Skiing holds a special place in many people’s hearts. Ever since the Pandemic, this sport became drastically more popular. Traveling to the mountains everyday to spend hours skiing and feeling the cool mountain air became a form of stress relief. How to make it even better? Meet up with a bunch of friends who also enjoy flying down the mountain.
The Northeast is filled with ski mountains of all shapes and sizes. Some of the more popular destinations are Stowe, Killington, Whiteface, Mount Snow, and Jay Peak–and there are dozens more. The larger mountains include a variety of trails for all ages and it’s almost impossible to be bored. Their trails include easy, intermediate, difficult, and extremely difficult. Skiers also love to go to mountains that have high elevations since they are exciting to sight see. Some resorts have waterparks, or cozy lodges, so you can enjoy your stay on the mountain and have even more fun after spending a whole day on the slopes.
A day at the mountain can tend to be pricey. Usually, if you want to purchase a lunch consisting of a drink, a snack, and an entree, it will cost around $20 (which is sky-high). And don’t forget about those lift tickets! Depending on how expansive the mountain is, the price for tickets can range from $50 to $110. But the resorts desperately need this money in order to make snow, maintain their lifts, and keep the whole mountain safe and clean. At some resorts, it can cost approximately three million dollars to make enough snow for people to ski on for the season. This is also why some smaller resorts maintain tight control over outside food/drinks: every dollar counts.
You can’t have skiing without snow. Global warming has been affecting recent snowfall around the world. We have only had one decent snowfall here in our area and it’s already mid January. Global warming also affects how risky the conditions could be when there isn’t much snow coverage. For example, my friend recently fell and fractured his wrist due to these conditions. It was rutty, icy, and there were a ton of bare spots on the ground. In order to even find at least 2 to 5 inches of snow, you need to travel 7 or more hours up north, closer to Canada. Even in the Austrian and Swiss alps, you’ll see that the lack of snowfall there has shut down what are normally crowded resorts.
Equipment is another key factor especially since there are different kinds of equipment based on your level of expertise. For example, when starting out as a beginner, you mainly want to focus on your balance and control of the skis, so you typically do not want to use poles just yet. You should rent your skis, if it’s your first time doing this sport, instead of buying. You want to do this because if you rent and end up not liking the sport you can simply give them back after the season. We even have a place in Brewster where you can rent skis for an affordable price! After being able to handle the basic fundamentals of skiing, you then want to start using poles. This will help you with balancing on more difficult terrain as you improve. And when you become even more experienced, I would recommend buying your skis since there are more options available instead of renting.
When finding the right boot to click into your skis, it’s mainly just about your foot size unless you are a racer and need a boot that will flex your ankle more. Helmets are crucial. Everyone should wear one no matter how experienced you are. If you typically only wear a hat and goggles, I suggest buying a helmet and using that instead of a hat since there are so many ways you can fall and get a concussion. Mittens vs. finger gloves: a ton of people would rather wear finger gloves instead of mittens since you have more freedom and control of your fingers. But to be honest, I prefer mittens since they keep your fingers warmer than finger gloves. When finding the right jacket for skiing, you want a jacket that will fit you snugly from your waist up. You do not want too long of a jacket because it could cause excess drag and you could also possibly trip on it. You also want to make sure the jacket will keep you warm through cold winters.
Skiing is just such an amazing sport, and everyone should experience once in their lifetime.