Everyone thinks skiing is only for rich people. But, it is possible to stay broke and still ski. Today I’m going to tell you how.
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What Happened to Skiing?
Skiing started as survival. Then it became a working class and dirtbag sport. Lift tickets were a few bucks in the 30s to 50s, and a whole ski bum culture grew around it. People lived in cars, cabins, and hostels to chase powder. In the 60s and 70s the ski bum archetype cemented itself. Hitchhiking to the mountain, dishwashing, instructing, doing whatever it took to stay on snow. Being a ski bum was a badge of honor.
From the 1980s through the 2000s, things got commercial. Corporate greed and consumerism took over. Marketing targeted wealthy tourists. Big companies bought resorts, lift ticket prices skyrocketed, and the humble powder chase turned into a luxury product.
Today a walk-up lift ticket can push 300 dollars. The rich person’s sport reputation is real. Who rolls out of bed on a Saturday and drops 1,200 dollars to take a family of four skiing for one day. That is Bezos level spending.
What started as survival turned into a dirtbag culture and then got hijacked by luxury tourism.
Why Skiing Feels So Expensive
Because it is. This is not running where you need shoes and a water bottle. To ski you need a pass that can be 250 to 300 dollars a day, outerwear, boots, skis, bindings, goggles, baselayers, travel, and then a burger and beer that put a dent in your account.
It is ridiculous. And yet, you can still beat it.
Thanks to corporate greed and consumerism, the ski bum dream is harder, but not impossible. Here is how to stay broke and still ski.
There are four crucial things you need to be a skier or snowboarder. In this exact order.
- A job
- Mountains
- Gear
- A pass or lift tickets
Unless you have a trust fund. Then skip all four and go heli when you feel like it.
1) You Need A Job
You do not have to be a doctor, lawyer, hedge fund manager, or entrepreneur. Although those are the types of people you might wind up sharing a lift with. Any minimum wage job and up can work if you plan your life around skiing.
Some jobs are perfect for skiers. I call these S tier jobs. Fishing guides, wildfire crews, tree planters, and other seasonal summer roles. Work hard all summer, then get laid off in winter and ski your face off.
Next best are mountain and flexible schedule jobs. Instructor, ski patrol, liftie, bar staff, server, ski tech, remote work, self employed. You can work evenings or storm off days. Flexibility lets you pick weather windows.
The hardest setup is a strict 9 to 5, Monday to Friday, in person. I did that for the first three years of this channel and still skied over 60 days, many of them powder. It is possible, it is just brutal to sit at a desk scrolling storm totals while your friends are out there getting face shots.
Moral of the story. Zero dollars does not work. Any job will do, but your income and flexibility influence the next key ingredient.
2) The Mountains, Where You Live
Proximity is everything. The closer you live to the hill, the cheaper and easier skiing becomes. Some people do one expensive ski vacation a year. If you want to be a skier, live near a mountain.
Less money on gas and travel means more days on snow. If you live in a city like Vancouver, you can take a bus to the North Shore mountains or hop a coach to Whistler. Car not required. Rideshare apps like Poparide make it even cheaper.
Thinking, “I live in Florida or Manitoba and I cannot move.” I get it. Jobs, kids, partners, family, real life. Still, as an adult you can decide what matters most. When skiing becomes priority number one, it gets cheaper and easier because you structure everything around it.
3) Ski Gear
You do need gear. There is no workaround. The industry trains us to believe newer is better. Brands launch fresh graphics every year to keep you buying. Technology does improve, but slower than the ads suggest. Many brands make more gear that fails sooner, “protecting our winters” while telling you to buy more, and refusing to repair what they sell.
I like gear. I buy gear. I am part of the problem. But, I also know you can get set up for cheap.
Here is the play.
- Buy gear you plan to use forever.
- Buy used whenever you can. Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist are the ultimate ski swaps. People leave the sport or upgrade and dump barely used equipment for pennies.
- Beginners should buy almost everything used.
- Serious skiers should buy boots, goggles, and helmets new. Boots need to fit. Scratched lenses suck. Protect your brain.
- Repair and keep your stuff alive. Brands like Patagonia do repairs. If a company will not repair, I am not above duct tape until it dies.
- Build a quiver slowly. You do not need three skis on day one.
Please use the used market. It is there to be pillaged.
4) Passes and Lift Tickets
Technically optional if you are riding backcountry. If you love the resort, like I do, you need access and that costs money.
Walk up lift tickets are a scam for anyone who skis more than a couple of days a year. Over 300 dollars at some mountains. The ski monopolies set it up this way.
The way around it is simple. Buy early and buy smart. Multi resort passes spread the cost across a bunch of destinations. Season passes at your local hill can be a steal if you actually use them.
A few examples to give you the idea, your exact numbers will vary each season.
- Multi mountain passes run roughly in the 900 to 1,400 US dollar range if you buy early.
- A single resort season pass can be similar or cheaper depending on the hill, and often comes with buddy tickets or reciprocal days.
If you can swing a pass, you can ski your home resort for less than the old cost of a season pass at many places, and you might squeeze in a small trip or two. Or go classic dirtbag. Pick one resort, buy the pass, never travel, never miss a pow day, then move somewhere new next season and do it again.
If you cannot move, embrace the local hill. I grew up skiing a small mountain, Manning Park, and loved every day.
The Secret That Makes It All Work
You already guessed it. Prioritization.
Skiing is a lifestyle. If you want it to be affordable, commit your life to it. Your budget has to reflect your priorities. It is not that you do not have disposable income. You are spending it on other stuff.
Audit your life. Eating out. Alcohol. Streaming subscriptions. Phone plans. Entertainment. Car payments. You do not need any of that to ski. I know skiers without cell phones. Instead of a hot beach vacation, get a season pass and have the best winter of your life.
I have lived out of my truck in summers to dump the lease and save for winter. Pack lunches. Peanut butter and jelly is a religion. Stop buying on mountain food unless you like paying three times as much for a worse version of what you have in your bag.
Yes, it is harder than ever to be a skier. Rent is brutal. Wages have not kept pace. But possible is a choice. Stop saying, “I cannot afford to do it.” Start asking, “How can I afford to do it.”
Life is prioritization.
My Best Tips To Ski Cheap
- Make skiing your priority
- Get a job that supports the goal
- Move near the mountains, or pick the closest realistic hill
- Buy used gear and keep it until it dies
- Buy a season pass early
- Always pack a lunch
- Carpool or take public transit
- Sleep in your car when you need to
- Stop making excuses, start making sacrifices
- Ski as much as possible, drive down your cost per day
Can We Save The Ski Industry
No. Not in the way people think. The industry is catering to the wealthy. That is not changing. We cannot rewind to our parents’ version of skiing. Change is the only constant.
What we can do is control our choices. Structure our life to maximize time on snow. Spend smart. Live cheap. Ski a lot. Have the most fun possible before the snow melts for good or the robots take over, whichever comes first.
See you on the hill. Bring a sandwich.
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