Poll Will the current economy impact your ski days in the 2022/23 season?

[Wilhelmson]

trying to be more mindful

This sums it up well.

 

[Sibhusky]

Anybody going to brown bag it if burgers and pizza are now $30 instead of $20?

I started packing snacks to be consumed as I rode the chair years ago.

 

[Sibhusky]

My hubs and I have a deal - I buy skis or a snowboard, he gets to buy a gun or major gun component. Although I don’t expect my ski days to change, I am trying to be more mindful of gear purchases for this season.

We have his/mine/ours accounts already. 60% of income automatically goes to "ours" for insurance, mortgage, food, etc. Toys come out of "mine" or "his". So he can save all "his" or spend it as he pleases. Same for me. This is since we were married 44 years ago and probably why we're still married. There's no consultations about our toys and spending habits.

 

[ilovepugs]

We have his/mine/ours accounts already. 60% of income automatically goes to "ours" for insurance, mortgage, food, etc. Toys come out of "mine" or "his". So he can save all "his" or spend it as he pleases. Same for me. This is since we were married 44 years ago and probably why we're still married. There's no consultations about our toys and spending habits.

That makes sense and is a pretty common way to do it. We are lucky to be fairly aligned in spending habits and financial philosophy, and in particular we’ve kept our fixed expenses fairly low compared to our income, so we don’t think too hard about buying toys in general.

He mentioned that he had spent $x dollars on a thousand rounds of ammo the other day and I was just like OK… uh… no need to justify it to me. He also works his ass off (he’s not “on service” this week but is still scheduled for 50+ hours in the hospital) so I find it hard to begrudge him the expense on toys as long as overall spending is within range.

We both decided that it made sense not to buy an Indy Pass this year, though. We already have access to more skiing than we have time with our other pass purchases.

 

[ilovepugs]

Anybody going to brown bag it if burgers and pizza are now $30 instead of $20?

I think Mad River Glen’s cafeteria food is still under $10 but I usually don’t spend the whole day and just eat lunch at home.

 

[Wilhelmson]

Mad River Glen, VT, Burns Vail Resorts With Instagram Post - SnowBrains

Mad River Glen, VT, shared an image on Instagram this weekend, clearly having a dig at the 'epic' prices at Vail Resorts.

snowbrains.com

 

[crgildart]

Mad River Glen, VT, Burns Vail Resorts With Instagram Post - SnowBrains

Mad River Glen, VT, shared an image on Instagram this weekend, clearly having a dig at the 'epic' prices at Vail Resorts.

snowbrains.com

Much better but that's going to fo up too, They'll lose money selling for those prices next season.

 

[ilovepugs]

Much better but that's going to fo up too, They'll lose money selling for those prices next season.

I did notice that the $25 pricing for prime rib on the summer menu at Stark’s Pub is no more. Now it’s “market price”. Still very reasonably priced for a ski area though… no more (and possibly a bit less) than what you would pay at a normal restaurant in Vermont.

 

[crgildart]

I did notice that the $25 pricing for prime rib on the summer menu at Stark’s Pub is no more. Now it’s “market price”. Still very reasonably priced for a ski area though… no more (and possibly a bit less) than what you would pay at a normal restaurant in Vermont.

Ya but no snowboarder discount hahahahahaha...

 

[ilovepugs]

Ya but no snowboarder discount hahahahahaha...

the extra $10/lunch I pay at Sugarbush would require me to eat lunch at the resort at least, what, 50 times to recoup the difference between the cost of new snowboard boots, board and bindings versus new ski boots, board and bindings so w/e

 

[Wilhelmson]

Much better but that's going to fo up too, They'll lose money selling for those prices next season.

I was just fact checking the sub $10 burger in 21/22. Actually, I hear they will have an extra surtax on non-residents.

 

[ilovepugs]

I was just fact checking the sub $10 burger in 21/22. Actually, I hear they will have an extra surtax on non-residents.

Ugh, how about all the people who moved here during the pandemic? Need to have established residency before January 2020!


/s in case it wasn’t abundantly obvious

 

[cantunamunch]

So... no one in this thread is thinking that the Western mega-drought will be affecting their skiing/Western tourism plans?

 

[Sibhusky]

I wish.

 

[Andy Mink]

So... no one in this thread is thinking that the Western mega-drought will be affecting their skiing/Western tourism plans?

Nope. It is what it is. As long as there's a little on the ground somewhere we're good to go. It's still better than blue ice.

 

[KingGrump]

It's still better than blue ice

IDK about that. There is nothin' better than blue ice.

 

[Andy Mink]

IDK about that. There is nothin' better than blue ice.

Only if it's in an adult beverage.

 

[crosscountry]

So... no one in this thread is thinking that the Western mega-drought will be affecting their skiing/Western tourism plans?

Why should it?

It's not like they rely on the water to make snow...

 

[Rudi Riet]

Why should it?

It's not like they rely on the water to make snow...

The dust in the air accelerates snow melt and makes the snowpack less stable.

Water in large lakes also juices storms (e.g. lake effect) and without that water in abundance the storms are less prodigious.

And with less overall snowpack the overall air temperature is warmer, meaning fewer moneymaker storms, more "immature snow," etc.

And yes, the aquifers used to source snowmaking water can - and will - dry up in many places as the battle for water gets more cutthroat. Sure, they pull from the old mine tunnels, but that water will be sold for culinary and agricultural use in the near future. It will need to be given all the people fleeing to the mountain country.

The biggest issue right now is that the weather pattern assumptions about El Niño and La Niña are no longer what they once were. Ocean currents and temperatures are different and not likely to revert to their previous norms.

As I hear too often: welcome to the coldest summer of the rest of your life (i.e. they're just going to get warmer). And that will certainly affect winter, as well.

(Note that I studied meteorology and climate science in college and have kept up on the subject since - not an expert by a long shot but also not ill informed.)

Regarding my own plans:

I'm forced to drive to my coaching job as there's no transit option from DC to south-central PA (or the other PA resorts where races take place). I am looking to get a more fuel efficient car, but I'm also looking at air quality that's plummeting (and likely exponentially after the WV v. EPA decision). Yes, I'll do a vacation in Utah this winter (likely not the Gathering given my coaching schedule) as I have an Ikon pass as well as my Epic. But it'll be a "fly there and use UTA bus" situation for getting around.

Going forward? Probably less travel to try and reduce my climate impact. Probably ditch the car if I can. I bike and walk almost everywhere, as-is, and can situationally rent a car or carpool for places further afield.

As I've said on other threads: there's a blind assumption of the permanent primacy of the personal motor car. And while it is necessary in many rural areas (especially in the U.S.) it's not a sustainable solution if we wish to continue having a habitable planet.

Just my $0.14, adjusted for inflation.

 

[fatbob]

As I've said on other threads: there's a blind assumption of the permanent primacy of the personal motor car. And while it is necessary in many rural areas (especially in the U.S.) it's not a sustainable solution if we wish to continue having a habitable planet.

Just my $0.14, adjusted for inflation.

And THAT is why many of the car talk threads on this site are inherently political. The "I want/need/desire/deserve this bigger/faster/stronger toy" do not sit well with the future of the ski industry 25/50/100 years hence.

They aren't the only evil (and neither are EVs the panacea given their draw on precious metals and energy) and no-ones a saint. But it is political - well at least the choice to acknowledge and reflect and engage on the future is - long term the planet will do what it does regardless with what it is given.