"Luxury" Ski Weekend

[MontanaMoneyMustache]

Heading out to a quite expensive resort this weekend. Here are the details:

Friend's wife's co-worker's vacation home (right on the slopes, walking distance to everything) = $0
Carpool with friend, he drives, I pitch in for gas = $30
Food brought from home (included in normal monthly food budget) = $0
Lift tickets (I have my old college ID, friend has a coupon, I have a gift card to the resort from Christmas) = $50 (for two days)
Incidentals/beverages = $20
My snowboard gear (had since living at home back in high school) = $0

So ~$100 for an awesome ski weekend. My friend and I do a "guys weekend" once per year and always try to keep it low cost. This year a typically high priced activity worked out to be dirt cheap, so off we go on Thursday!

Cost with no free place to stay/no discounts/buy every meal?
Hotel on slopes = $200/night = $600, split two ways $300
Gas = $30
Food = ~$150
Lift tickets = $100/day = $200 for two days

Nearly $700! Probably more if we were buying $10 beers at the lodge.

[Cromacster]

I'm doing that this week as well, but going to Colorado.  Ours will be slightly more expensive due to the distance (15 hr drive each way).  $100 in gas, $200 for 3 day lift pass, and $100 for food and beer.

Other than that we have free lodging at a buddy's house (he lives on the mountain the bastard).

Last year we found a sweet deal at Jackson Hole.  3 nights of lodging, 3 days skiing for $350 per person.  Which is crazy since the lift passes alone typically run 80-100/day.  And the accommodations, while rough, were about 10 steps from the nearest lift.

Where are you going in MT?  Big Sky is my favorite place to go in the entire country.

[CommonCents]

Awesome (although I don't condone using the college ID if not in college).  I do similar and have brought friends up with me at times too.  My folks live 7 mins from a mountain, so I love staying with them ($0), having good home cooked meals (normal budget or free if they are hosting), and bringing lunch to the resort.  My ski gear is all 10+ years (except my helmet - a present maybe 5 years ago?).  The skis were bought when my brother won a beginner set of skis and negotiated for money off an advanced set for me instead.  I buy discounted lift tickets from working advantage for about $55-60 rather than $80-85.  Even still we didn't go last year and will only go once this year.

My sister went to get new skis recently.  We learned to ski as kids in Alaska.  So she still had skis from when she was ~12? 14? years old.  Straight edge, no parabolics.  The ski shop guy told her that her skis were older than the old ones they used in making benches (functional art).

[MontanaMoneyMustache]

I'm doing that this week as well, but going to Colorado.  Ours will be slightly more expensive due to the distance (15 hr drive each way).  $100 in gas, $200 for 3 day lift pass, and $100 for food and beer.

Other than that we have free lodging at a buddy's house (he lives on the mountain the bastard).

Last year we found a sweet deal at Jackson Hole.  3 nights of lodging, 3 days skiing for $350 per person.  Which is crazy since the lift passes alone typically run 80-100/day.  And the accommodations, while rough, were about 10 steps from the nearest lift.

Where are you going in MT?  Big Sky is my favorite place to go in the entire country.

Big Sky! Used to go there quite a bit a few years ago but haven't made it in a while.

Awesome (although I don't condone using the college ID if not in college).  I do similar and have brought friends up with me at times too.  My folks live 7 mins from a mountain, so I love staying with them ($0), having good home cooked meals (normal budget or free if they are hosting), and bringing lunch to the resort.  My ski gear is all 10+ years (except my helmet - a present maybe 5 years ago?).  The skis were bought when my brother won a beginner set of skis and negotiated for money off an advanced set for me instead.  I buy discounted lift tickets from working advantage for about $55-60 rather than $80-85.  Even still we didn't go last year and will only go once this year.

My sister went to get new skis recently.  We learned to ski as kids in Alaska.  So she still had skis from when she was ~12? 14? years old.  Straight edge, no parabolics.  The ski shop guy told her that her skis were older than the old ones they used in making benches (functional art).

Old equipment is the best! Some new technology is good, but most of it is overrated. Any good skier/boarder can do the same things on old stuff.

[Bob W]

Love it!   You could probably deduct most of the beverage allocation as you probably would spend that even if it was a staycation.   Did I miss it or did you say where you're headed?

[MontanaMoneyMustache]

Big Sky Resort in Big Sky, MT

http://bigskyresort.com/

I left the beverages in there because we typically don't drink much at home. We're both bringing our own and may have 1-2 additional people show up so $20 worth should be plenty!

[Zamboni]

^Beautiful place!

Nothing beats a friend who invests in a vacation home that they then want to share.

[Longwaytogo]

Awesome! I have a similar free place to stay in Utah coming up and I scored free flights with some Amex bonus points (first class no less!).

Another good tip if no one has used before is Liftopia.com. Just got my 3 day lift tickets for $164 vs list of $238. Hopefully that $74 savings will cover my share of the groceries/beer. I usually throw some beef jerky and nuts in my pocket for lunch and do a couple runs while the others blow $30 on a beer/burger. Than we all do breakfast/dinner at condo.

I also would never use a college ID if I was not in college. The more who take advantage of this; the less places will offer the discount for the actual college students.

Sharing a Season pass seems pretty dishonest in my opinion as well...but to each their own!

[Miss Prim]

I highly suggest liftopia too.  I just went up to my mom's place in Michigan and we drove to Schuss in Bellaire, Mi.  I got my lift ticket for $18.75 (senior) for a Monday.  My mom is free because she is 83!  She skis twice a week with her friends.  Hope I can do that when I am 83!  If I even make it to that!

                                                                                                       Miss Prim