Planning on skiing or snowboarding this year?

If skiing or snowboarding is a passion for you, and you want to make the most of it this season, read on…

If you’ve never considered a season pass, or are looking to pick one up this year, early Fall is the best possible time of year to get the best “early bird” deals on them!!

This is what you do:

1. Figure out, realistically, how often and when you’d be able to go (and where).   Get a rough number of the amount of trips and write that down.
2. Visit the websites of your local hot ski spots that you are considering and check out the prices for their daily lift ticket.
3. Multiply the price of the daily lift ticket, by the number of days that you realistically believe you could make it out to the slopes.  Write that number down.
4. Go to the Season Pass tickets section of your local ski resort websites and review the options (for example, full 7 day/night pass vs. 5 weekday/7 weeknight pass vs  full evening pass, etc.) and find which you would most efficiently make the most of for the price.  IMPORTANT: “Early bird” pricing for 2010 Season Passes are available now! (Make note of when the price goes up for your choice resort/s).  This is why you’re doing this now!!
5. Compare the $ figure you calculated in step 3. with the favoured passes in step 4.
6. If the numbers are almost the same, you are probably better off holding on to your money an NOT getting a Season Pass.  If you find that you will accrue significant savings aquiring a Season Pass, then there’s your answer.  Now compare driving distances, prices and preferences between resorts before you narrow it down to your winner. 

For Southern Ontario, I have found that the most affordable and worthwhile season pass to get, all things considered, is the 5*7 Pass for Blue Mountain (of course, it all depends on where you live).

Need a ride to the slopes? Join a local ski or snowboard club that’ll help get you there! In Toronto, check these guys out.

If you too are from Southern Ontario, the Toronto Ski, Snowboard and Travel Show at Exhibition Place and it is a great place to pick up some new or used gear as well as to get you stoked!!  Can’t afford to get in? No worries!! Read on…

This is what you do:

• Arrive about a 30-40 minutes before they open to the public, walk around the sides of the Automotive Building looking for a random door that has been stealthily propped open by smokers who are having their last smoke before the big rush, greet them with a smile and a “It’s gonna be a busy day!” and walk in like you belong there (holding your coffee in your hand for full authenticity).
• If you get asked who you’re with, it’s up to you to abort the mission or have an answer. Head to the washroom and chill out for a little while until 5 minutes after they start letting people in, now you’re home free!  Well, almost…. You have just introduced a little bit of bad karma into your world…

Photo: pRaNaJuLeS in heaven!