How much money did you spend on ski vacation?

[Nathanvg]

Pricing also is dependent on dates. Most families with school aged children are limited to school vacation weeks, which also happen to be the most expensive for lodging and often transportation.
We are a family of 4, and we've spent the whole range of budgets on ski trips. We've determined for us that the budget ski trip is anything under $1000 per night not including transportation and lift tickets. So that's just food and lodging for 4.

I wouldn't call lodging and food costs of $1000 per night "budget." I worry that comments like this lead the misconception that even cheap ski trips cost 10k+ Nothing wrong with choosing to spend more though, enjoy.

The comment on dates is a fair point but often seems like an excuse to me. If you can avoid new years and president's weekend, prices are not bad. Spring break is often cheap since the dates vary by region. Thanksgiving, MLK and Easter are typically good options. Even going before xmas is not too bad. Most school districts have "institute days" or local holidays. I grew up in Chicago and we'd often ski late feb/early march for Casimir Pulaski day. Some of these holiday are only 3 day weekends, but that didn't stop me from doing 3 or 4 day trips to places as far as Tahoe from age 10+. Taking one or two days off school, isn't the end of the world.

 

[AlpsSkidad]

I wouldn't call lodging and food costs of $1000 per night "budget." I worry that comments like this lead the misconception that even cheap ski trips cost 10k+ Nothing wrong with choosing to spend more though, enjoy.

Like I said, we've spent less, and it wasn't what our family wanted. It certainly is possible to do. On the opposite end, we loved spending more as well, we've had week long trips during the holidays where we spent 8x or more that budget. Of course it was amazing, but that doesn't make the best sense for our family most of the time. We settled on our $1k goal and that works for us most of the time. It all depends on the level and experience you want.

 

[dovski]

Like I said, we've spent less, and it wasn't what our family wanted. It certainly is possible to do. On the opposite end, we loved spending more as well, we've had week long trips during the holidays where we spent 8x or more that budget. Of course it was amazing, but that doesn't make the best sense for our family most of the time. We settled on our $1k goal and that works for us most of the time. It all depends on the level and experience you want.

Location Location Location

our ski trips to interior BC and Banff are much more cost effective than any of the major US resorts. We can easily do it on a budget of under $500 a day for a family of 5. When we go to destinations in the US that is not possible as accommodations and food are way more expensive. Again we make choices one of which is finding on hill accommodation.

with COVID we have definitely upped the budget as we really want a stand alone rental vs a condo or high density setting.

 

[Cheizz]

The cheapest ski vacation I ever did:

Tignes, France. Early March 2017, party of 3
Accommodation + 8 day ski pass: 550 EUR
Gas, toll, parking fee: 240 / 3 = 80 EUR (for me)
Food and drink: the rest.
Total per person: ~ 800 EUR for 8 days of skiing a 12-hour drive away

Typically, I spend around 120 EUR per ski day. The longer the trip, the cheaper it gets.

I have my own gear. Purchase and service of which is not included in these numbers.

 

[DanoT]

I don't know if it is still happening today but decades ago at the Snowbarn at Mount Snow, VT they had a deal for college students wherein you would work 8am-noon cleaning rooms and washrooms, making beds etc. Then at noon they would feed you lunch and then hand you a half day lift ticket. You also got full dorm room and board.

For me I would show up at Xmas holidays and spring break. A working holiday at the Snowbarn was the start of my lifelong ski bum career.

 

[KingGrump]

We are at a stage in life where we no longer take ski vacations.
Been there, done that.

We have taken our share of ski vacations over the years. Usually three or four every year since the late 70's.
When I look back on the ski vacations we have taken, I don't recall the places we stayed, how much we spent, what we had for dinner, the hassles getting there... etc. What I remembered is the times we spent with family or with friends.

It's not the money and/or material goods that matters. It's the people. Enjoy life as it goes by. There are no re-do on any of it. The most we can do is look back on the memories by browsing through the photos.

Ran across this photo yesterday on my desktop. My son skiing Mineral Basin when he was nine. He is 25 now. We are still pretty close but don't see him much anymore. He is working and living in a different city. My silver lining to the pandemic travel restriction is being able to ski with him in Vermont on weekends,

Don't blink.

 

[Roundturns]

We are at a stage in life where we no longer take ski vacations.
Been there, done that.

We have taken our share of ski vacations over the years. Usually three or four every year since the late 70's.
When I look back on the ski vacations we have taken, I don't recall the places we stayed, how much we spent, what we had for dinner, the hassles getting there... etc. What I remembered is the times we spent with family or with friends.

It's not the money and/or material goods that matters. It's the people. Enjoy life as it goes by. There are no re-do on any of it. The most we can do is look back on the memories by browsing through the photos.

Ran across this photo yesterday on my desktop. My son skiing Mineral Basin when he was nine. He is 25 now. We are still pretty close but don't see him much anymore. He is working and living in a different city. My silver lining to the pandemic travel restriction is being able to ski with him in Vermont on weekends,

Don't blink.

View attachment 119697

Spot on and well said. Thank you !

 

[dovski]

We are at a stage in life where we no longer take ski vacations.
Been there, done that.

We have taken our share of ski vacations over the years. Usually three or four every year since the late 70's.
When I look back on the ski vacations we have taken, I don't recall the places we stayed, how much we spent, what we had for dinner, the hassles getting there... etc. What I remembered is the times we spent with family or with friends.

It's not the money and/or material goods that matters. It's the people. Enjoy life as it goes by. There are no re-do on any of it. The most we can do is look back on the memories by browsing through the photos.

Ran across this photo yesterday on my desktop. My son skiing Mineral Basin when he was nine. He is 25 now. We are still pretty close but don't see him much anymore. He is working and living in a different city. My silver lining to the pandemic travel restriction is being able to ski with him in Vermont on weekends,

Don't blink.

View attachment 119697

Cannot agree with you more, the memories are priceless. My kids are not as old as your sun and over the past two week they have talked through just about every ski vacation we took them on and come up with a list of "additional" ski trips we have to take to make up for this year. As my 13 year old explained to us they are willing to give us reasonable terms and stretch this over 2 years. They also explained that we would get bonus points for ski trips to different continents ... nice try kids

 

[Idahosnow]

The term "vacation" is throwing me off. I live within sight of Winter Park, regularly travel hundreds or thousands of miles to ski new resorts but I haven't been on a ski vacation since I lived in Indiana and went to Jackson Hole. I think that was my only true "ski vacation".

There is a bumper sticker slogan up here "my life is better than your vacation" so I guess I'm kinda in vacation/real world limbo all the time?

Living in sight of a resort as well, I don't go or pay for ski "vacations" but I definitely pay my share for the experience given the cost of living here. I think it's worth it though!

 

[Rainbow Jenny]

Was just chatting with my brother living in Sapporo, laughing our heads off about how much fun he is having snowboarding at Canmore in Asahikawa 4:30pm to 8 pm for 500 yen. I cannot wait to return to Japan to hang out with him again after this pandemic and pay less than USD5 to ski!

Last two times flying to Sapporo was $650-700 RT from LAX. And I stay for a long time. Vacation? I dunno but I know I ski lotsa pow there.

 

[hespeler]

That date limitation does alot more than just stick families with higher pricing. It can result in not even being able to go and plan a trip.

I mean firstly are the kids even old enough where as it (the efforts and expense) needs to be worthy so that in itself probably isnt happening till they are of age where they themselves can enjoy most a major resorts skiing.

then the week off from school (which varies yearly) is not something you want to be too far into the spring but prefer the year it comes earlier for risk of conditions reasons.

Then if you have more than one child and they are in different schools they may not have the same week off.

Then there is sports which is yet another obligation they may have even while school week is off but the sports obs are not. Then even if pulling them out of school the sports obs is even worse during those times. My son had to sit out a game once because he missed practice due to grandpa dying. Ridiculous but thats sports obs these days.

Then there is the extended family and the major family functions and family celebratory events of all and any significant types that may be planned during the same time/week.

Then you do get the week where it all seems to work out but anyone in the fam or all would rather take advantage of that rarer scenario to do a tropical vacation instead.

These are many the exact things (and Im certain there is more Im forgetting) as for why it took me about 20 years to take our major ski vaca as a family.

So the darn time limitations within the ski season (which is school season) can be a real hurtle and just not work out well by pure bad luck.

At the beginning of every ski season I look at everything that's going on and I say there's no way we're doing any skiing this year and somehow we manage to ski a similar number of days as the prior year, give or take. Even this crazy COVID year.

It's so much so that I've taken a very passive role to planning ski trips; leaving it to my wife to figure out how we'll shoehorn them in. It's been tough to swallow that mindset but it's also been liberating in a way.

My kids have a very involved sports schedule and the commitment gets more involved every year. They are not obsessed with skiing (generally speaking) but there's been one thing that has kept skiing as a major fabric of our family...

Our annual ski trip to Telluride for the last 4 years. We've taken the kids to Steamboat and Tahoe as well but we're extremely fortunate (not bragging @Goose) to have some good friends that are very well-off. Our kids and their kids go to school together, play sports together, etc. We've been lucky (not every year) to go on their private flight, included in high-end dinners, our kids get to ski with their kids and their instructor (same one for the last 4 years) for the week (we do give him a generous tip at the end of the week).

Telluride is certainly not out of our budget to do by ourselves but certainly not at that same level.

And as much as the kids can be apathetic about skiing for 11 months of the year, when the Telluride trip is coming up they gush about how it's their favorite week of the year.

I don't know if we'll be able to keep going to Telluride or out West every year and I do foresee the next few season having very little skiing, but the ski gods have smiled on me and we've been able to create some great memories for the kids. Even if I can't get them to the mountains as much as I'd like anymore, the foundation is there if they want it in the future.