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Why is Skiing so Cheap?
By John Bidell
I drive Ellen crazy with my cost benefit analysis of many of our activities. Why can’t you just enjoy yourself? I do, and I do it on a budget. So here is a quick summary of what my boarding season cost me, with a little planning: Northeast, midweek, over 65 y/o - Epic pass for $349. This includes unlimited visits at Hunter, Okemo, and Mt Snow and five days at Stowe, midweek only.
What about weekends with the crowds? Don’t you miss that? Yes I do and that is why I purchased the Indy Pass for $299. The Indy gave me two days at West, Magic, Bolton Valley and my favorite, Jay - all include weekends.
You can purchase additional days at the Indy Mountains, but Bolton has a $39 Monday, and Sugarbush still has a discounted Thursday at Mt. Ellen. Meals, two PBR’s at Mansfield Lodge and other than coffee, I brown bag it. I drove almost 3500 miles on my 25 days of skiing and that came to 100 gallons in my Honda Civic, or $350 out of pocket.
While stays at the house are only $40, I stayed for free because I earned vouchers from work weekends in the past.
Total without coffee? Under a grand, or $40 a day for my 25 days on the mountain. So start thinking how you can ski cheap in 2025!
