Do you really need that third, fourth, or even fifth pair of skis? Hell no. Because in two months you are going to sell them anyway. For less than the price of a new pair of skis (and not much more than a used pair), you could have access to literally dozens of new resorts to ski. Gear might feed the brain, but actually skiing feeds the soul. You might have fond memories of a piece of gear, but isn't it the experience that you really remember? Wasn’t it more about the powder day at Big Sky or the vastness of Vail's Back Bowls on a bluebird day. And in these memories, do you even remember what skis you were on? or what jacket you were wearing? And if you do remember, did it really matter? It was the experience.
We talk about the golden age of skiing ... right now, we are in the golden age of skiing access. We have the opportunity to ski thousands of acres for less than some single passes used to cost, and that isn’t even taking inflation into account. With passes like the Epic or Ikon or Mountain Collective, we have the golden ticket to ski all over the world.
Justification and rationalization. "I neeeed that new carbon/unobtanium 120mm powder ski, with the new Tecneon 17.5 binding." Well, no; you want it, because if you get it, it will snow and face shots of you will go viral and you will be an internet sensation .... Sorry, that ain’t happening (and if you were that good, you would be getting the gear for free). I digress a bit. It is the powder shot that you will remember, not the ski. "But that pass isn’t close to home; I will never use it." Well, if you have the pass, you will find a way to use it. These multiresort passes give you a reason to travel and experience another mountain. Skiing is about experiencing. Seeing the blues of Lake Tahoe as you view it from the top of Squaw Valley, or sensing that you are skiing right into the lake when you are at Heavenly. Feeling the rawness of Jackson Hole -- and the pucker when you are standing at the top of Corbett's Couloir (right before you back away). Riding the Peak to Peak gondola that spans between Whistler and Blackcomb. People-watching on the streets of Aspen. Skiing at Alta absent the fear that you will be taken out by a snowboarder. All of these experiences are available to you for less than the cost of the average price of a pair of skis.
As many gearheads as we have here, not one of us will be lying on our deathbed thinking, “Remember the MacroMac 2500? That was one helluva ski.” No, we will be thinking ”Remember the Tahoe Gathering when it didn’t start snowing until the first day and didn’t stop for the whole trip? That was one helluva trip.”
We talk about the golden age of skiing ... right now, we are in the golden age of skiing access. We have the opportunity to ski thousands of acres for less than some single passes used to cost, and that isn’t even taking inflation into account. With passes like the Epic or Ikon or Mountain Collective, we have the golden ticket to ski all over the world.
Justification and rationalization. "I neeeed that new carbon/unobtanium 120mm powder ski, with the new Tecneon 17.5 binding." Well, no; you want it, because if you get it, it will snow and face shots of you will go viral and you will be an internet sensation .... Sorry, that ain’t happening (and if you were that good, you would be getting the gear for free). I digress a bit. It is the powder shot that you will remember, not the ski. "But that pass isn’t close to home; I will never use it." Well, if you have the pass, you will find a way to use it. These multiresort passes give you a reason to travel and experience another mountain. Skiing is about experiencing. Seeing the blues of Lake Tahoe as you view it from the top of Squaw Valley, or sensing that you are skiing right into the lake when you are at Heavenly. Feeling the rawness of Jackson Hole -- and the pucker when you are standing at the top of Corbett's Couloir (right before you back away). Riding the Peak to Peak gondola that spans between Whistler and Blackcomb. People-watching on the streets of Aspen. Skiing at Alta absent the fear that you will be taken out by a snowboarder. All of these experiences are available to you for less than the cost of the average price of a pair of skis.
As many gearheads as we have here, not one of us will be lying on our deathbed thinking, “Remember the MacroMac 2500? That was one helluva ski.” No, we will be thinking ”Remember the Tahoe Gathering when it didn’t start snowing until the first day and didn’t stop for the whole trip? That was one helluva trip.”
