Don’t Make These Mistakes! Part 1

We all make mistakes. When it comes to skiing, I’ve made plenty. My brother suggested over Thanksgiving dinner that I write an article about mistakes skiers should avoid. Not sure if he suggested this because he has made none or made way too many. A discussion for another day I guess. But it got me thinking about all my screw ups over the years so I decided he had a good idea (first time).

First, a warning. Several suggestions below cost money. As I have stated previously, we are bummed about how expensive skiing is and constantly seek ways to fight that. But save your money elsewhere. Don’t get a massage at the resort spa that is going to be mediocre and cost $250. Fix your own lunches instead of buying $18 burgers that suck. I hope what I am suggesting will make your skiing experience more enjoyable. Given weather, variable conditions and mountains of “necessary” gear, ski vacations and weekends can be challenging to pull off so make things easier on yourself.

Rent Skis: One point of clarification before I get into this – renting and demoing skis are the same thing. There is a notion that renting skis leaves with you an overused, crummy pair and demoing provides a higher price tag for a nicer pair, but this is no longer the case. We use the words interchangeably.

First a confession. If I told you how many pairs of skis I own I would have to kill you. There is a chance you might tell my wife. (My justification is that I am absurdly lucky to ski 75+ days a winter.) So why do I say you might want to rent skis? Renting particularly makes sense if you are traveling for a ski vacation. I lugged my own skis all over Japan several years ago. Big mistake!

You don’t have to venture that afar to realize the benefits of leaving your skis at home. The skis you use at your home mountain may be the exact wrong ones for where you are going. Skis that will hold onto the ice at Stowe will be no good in Utah. Air travel with skis sucks. Most good shops will let you swap skis out whenever you want so by renting you can take advantage of the surfeit of really good skis that are being manufactured these days. Conditions may vary greatly during your stay. Powder one day – rent wide boys. Everything packed out – get some great carving boards.

In fact, it may not make sense to own skis at all. If you are among the vast majority of skiers that only ski 6-10 days a year, it may not make sense to spend $600-800 on a good pair of skis. They sit dormant and rust the rest of the year. Conditions will vary even at your home mountain and renting allows you to match skis to the conditions for your precious ski days.

When you rent, do it right. Use a good shop that has high end skis. Rent from a shop near the lifts so you can try different skis. If they hand you a pair where the edges and the base are worn, ask them to tune them up. Call ahead and make arrangements. It sounds complicated but if you deal with the right people it’s fun. Giving a $20 tip to the shop crew the first rental day will guarantee good service for the week.

P.S. Bring your own boots. Never rent boots!!

Pay for Good Parking: I hated it when ski areas decided another source of revenue would be to charge for parking. Charlotte and I first ran into this on road trips through Colorado, so I feel comfortable in blaming Vail and Aspen for starting this insulting trend. But, alas, the ever cool Alta started doing it on weekends several winters ago mostly as an attempt to reduce traffic in Little Cottonwood Canyon. A laudable goal. But really – you are going to charge me to park my car in the middle of the mountains?!

So after my above rant why am I suggesting you pay? Once you are on the hill skiing the sport seems excitingly simple and magical right? But getting to that moment can be ugly. We have all been there – the task of getting skis, poles, boots, extra clothing, etc. from the car to the lodge can be painful and humiliating. And inevitably you have forgotten something that was hiding in the back seat. Start your day right – man up and pay. You are already spending an outrageous amount for the day, but this might be the wisest money you spend all day.

Stay at the Resort: For years we focused on finding cheaper lodging several miles from the ski area.  I guess my wife and I just figured that schlepping our equipment around every morning and late afternoon was part of the program. Having a second kid and leaving my ski boots in the car overnight one freezing Vermont weekend abused me of this notion.

But you don’t need to have kids or pull a bonehead move like forgetting your boots to benefit from ski in-ski out accommodations. You get to come and go as you please. Go out for a couple early morning laps in fresh powder or corduroy and come back and eat breakfast.  Too warm or cold? Drop off or pick up a layer. That parking issue – gone. Want a relaxed lunch of your own making followed by a 15 minute nap? Have a group and each person wants the freedom of their own schedules? I could go on and on, but you get the picture.

As we mentioned, skiing is an incredibly expensive sport. We’d love to hear from you, our conSKIerge readers, some tips and tricks on how we might better approach the sport to keep costs down and make it more accessible to a wider group of people. Have some ideas? We want to hear from you.

Be Well; Ski Well

By Kevin Dennis

conSKIerge co-founder

Kevin Dennis is a life long ski bum with a 34 year legal career on the side. Now retired, he skis 80+ days a year. While he lives in Alta UT in the winters, he has traveled extensively through skiing and has skied almost every major resort in North America (and many you have never heard of). He continues to hit the road often throughout the western United States and Canada and trips over the last several years have included ventures in British Columbia, Montana and Colorado. Whether you want to know about the behemoths like Aspen or Squaw or are interested in the road less travelled (Lost Trail Powder Mountain in Montana or Whitewater in BC anyone?), Kevin has been there, has an opinion and you will most likely have to tell him to shut up after a half hour!