counts as winter sports, but last night we walked through the forest and the snow to the neighbouring village and made dinner on a campfire near a lake, just beyond the houses. That gave a 2 hour excercise and a nice way of having dinner.

[Linea_Norway]

Both on Friday and on Sunday we went CC skiing close to home. On Friday the snow conditions were quite good, because we were in higher terrain. On Sunday there was minimal with snow and it was good that we used our old skies. Stones and other stuff came through the tracks in many places.

On Friday I was still a bit sick and had to stick to a short trip at slow speed. DH got heart rhythm trouble. On Sunday it went much better with both of us.

[bognish]

I got laid off 7 days before the ski mountain I have a pass to opened for this season, so now I am a ski at home dad. So far 25 ski days for me this season.  Its been a great snow year for us, and I am really lucky to hit a lot of big storms (88" in the last 8 days!!!). It is amazing how empty the mountain is mid-week.

Skiing is our biggest discretionary spending category, but we find ways to make it affordable. It also makes me motivated to stay in shape and the quality time with kids can be beat. Most ski shops sell their demo skis at the end of the season for relatively low prices. $325 with bindings was the going rate last April. Nice thing with demo skis is the bindings are easy to adjust, so I can fit them to other boots when we get visitors. Local shops sell good kids skis & boots for about $125 total. With 2 kids we will get 3-4 seasons out of that $125 set up and then sell them for probably $50-$75. Keeping them tuned costs a couple beers and $10 wax per year. That's about it for costs for us. All the clothes we would have to buy anyways for other outside winter activities. We live 2 blocks from the ski bus, fare included with season pass. I drive when the kids come, but we are close so its maybe 1/3 gallon of gas. January 1 it was -5F so I sprung for a hot chocolate for my 8 year old. Otherwise we just come home when we are hungry.

[Trifle]

I got laid off 7 days before the ski mountain I have a pass to opened for this season, so now I am a ski at home dad.

Holy shit @bognish that is a sweet situation -- congratulations!!

[The 585]

I'm a fan of group discount lift tickets. I don't ski often, but occasionally cheap opportunities arise. Just this week went on a work-hosted trip for just $30-- a full day of skiing with charter bus transportation to and from the resort included. Brought my own meals/snacks and my ski gear which I've had for almost 10 years.

[Linea_Norway]

We got a good bunch of snow this weekend. Good for the skiing circumstances close to home.
Unfortunately I will be away from home for the next 2 weekends. But maybe we can ski on some weekday evening. Now that the snow conditions are good, it is tempting to do so.

[The Guru]

[qu  On a related note, it drives me nuts when people complain about the snow or describe a snowstorm as "bad" weather. I judge people who use that language very harshly.

LOL We say that all the time. If you don't like snow why are you living in the snow belt of Ohio.  But on the other hand I get not liking to drive in the stuff, so my compromise is, let's coexist, I'm OK if it doesn't snow a foot,  as long as  it doesn't rain, and the temp doesn't go above 35.

[/quote]

I can totally relate to the above comments. My pet peeves are...

....lamenting getting cold rain instead of a nice snowfall, and then hearing some bozo say "well- at least we don't have to shovel it!" Sooooo funny.

....people who complain about the north b/c it's "too cold" to do anything outside for 3 months of the year* ...then expressing their eagerness to move somewhere it's too HOT to do anything outdoors for 3 months out of the year.

*except it's not, thanks to the revolutionary concept of "clothing".

[AlexMar]

We got a good bunch of snow this weekend. Good for the skiing circumstances close to home.
Unfortunately I will be away from home for the next 2 weekends. But maybe we can ski on some weekday evening. Now that the snow conditions are good, it is tempting to do so.

I take it you are in Norway?  We go every year to Hemsedal.  Norwegian kroner is so weak that the costs are a fraction of going to a great spot in the States.  Our Danish family comes up and we get a ski in/out cabin with 4 bedrooms, sauna, etc... it's cheaper than a hotel in Tahoe and we split it 10+ ways.  Ski right out the door.  Plus the kids can play in the snow.  We bring all of our own food, too.  Deals on lift tickets and rentals and we are skiing for barely 20% - 25% of what it costs us to go to Tahoe - and we need to go see family yearly anyways... 2 birds.  Plus the direct flights on Norwegian air is cheaper than domestic flights in the States!  Even the hotel in Oslo we stay at, right in downtown, is incredibly affordable.

So for us, skiing can be very affordable and I'd consider this the mustachian way of doing it... at least for our family.

[Linea_Norway]

We got a good bunch of snow this weekend. Good for the skiing circumstances close to home.
Unfortunately I will be away from home for the next 2 weekends. But maybe we can ski on some weekday evening. Now that the snow conditions are good, it is tempting to do so.

I take it you are in Norway?  We go every year to Hemsedal.  Norwegian kroner is so weak that the costs are a fraction of going to a great spot in the States.  Our Danish family comes up and we get a ski in/out cabin with 4 bedrooms, sauna, etc... it's cheaper than a hotel in Tahoe and we split it 10+ ways.  Ski right out the door.  Plus the kids can play in the snow.  We bring all of our own food, too.  Deals on lift tickets and rentals and we are skiing for barely 20% - 25% of what it costs us to go to Tahoe - and we need to go see family yearly anyways... 2 birds.  Plus the direct flights on Norwegian air is cheaper than domestic flights in the States!  Even the hotel in Oslo we stay at, right in downtown, is incredibly affordable.

So for us, skiing can be very affordable and I'd consider this the mustachian way of doing it... at least for our family.

Good for you. It is not often that Norway is described as a good economic deal.

But you are right. We used to pay 6,5 Norwegian crowns for a dollar for many years and today we pay 8. Euros used to cost 8 crowns and are now around 10.

[AlexMar]

We got a good bunch of snow this weekend. Good for the skiing circumstances close to home.
Unfortunately I will be away from home for the next 2 weekends. But maybe we can ski on some weekday evening. Now that the snow conditions are good, it is tempting to do so.

I take it you are in Norway?  We go every year to Hemsedal.  Norwegian kroner is so weak that the costs are a fraction of going to a great spot in the States.  Our Danish family comes up and we get a ski in/out cabin with 4 bedrooms, sauna, etc... it's cheaper than a hotel in Tahoe and we split it 10+ ways.  Ski right out the door.  Plus the kids can play in the snow.  We bring all of our own food, too.  Deals on lift tickets and rentals and we are skiing for barely 20% - 25% of what it costs us to go to Tahoe - and we need to go see family yearly anyways... 2 birds.  Plus the direct flights on Norwegian air is cheaper than domestic flights in the States!  Even the hotel in Oslo we stay at, right in downtown, is incredibly affordable.

So for us, skiing can be very affordable and I'd consider this the mustachian way of doing it... at least for our family.

Good for you. It is not often that Norway is described as a good economic deal.

But you are right. We used to pay 6,5 Norwegian crowns for a dollar for many years and today we pay 8. Euros used to cost 8 crowns and are now around 10.

All my Danish family complains about how expensive Norway is.  That's incredibly expensive.  Stories about how the grocery stores have a knife next to cucumbers so you can cut off just what you need (whether that's true or not I have no idea).  But for us, the conversion makes it very, very inexpensive right now.  I'd have to check, but lift tickets end up being like $30 as opposed to $120 in the States.

[Linea_Norway]

We got a good bunch of snow this weekend. Good for the skiing circumstances close to home.
Unfortunately I will be away from home for the next 2 weekends. But maybe we can ski on some weekday evening. Now that the snow conditions are good, it is tempting to do so.

I take it you are in Norway?  We go every year to Hemsedal.  Norwegian kroner is so weak that the costs are a fraction of going to a great spot in the States.  Our Danish family comes up and we get a ski in/out cabin with 4 bedrooms, sauna, etc... it's cheaper than a hotel in Tahoe and we split it 10+ ways.  Ski right out the door.  Plus the kids can play in the snow.  We bring all of our own food, too.  Deals on lift tickets and rentals and we are skiing for barely 20% - 25% of what it costs us to go to Tahoe - and we need to go see family yearly anyways... 2 birds.  Plus the direct flights on Norwegian air is cheaper than domestic flights in the States!  Even the hotel in Oslo we stay at, right in downtown, is incredibly affordable.

So for us, skiing can be very affordable and I'd consider this the mustachian way of doing it... at least for our family.

Good for you. It is not often that Norway is described as a good economic deal.

But you are right. We used to pay 6,5 Norwegian crowns for a dollar for many years and today we pay 8. Euros used to cost 8 crowns and are now around 10.

All my Danish family complains about how expensive Norway is.  That's incredibly expensive.  Stories about how the grocery stores have a knife next to cucumbers so you can cut off just what you need (whether that's true or not I have no idea).  But for us, the conversion makes it very, very inexpensive right now.  I'd have to check, but lift tickets end up being like $30 as opposed to $120 in the States.

In the past (1970-ies) they used to sell half cucumbers, as I have heard from older relatives. Now grocery stores look like the ones in other countries such as the Netherlands and Germany. Only melons are often still sold in halves. You are not supposed to cut up the vegetables before you buy them.

[flipboard]

I'm doing a fair amount of XC skiing... quite cheap actually, comparatively speaking:
- Getting to the trails: free because I already need a public transport pass* to get to work, and on average 1hr to most trails (tons of them).
- Skis: had these for 10 years already, so on average 30 USD equivlalent per year so far, trending down (although I have the permanent temptation of getting skating skis - I'm guessing my current skis will wear out or break eventually at which point that might be justified).
- Pass: approx 140 USD equivalent per year. I guess that's the biggest expense.

* I could avoid paying for this pass by living closer to work, but I like where I live, and housing closer to work gets more expensive. Plus commute time is regularly used as work time for me. And of course, no car needed which is probably the bigger saving.

[ice_beard]

- Skis: had these for 10 years already, so on average 30 USD equivlalent per year so far, trending down (although I have the permanent temptation of getting skating skis

Get some skate skis.  It's a game changer for Nordic skiing.  It will take your fitness level to a whole new level and to be quite frank, is way more fun that striding in the set tracks.  It can be difficult at the start and I'd recommend some lessons or at least youtubing/reading about it before you give it a go because it's entirely different than classic.  It can be frustrating too in the beginning because it is so physically demanding, you have to stick with it, but the payoff is immense.  You can ski 20k fast and it's just so much fun.  If you've got consistent, reasonably well groomed snow and can go regularly, I'd absolutely recommend it. 

[35andFI]

I'll join in. I'm going this weekend to a local (1.5 hr drive each way) mountain with a group of friends.

Everyone is going to pack in my car and split gas (no tolls).
Normally I look at all car related expenses but don't want to charge my friends based on this.
Total will come out to less than $5 per person to get to the mountain.

I got a 3 pass in the summer for ~$80 so my lift ticket for this trip is ~$26.67.

I am using a board that was given to me by an old friend back in high school or college, Burton bindings that I got on sale > 10 years ago for cheap, and boots that I got a few years back for somewhere around $130-$160.

The jacket and pants that I am using were given to me as a present years ago as well.
I did lose my goggles and ended up having to buy a pair of Oakleys at the mountain (ouch) for a good chunk of change a few years ago.
Also had to replace my favorite Burton gloves that I lost. Bought a cheap pair from Amazon for $20 that had good reviews. We'll see how those are...

Not including the price that I paid years ago for the gear (wasn't much), my all in cost for the trip (including food that I'll bring) will be less than $40.

[mm1970]

This is the thread that makes me glad I don't ski!  My spouse grew up skiing in the northeast, joined the HS ski club.

I went twice with him.  Once in PA in the early 1990s.  Yeah, I fell a lot.  I mean, 1/2 day of lessons, 1/2 day of falling, I'm done.  Once in the late 1990s (Mammoth Mountain, we'd moved to CA by then).  Half day lessons, a single run "Sesame street" - the runs are a lot longer around here!  Then I was done.  We also did a 1/2 day cross country skiing.

So, I'm more of a sledder at heart, which is what I grew up doing in the Northeast. 

We went to Big Bear one weekend - husband went skiing, 4 yo and I did some sledding.  We went to Yosemite one year - I was pregnant, so hubby went skiing, the kid (6 yo) took a 1/2 day lesson then spent a 1/2 day tubing, while I watched and hauled the tube to the top of the run.  We went to June Lake one year (kids 11 and 5), and opted out of skiing even though it wasn't too busy.  Our cabin had sleds you could borrow and sent us off to a public area where we could sled for free.

At this point, we go find snow every couple of years, and hubby maybe skis every 5 years or so.  He always rents gear because his is old as shit (as in the 1980s).

I have great friends who fly all over for skiing.  And some who go at least 1-2x a year.  Family of 5 with rentals, lessons, lift tickets, the drive to Utah or Mammoth or Yosemite.  Ugh it's expensive.

I know folks who can make it cheaper with annual lift tickets - esp if they live close by.  We've got none of that. 

[jeninco]

- Skis: had these for 10 years already, so on average 30 USD equivlalent per year so far, trending down (although I have the permanent temptation of getting skating skis

Get some skate skis.  It's a game changer for Nordic skiing.  It will take your fitness level to a whole new level and to be quite frank, is way more fun that striding in the set tracks.  It can be difficult at the start and I'd recommend some lessons or at least youtubing/reading about it before you give it a go because it's entirely different than classic.  It can be frustrating too in the beginning because it is so physically demanding, you have to stick with it, but the payoff is immense.  You can ski 20k fast and it's just so much fun.  If you've got consistent, reasonably well groomed snow and can go regularly, I'd absolutely recommend it.

You can (probably) get used skate gear at used equipment stores in places where people nordic ski (I just picked up a set here in Hippistan), last year's rental fleet at the end of the season at rental places, or ski swaps.

I agree: if you have inexpensive access to groomed trails, whipping through the woods on skate skis is a blast. (Um, take lessons to start, or go with someone who has an idea of what they're doing.)

[Linea_Norway]

- Skis: had these for 10 years already, so on average 30 USD equivlalent per year so far, trending down (although I have the permanent temptation of getting skating skis

Get some skate skis.  It's a game changer for Nordic skiing.  It will take your fitness level to a whole new level and to be quite frank, is way more fun that striding in the set tracks.  It can be difficult at the start and I'd recommend some lessons or at least youtubing/reading about it before you give it a go because it's entirely different than classic.  It can be frustrating too in the beginning because it is so physically demanding, you have to stick with it, but the payoff is immense.  You can ski 20k fast and it's just so much fun.  If you've got consistent, reasonably well groomed snow and can go regularly, I'd absolutely recommend it.

You can (probably) get used skate gear at used equipment stores in places where people nordic ski (I just picked up a set here in Hippistan), last year's rental fleet at the end of the season at rental places, or ski swaps.

I agree: if you have inexpensive access to groomed trails, whipping through the woods on skate skis is a blast. (Um, take lessons to start, or go with someone who has an idea of what they're doing.)

My husband grew up as a speed skater, on ice. So when we moved to Norway, he quickly picked up skating on skis and he has dedicated skating skis, shoes and poles. But, even though we have a lot of regularly prepared trails where we live, the trails are often not that wide. My DH is very tall and has long skis and he needs a wide trail. So most of the time when he wants to skate, he used his normal skis with combi shoes, waxes only the inner or outer part or his skis and skates whenever he is in a wide trail. To get there he needs to pass narrower trails, where he uses classic ski technique.

Another option to skate is in the mountains in april. When the sun is strong at day time, while the nights are still cold, the top layer of the snow will get crusty and can carry you on narrow skis. If there then falls a thin layer of snow on top of that crust, it is perfect for skating, which DH often demonstrates by skating fast away from me, who cannot skate.

We love to use combi shoes on classical CC skis all the time. They give good support to the ankles, which gives you good control in going downhill.

[Askel]

Get some skate skis.  It's a game changer for Nordic skiing.  It will take your fitness level to a whole new level and to be quite frank, is way more fun that striding in the set tracks.  It can be difficult at the start and I'd recommend some lessons or at least youtubing/reading about it before you give it a go because it's entirely different than classic.  It can be frustrating too in the beginning because it is so physically demanding, you have to stick with it, but the payoff is immense.  You can ski 20k fast and it's just so much fun.  If you've got consistent, reasonably well groomed snow and can go regularly, I'd absolutely recommend it.

I still take a pretty defeatist attitude towards skate.  There's only so much you can take of little old ladies absolutely flying past you before you say FINE I GIVE IN. 

I enjoy a quiet shuffle in the woods way more than skate, but you can't deny the fitness benefits of skate. If I have barely an hour to get a quick ski in, skate all the way. 

And yeah, definitely take lessons.  There's a lot of subtleties to the technique in using your body mass to keep momentum and get more glide. It really helps to have somebody to critique your technique. 

But there is one thing that skate absolutely rules for. When we get a solid sun crust in the spring, you can just get absolutely flying on it and ski anywhere. Across the street from my house:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExU4BS834rw

[Daisy]

Perhaps someone should start an MMM ski meetup. Perhaps it could be me after I return home from my current ski trip.

I will be skiing in the Salt Lake City area using my IKON pass in late March/early April. Lots of good mountains there on the IKON pass.

[Linea_Norway]

Perhaps someone should start an MMM ski meetup. Perhaps it could be me after I return home from my current ski trip.

I will be skiing in the Salt Lake City area using my IKON pass in late March/early April. Lots of good mountains there on the IKON pass.

I am having a CC ski and winter camping meetup with some new people at and around our cabin this (4-day) weekend. It will be a Mustachian event, although these other people don't call themselves that.

[Trifle]

Perhaps someone should start an MMM ski meetup. Perhaps it could be me after I return home from my current ski trip.

I will be skiing in the Salt Lake City area using my IKON pass in late March/early April. Lots of good mountains there on the IKON pass.

I am having a CC ski and winter camping meetup with some new people at and around our cabin this (4-day) weekend. It will be a Mustachian event, although these other people don't call themselves that.

That sounds so fun Linda -- have a great time!

[Askel]

I GOT PAID TO SKI!

It seems the new managers at my employer are a little more sensitive to the weather than the previous regime.  Blowing snow, lows around 0F and -30F to -40F windchills are apparently enough to call a day off with pay. 

Nonetheless, the closest online thermometer to m favorite ski hill was reporting 3F at 8AM, I'm going skiing!  Technically, they're closed on weekdays, but I didn't want to sit on a lift anyway. Got a fire going in the warming hut and managed a few laps.   









Another day off today with bluebird skies, but the thermometer is reporting -8F, hopefully it'll warm up some.

[Poundwise]

I found this really cool product that lets you groom your own trails.  My in-laws own 15 acres of woods on a slope and if I could get people interested I bet we could put together a nice little trail or two, if we plan ahead in the summer and fall.

https://www.mytrailgroomer.com/

[Askel]

My neighbor grooms about 6K on his 40 acres with an old snowmobile he bought for maybe a hundred bucks and a grooming rig he put together out of scrap lumber. 

Those human powered groomers are pretty funny. You must really have to hate breaking trail to put that amount of effort in. 

[Poundwise]

Those human powered groomers are pretty funny. You must really have to hate breaking trail to put that amount of effort in.

I would do it if it would get the kids off their screens and onto the trail! Think of the children...

[Dr Kidstache]

Perhaps someone should start an MMM ski meetup. Perhaps it could be me after I return home from my current ski trip.

I will be skiing in the Salt Lake City area using my IKON pass in late March/early April. Lots of good mountains there on the IKON pass.

Ooooh, yes. This.
There's also great nordic skiing and snowshoeing around the SLC area. Future meetup for all snow lovers?

@Askel  I live in a winter wonderland and yet your posts still make me want to move wherever you are ;-)

[Askel]

This is really cool.  I love skiing and I've done a few hut trips but never anything like what you're describing.  Are you basically packing everything in on a big sled?  I'm interested in hearing more about your trips and setup/kit if you feel like sharing.  From my perspective, skiing and biking are two things I'm passionate about and give myself permission to spend money on within reason.  Two things about skiing I've always found nuts are the real estate prices in ski towns and the vehicles have for "the lifestyle".  No, I don't think you need a 50k, 15 mpg suv with a $1,000 roof rack+box. A prius with snow tires can work fine.  I've found that reasonably priced food options can be found in town as long as you aren't eating on the slopes.  Also, happy hour specials often make beer cheaper up there vs where I live. Go figure.   

Gear:  I buy good stuff on sale and keep it until it wears out.  I'm still skiing with a north face shell that's almost 20 years old and a pair of arctryx pants purchased in 2005.  Good gear amortized over it's lifecycle isn't too expensive.  Skis can be had very inexpensively, especially when purchased in the off-season.

Sorry, missed this earlier. Me and my buddies have spent all manner dinking around trying to improvise a winter camping setup on the cheap.  Most of us eventually come around to this: Somebody in northern MN/WI probably makes exactly what you need. It won't be cheap, but it'll be well thought out and do the job. 

Tent is an 8x10 snowtrekker: https://www.snowtrekkertents.com/ Yes, crazy expensive and worth every penny. 
After years of dinking around with cobbled together toboggans, I finally just broke down and bought a setup from https://www.skipulk.com/

The vast majority of my trips to date have all been within a mile of the car, so I can usually get everything in no matter how inefficient my mode of travel.  The weekend after next, I'll be doing a shakedown of a loaded trip in: bringing everything I need to get by for 3 nights in one trip.     

Basically, beyond the tent, I just need a zero degree bag, a couple cheap foam sleeping pads and whatever food/clothes I think I might need. Should all fit in the sled. 

Of course, I'll be camping on the backside of the ski hill, so after I get the pulk up the hill, I'll be able to smuggle the luxuries in on the chairlift. You know- gas lantern, beers, unsmushed hot dog buns.   

If all goes well, I'm hoping to attempt a multiday trip this winter towing the pulk behind my fatbike.   

On the subject of meetups, if there's any pinheads in the midwest that want to join me, my camping trip will be part of a really fun event in northern michigan:  https://www.facebook.com/Midwest-Telefest-187042302644/

[Linea_Norway]

My neighbor grooms about 6K on his 40 acres with an old snowmobile he bought for maybe a hundred bucks and a grooming rig he put together out of scrap lumber. 

Those human powered groomers are pretty funny. You must really have to hate breaking trail to put that amount of effort in.

Instead of human powered, you should have dog powered, and a dog. Then you send send it ahead of you.
Good idea to make your own trail. We used to have a neighbour with a tractor who hang a trail maker behind the tractor. But he forgot to put weight on it. That trail was very bad, as you fell through all the time.

We have heard that we have gotten 50 cms of snow at home. We are currently not home, but still CC skiing at low temperatures. Next weekend I will spend the weekend inside a university, learning about mushrooms. I will try to go skiing in the afternoon out of work. We have a trail very close to work and the days are growing longer. I think I could ski for an hour in good light.