How do you ski so much?

[Geoff]

I've skied every possible weekend and holiday for my entire adult life. I usually consume most of my vacation time skiing. That gives me a reliable 55-60 days per year. If you own a vacation home, that's really the only way you can justify the ownership costs. I've had two periods where I wasn't working and skied every day so I've logged two 100+ day years and this year will be a third. That further justifies the cost of owning a vacation home since I'm able to collapse my costs down to next to nothing during those years.

 

[drjeff]

I'm lucky enough to have a spouse who likes her time on the hill as much as I do, and so far, our kids seem to have the ski bug too That, combined with a work schedule for both my wife and I that most weekends lets us ski Saturday,Sunday and Monday lets us take advantage of our place at Mount Snow and should have me close to 60 days this year.

It's a lifestyle choice that we make to basically be part time residents of VT for the length of Mount Snow's season.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Seeing some of the skier day #'s on here amazes me on the number of times people get out.

For you big number skiers, how do you get to go so often? Do you ski long hours, or just a few hours at a time?

I work 50ft. from the lifts so I can get out alot when businesses is slow. When I go out is usually for around a hour, unless it is my day off and I go skiing some place else for the day.

I ski so much for a number of reasons..

#1. Business is the slowest in the winter so I use a good % of my annual vacation days for ski trips. I get about a month of paid vacation time which rocks.

#2. I have a season pass at Blue mountain which is 18 miles away and has night skiing until 10PM 7 days a week

#3. My ski season begins with the first WROD!!!

#4. My ski season ends in late April at the earliet

#5. I ski in the rain and like it..

 

[Mildcat]

I have no life! :wink: I joined a ski house this year with an awesome group of people. It's like a ski weekend with my friends every weekend. It also makes it very affordable. Last year I had 50+ days but a lot of them were a couple hours at Wachusetts, this year most of my days have been early in the morning till last chair.

This is my first week without a job in 20 years, I'm going to take advantage and ski my ass off. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

 

[ERJ-145CA]

I got a pass at a local area and with my job I usually have at least one weekday off a week. I've also got 2 ski areas withing 15 minutes of my house and another one 35 minutes away. My local weekday sessions this season were short, about 2 hours each but I'm by myself so I just bang out one run after another for two hours. I would drop my son off at the bus stop for half day kindergarten and then hit the mountain, ski, come back and pick him up on the way home.

 

[kingslug]

I think I'm at around 30 days so far which is about normal. Still going to get in a few more. 12 days in Utah was the most I've spent there in 1 season....didn't get any epic pow though.

 

[from_the_NEK]

I'm pretty fortunate to get out as much as I do with two small children at home. I have to thank my wife for that. She's very patient with the ski habit and I try to do a lot to help out around the house and with the kids to balance it out. I would never ski as much as I do without Sundown. Very lucky to live so close.

I hope my wife is as patient as yours next winter when we have a 5 month old.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

I hope my wife is as patient as yours next winter when we have a 5 month old.

Wow congrats on becoming a Dad!!! Alot of parents on this site..

 

[2knees]

I hope my wife is as patient as yours next winter when we have a 5 month old.

if not, pm me and i'll give you tips on playing all the angles with an uncooperative wife.

 

[Stache]

There is a big wide grey area that covers everything from pastime>hobby>obsession>mental illness.

My skiing addiction is so bad that I became an Instructor 22 years ago and now I spend every Saturday, Sunday and Holiday getting others hooked on my drug.

Misery loves company???

 

[drjeff]

I hope my wife is as patient as yours next winter when we have a 5 month old.

Need to build up as much credit as possible with your wife. Take LOTS of nighttime feeding shifts, thus letting your wife get as many full nights of sleep as possible, and in and around ski season, INSIST that she takes a couple of full days to herself where you'll watch the little one while she's out for the day(if you're fortunate enough, your kid will be a sleeper and you'll have a couple of lengthy naps during your full day dad/kid bonding sessions. )

Also, not to sound cheesy, but if you don't ski too much the next couple of seasons, the sight of your kid making his/her 1st turns at age 2 or 3 on the bunny slope more than makes up for your decreased ski day count for a few seasons!

 

[from_the_NEK]

if not, pm me and i'll give you tips on playing all the angles with an uncooperative wife.

I think the biggest thing is getting her out of the house (e.g. over to friends houses for "play dates" with other kids). That way she doesn't feel "cooped up" in the house while I'm out having fun. I think the first year will be the hardest to make time for skiing.

 

[Greg]

I think the biggest thing is getting her out of the house (e.g. over to friends houses for "play dates" with other kids). That way she doesn't feel "cooped up" in the house while I'm out having fun. I think the first year will be the hardest to make time for skiing.

We bottle fed our kids. When my second was born, I would say that if I could go night skiing, after I got home, the rest of the feedings that night I would do. Made for some pretty damn tiring nights, but my wife loved those night because she would get uninterrupted sleep from 10 or 11 pm till morning. I would drag ass the next day, but it was worth it. Having a close night skiing option was the key there though.

 

[sLoPeS]

im at 32 days this season. my goal was 40 days starting november 2nd and closing out at Tux on memorial day (7 month season). i think 40 is well within reach. its all really about prioritizing things IMO. skiing for me, comes before just about everything. its what i do and im not about to waste my time elsewhere when i can be on the mountain. i hear "oh, i wish i would of been there man" and "oh, ive got something else to do dude". life's what u make of it. if you're a skier, than you know what im saying here.

 

[Edd]

My job gives me an unusual schedule with over half of the days of the year off. So last year I was able to hit 59 days, even though I drive a couple of hours to do turns.

It also helps that my GF works in the ski industry so she gets me free skiing at several mountains. I also did a Utah trip in Feb and we're doing Tahoe in April. The first week of April I think I'm going to randomly drive around and hit some areas I haven't gotten to this year (Loaf, Saddleback, maybe shoot over to Stowe) so my days this year will probably be higher than last, but I'm not counting.

 

[deadheadskier]

My job gives me an unusual schedule with over half of the days of the year off.

Okay, BobR's company isn't hiring. How about yours? :lol:

 

[Terry]

I ski every weekend from mid Nov untill may. I night ski at least 3 nights during the week, and when everything closes I will hike for turns. I have Shawnee Peak 10 mins away from work so I swing by and ski after work. I am going to be close to 100 days this year when all is said and done. I've always been crazy but it has kept me from going insane!

 

[Sparky]

Until I became an instructor 12 years ago I was lucky to get out 8or9 times a year. This year I'm at 43 and expect to end up around 46. I was lucky that my daughter was an instructor at our local mountain and got me clearance (wife) to go and give it a try. when I retire (hopefully very soon) I expect to be in the triple digiti range.

 

[Edd]

Okay, BobR's company isn't hiring. How about yours? :lol:

Not too actively now but we might want to talk sometime. It would be a short drive for you.

 

[RichT]

We have a second home 99 miles from our home and it's 7 miles from the "hill", we go up about every weekend and holiday (and any other chance I can get) but by this time of year my non-skiing wife starts to wane. But my daughter and I will still manager to get about 40 days in. So it's all good!!