You don’t have to be 60+ or even a member of AARP (where membership starts at age 50) to get a discount for age. Lookout Pass, on the Idaho/Montana border along I-90 in the Idaho panhandle, offers “Boomer Fridays.” If you’re over 40, you get a lift ticket on Fridays for $20, with a few exceptions for holidays.
If you’re looking for new snowboarding equipment, clothing, or anything else related to sliding on the snow, you can get some discounts if you shop now.
I’ll be heading out to a local shop later this week as they start to clear out their winter gear and turn their floor over to summer goods. It will be a bittersweet experience, I’m sure: a chance to save some money, but a reminder that we’re heading into the cruelest month when the lifts close, the ground is soggy, and the winds blow.
You can supplement your in-store shopping by going online. The other day I mentioned Steep and Cheap (SAC). You can find similar deals at Whiskey Militia and The Daily Steal. Whiskey Militia offers up yet another version of the pseudo-gangsta feel that plagues snowboarding, while TDS is more of a conventional shop. SAC, meanwhile, has more of a “I’m a fan of the Hitchhikers Guide” feel to it. If you know what you’re looking for–or at just lucky–any could serve your needs.
If you look at shopping as the thrill of the chase, you might take a look at the web site SteepAndCheap.com.
SAC, as it’s often abbreviated in Internet discussion forums, sells a lot of gear for the outdoors: clothing, helmets, altimeters, tents, sunglasses, camp stoves and the like.
It has a somewhat unusual business model. SAC doesn’t, like a traditional merchant, have a lot of “shelves” of stuff that you can look at. Instead, it sells one item at a time–and only one item at a time–until it’s gone. Then another item comes up on the auction block. Actually, there’s no auction and there’s no block, but that gives you an idea of how the goods are rolled out.
If you don’t want that Big Agnes sleeping bag that’s up for sale at the moment, a quick look at a sidebar widget gives you an idea of how long it will be before something else is for sale.
I have one beef with the site, but it’s a significant one: So fare, it doesn’t have anything I would like to buy. On the other hand, it often offers “Big Agnes” sleeping bags, something I don’t have much interest in.
So far, snowboarding gear has been rare, though some people report having purchased Flow bindings on the site. Me, I’m still waiting for a ski mask that I can squirrel away for those coldest days of next season.
Face it, snowboarding can be expensive, especially if you travel to a destination resort.
So what can you do to save a few bucks? One thing you could do is make your own lunch.
Peanut butter is a good standby.
You could pack a small jar in your luggage, or buy one at your destination. Slather some on crackers (such as Triskets or Wheat Thins) and put them in a sandwich bag, and you’ve got bite-sized energy sources that you can eat while on the lift. (In this case, use creamy; it’s hard to get two crackers to stick together if you use crunch.)
If you make a sandwich and put it in a pocket of your jacket, it can be smashed pretty quickly. A better alternative is the pita pocket, which is a stiffer form of bread.
If peanut butter isn’t your idea of a great lunch, use dinner leftovers. Most restaurant meals are supercalorific, even for snowboarders. Save some of your meal and stuff it in the pita when you get back to the hotel or lodge. Take the pita out with you the next day.
Even if the pita approach doesn’t entirely replace your on-mountain lunch, it should reduce the amount of food you’ll need to buy at inflated prices.
One of the best deals in snowboarding is the newbie package. (In the business, first-timers are often called “never-evers.”) Whether it is called Get Hooked, Beginner’s Magic, Learn to Ride, or something else, the idea is the same: give new snowboarders a three-fold package of snowboarding gear rental (boots, binding, board), a lift ticket, and a group lesson. It’s common for the package to be spread out over two or three different sessions, meaning that you don’t have to conquer everything in one day.
The package price is better than what you would get by purchasing all three items separately, often, better than purchasing just two of the items on separate days.
For example, the “Beginner’s Magic” program in Aspen gives you three days of tickets, equipment, and instruction, for $339. If you bought those items separately, the cost would be $675.
If you simply bought tickets and rentals, the cost would be $338, if you purchase at peak times.
For the fee of $1, you get some great instruction.
Similar deals can be found elsewhere. At Wild Mountain, in Minnesota, a $99 “get hooked” package gives you rentals, tickets, and instruction for 3 days. Purchase tickets and rentals alone, and that sets you back $186.
Much like retail stores sell loss-leaders in hopes of getting you through the door to buy something else, ski areas offer deeply discounted packages to newbies in hopes of creating lifelong customers.
It worked with me. It might work for you, too.
