Holy Expensive! skiing in colorado has gotten out of hand

docwyte said:

In reply to Robbie :

No, there aren't any roads that abut a ski resort so you can ski down to a mid level lift.  No way to do that unless you have a helicopter.

You sure about that?  It's not easy, but it's possible. I've only ever done it once, and it was at night (full moon, clear skies) so lifts weren't running anyway. I don't remember if Loveland checks for passes on lifts other than 1,2, 3 and 7. They probably do, because I'm sure I'm not the only one who knows this.

For those that want to ski loveland pass, you get off either at the 120 degree turn in the trees or you get off at the red marker. From either point skiing down to the loveland parking lot is definitely backcountry (not for beginners) but popular. Sometimes you can get a ride hitchhiking back up, but better to ski with 3-4 people and have one person rotate driving down.

For those that are curious why I-70 seems to just 'end' that is one end of the Eisenhower tunnel.

aircooled said:

Skiing is like coke.  you will end up face first in fresh powder at some point

FTFY

Dead_Sled said:

We just got back from a two week ski trip to Colorado.  If you want to ski more than a day or two, you have to buy some kind of pass in advance or get ready to bend over.  The last two years we went to Copper because they give out 2 for 1 passes if you bought more than 10 gallons of gas at certain gas stations.  Passes were $150 at the ticket window so we were paying $75/person/day. 

This year we did 8 days at Winter Park for ~$350 total per person (~$45/person/day) by buying "4 pack" passes back in November or December.  Could have been even cheaper if I had purchased earlier.

If you don't/can't purchase a pass in advance, you can get discounted passes on third party sites like liftopia, but I don't think Vail or Breckenridge offer any discounts on there other than rentals.

Skiing is definitely not a cheap sport.

Same here. We just got back from Copper Mountain which if you bought it early enough you could by a 4 pack for $160. Walk up tickets were $150 so it's a no brainer. The year before we did Whistler which was a pretty good deal with the exchange rate (I think like $240 for 3 days?) and the year before that we went to Winter Park where we score $80 lift tickets. Splitting lodging with a group of people saves you tons of money for a place to stay and food. We also fly with points so airfare is free. 

Still an expensive hobby but I only do it once a year so I'm ok with it.

Anyone got any deals for Steamboat springs?

Actually I still have a bunch of "friends and family" tickets for copper at $80 a piece if anyone needs them.

Enyar said:

Same here. We just got back from Copper Mountain which if you bought it early enough you could by a 4 pack for $160.

Were you able to order the copper 4 packs online?  When I got the winter park passes the copper passes said you couldn't order online and you had to go to a local store in Colorado.  I found one person online saying they ordered online so I was guessing that I just waited too long and you could only order online for the early/summer price.  We probably would have split our time between the two if the copper passes had been available.  Just trying to plan for next year already .

If you go to Arapaho Basin tomorrow a lift ticket is $76.99 and includes a bacon bloody Mary. Stay away from Vail it attracts yaks.

We still haven't discussed the cost of the latest skis and all the clothing that is "needed".

I think car hobbies may take a second place.

iceracer said:

We still haven't discussed the cost of the latest skis and all the clothing that is "needed".

This mentality is why I have so little money in my equipment.  You'd be amazed at how cheap you can get very lightly used or last year's design equipment 

Furious_E said:

In reply to Robbie :

Or just grab a friend or two and take turns skiing/driving up and down the Loveland Pass 

This is the best way to operate on busy weekends . I worked for club med at copper mountain and every weekend my GTI climbed the pass a dozen times

One necessary thing if you're going to operate on the pass is plenty of green wax

In reply to Dead_Sled :

Actually yes. I was reading the same thing but I randomly checked early in the season and it let me check out so I went for it.

My wife has the solution to overpriced lift tickets.  Don't buy them.  Sit in the lodge drinking something warm and tasty while reading a good book, enjoying the scenery, and watching the skiers (family included) who spent way too much money just to make fools of themselves.