 Poster: A snowHead
|
| under a new name wrote: |
| Quote: |
There is ... a perception that skiing is expensive
|
In 1998 I reckon my skiing cost £100 / day. I hoped in season 98-99 to get about 35 days in. => £3,500.
? |
I still delude myself that I keep it around that level on average - probably achieved it for the EOSB by virtue of having extra 2 days, not achievable for long weekends, flying longhaul you need to get in 14+ days to have a chance of amortising airfare. I suspect most 6 day TO packages now pass above the threshold comfortably.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
| Dave of the Marmottes wrote: |
| under a new name wrote: |
| Quote: |
There is ... a perception that skiing is expensive
|
In 1998 I reckon my skiing cost £100 / day. I hoped in season 98-99 to get about 35 days in. => £3,500.
? |
I still delude myself that I keep it around that level on average - probably achieved it for the EoSB by virtue of having extra 2 days, not achievable for long weekends, flying longhaul you need to get in 14+ days to have a chance of amortising airfare. I suspect most 6 day TO packages now pass above the threshold comfortably. |
Most probably do.
I reckon on usually spending about £800-£850 in total for a week - including lift pass, airport parking, insurance, whatever I spend while out there. That is for a solo ski holiday with a TO to Austria (I've looked at DIY a few times, but never been able to work it cheaper than the TO late(ish) booking offers.)
But that is going early to mid January, taking one of the cheaper hotels available.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
| Dave of the Marmottes wrote: |
| under a new name wrote: |
| Quote: |
There is ... a perception that skiing is expensive
|
In 1998 I reckon my skiing cost £100 / day. I hoped in season 98-99 to get about 35 days in. => £3,500.
? |
I still delude myself that I keep it around that level on average - probably achieved it for the EoSB by virtue of having extra 2 days, not achievable for long weekends, flying longhaul you need to get in 14+ days to have a chance of amortising airfare. I suspect most 6 day TO packages now pass above the threshold comfortably. |
There are always going to be economies of scale.
As you say, it's doable at the EoSB (even without the extra 2 days, if you're canny) but that's down to the economy of scale provided by the size of the group.
Longer trips bring in extra economies, not just travel but, for example, bringing your own skis is not always cheaper than hiring for a week where it always saves over a couple of weeks. The Birthday Bash alone couldn't be done for £100/day but The PreBBWUW and Birthday Bash together could quite easily be kept under that bench mark because the lift-pass price for 2 weeks is so much better per day.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Maths on a hypothetical long haul trip - 14 days for each of 2 people bare bones cattle class, non deluxe accomodation/car
Airfare £700
Hire car £250 /2
Motel £500 /2
Lift pass£300
Total £1375 just about hitting threshold but big assumption that you can find cheap motel rates and don't mind driving a bit e.g Salt Lake City. Huge assumption that you get a season pass deal to make lift pass affordable.
No food - maybe you get a breakfast buffet at your motel, booze or other ents included.
How does that compare to Japan?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
@Iamnotacrook,
| Quote: |
Ah yes, start up costs. It was only a few years ago so I can remember well. I've spunked money up the walls for a lot of hobbies, but getting into snowsports was a real moment of clarity for me. "£200 for a day course? [expletives deleted]" just so that I could get some slope time with my friends on a winter trip? And the gear that I had to buy? And there's limited opportunity to practice in the UK outside of £30 a session fridge trips? And you can't do those fridge trips without learning what you do on the £200 day course? Even if you just tool around at your local dome once a month and don't buy anything, you're looking at £560 for your first year. Do you know how many nights out you could get for that? And in comparison to longboarding, which I did competitively in Europe, it wasn't until I was in my first year racing without a sponsor that I had to spend that much on gear. It's over all an expensive hobby for a generation that's graduating with a hell of a lot of debt (I accrue more interest than loan I pay off every year, thanks student loan company!).
|
I think this may be part of the problem. You don't need to spend anything like £560. You just chose to. Few people over the age of 40 spent any time in a snowdome/dry ski slope. My children have recently started skiing and never been to a dry ski slope. As for kit, I would have thought you could probably have borowed what you need, but if not then you can get a jacket, salopettes and goggles for under £80 at Decathlon. Those are the only kit you actually need and they only 'upfront costs' that are essential.
As for the cost of your student loan, it's cheap. If you don't like it then get a loan from elsewhere and pay it back at a proper commercial rate. And, at the risk of siounding uncharitable these gripes about student loans are coming from someone who says he is chucking in a (presumabe better paid) corporate job to become a ski bum.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| foxtrotzulu wrote: |
As for the cost of your student loan, it's cheap. If you don't like it then get a loan from elsewhere and pay it back at a proper commercial rate. And, at the risk of siounding uncharitable these gripes about student loans are coming from someone who says he is chucking in a (presumabe better paid) corporate job to become a ski bum. |
That's a great strategy AIUI if you spend enough time ski bumming and stay below the earnings threshold then eventually your student debt is waived and all the rest of us suckers end up having paid for your education.
I thought the point was that student debt might be a deterrent to younger working people taking ski hols. I don't really buy that as it hardly seems to be a deterrent to having the latest iPhone, Beats headphones, hipster fixed wheel bike, Glasto weekend etc etc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I really don't think cost is an issue.
You look at how much people are prepared to pay and available for clothes, meals out, phones, etc.
I am not sure there is an issue per se or how to solve it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ee in my day it were only right proper hippy dropouts went to Glastonbury, there weren't none o that "glamping at Glasters" goin' on.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
| Dave of the Marmottes wrote: |
I thought the point was that student debt might be a deterrent to younger working people taking ski hols. I don't really buy that as it hardly seems to be a deterrent to having the latest iPhone, Beats headphones, hipster fixed wheel bike, Glasto weekend etc etc. |
Nah. It's taken at source so you don't notice it, and the Student Loan Company are so incompetent that there's no point trying to pay it off early, they'll probably just lose it anyway. I have never once thought that I mustn't buy something because of my student loan. It might get paid off eventually, but it seems to take an extraordinary amount of time (I graduated in 2004...) and at the moment I fully expect to be buried with it. Maybe I need to move to the south for proper wages...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Dave of the Marmottes, Where do get a 14 day lift pass for £300 from?
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
@johnE, he said if lucky to find a suitable season pass. My season pass is €442 = £330 or so.
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yep, like @Dave of the Marmottes says it's doable.
It's ten years ago now, but the last time I skied in the USA it was three fortnights over the season. Early bird season pass was circa $250, it was $2/£ at the time so it worked out around £3 a day.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
| admin wrote: |
| Ee in my day it were only right proper hippy dropouts went to Glastonbury, there weren't none o that "glamping at Glasters" goin' on. |
... as opposed to: "Glastonbury's too expensive these days - have you seen how much they're charging for Cristal?" which is I think what they were countering.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
I run my schools trip and have done for a number of years. I've been doing Feb mid-term week to Dolomite resort- return coach school/Dublin Airport/school, flight, transfers, half board, lessons 6 x 4hrs, lift pass , equipment, insurance and 4 nighttime activities + reasonable contingency for e1050 which I think is pretty good and covers the cost of our 1 : 8 staff /student requirement. I came across a school who went to East USA for no other reason than " the kids can't get booze there" - ( they'll get it anywhere if they try hard enough) and the trip was e2k + per child - 7 days, 4 ski days and a day in Boston, bonkers in my opinion.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
Particularly as East coast skiing is pretty poo-poo in the global scheme of things. Some operators are making mugs of parents there.
PS bet any schoolkid with anything approaching streetsmarts can get weed quicker than the time taken to walk to the offy in a US ski resort.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
We used to fly as a family of four for an annual ski holiday.
Now I go on my own as my wife doesn't want her and the kids blown out of the sky by terrorists. Strange but true.
I think she's a mentalist but it makes me wonder if there are many other similar people out there who have been put off travel by events over recent years.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| cameronphillips2000 wrote: |
We used to fly as a family of four for an annual ski holiday.
Now I go on my own as my wife doesn't want her and the kids blown out of the sky by terrorists. Strange but true.
I think she's a mentalist but it makes me wonder if there are many other similar people out there who have been put off travel by events over recent years. |
Well I hope she is not driving instead... 
German professor estimates an extra 1,595 Americans died in car accidents in year after September 11 attacks:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/sep/05/september-11-road-deaths
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
