Living A Ski Bum Season in Europe 

So I had this great idea the other day, one I’ve had a million times before, of living a winter season, as a ski bum, somewhere in Europe. It’s a Hallmark postcard story in my brain, I’ll be somewhere, on 2nd or 3rd floor, in a cramped little studio, with one window that looks down upon a busy cobblestone street, but half the apartment, the ceiling is set at some weird angle, due to an old staircase above it. But the place is safe, warm, and has storage space down at street level, through a narrow passageway, for skis and one bike. It’s also only 4 blocks away from the gondola that takes me to my favorite ski area, and 4 blocks in the other direction from a small, yet fully stocked, locally owned grocery store, un petite épicerie, and most importantly, my favorite boulangerie, which might also be called a café, is pretty much just off the walk to the gondola. 

Where To Go? 

Is this Chamonix, Courmayeur, Verbier, Alpbach, Zermatt or Val d’Isère? I don’t know, I’m going to try to find out. I’ll be doing tons of research and learning as much as I can from afar. I’ve visited only 1 of these locations as a skiing, on my own adult, but I've also been to a few places, like Innsbruck, which certainly could qualify, but under much different circumstances. Then there are locations like Trois Vallee, or Dolimiti Superski, which contain multiple villages. Or Annecy, just a bit further down the road from major skiing. 

I’m almost positive I want to live in an actual ski town, where I could arguably walk to at least one lift. Or take a very short bus ride, like I do in my hometown of Breckenridge. 

So many things to consider..I love the food in Italy, and it might be the cheapest overall. But I thought the food in Chamonix was outstanding. How much will I really go out to eat? What about cost of a place to stay? Can I find a part time job, either legal or under-the-table? I can do a lot of different things for work, including the important roles of working in a busy restaurant and/or tuning skis. I would absolutely work hard on learning the language. Ski touring would be an important little side note, but maybe the lift accessed slack-touring would be the most important. I love the idea of the mega-resort areas, or even Chamonix, with access to 4 different areas and then of course the Aiguille du Midi, to really open things up on the adventurous front. A train station is a must have, but I think most villages in the Alps have at least a once per day stop that goes in and out of that village. Even though buses might be faster and cheaper in many zones, there’s just something so damn special about moving around the mountains by train, visiting other special ski town base areas. 

So this is a starting point. I’m brainstorming, I’m scheming, I watch a lot of YouTube and Instagram videos. I talk to people who have been places. I ask questions. I’m now currently figuring out the next step to make another visit this winter. Keep checking back, more to come.

Ikon or Epic Pass?  

As we enter the Fall season, the one question, always creeping around the corner, is what season ski pass to get this year? Prices will go up every month for the next few, only by $20 at a time, but hey, if you’re trying to keep prices as low as possible, then now is the time to buy. While we’re at it, let’s talk about the price of skiing. This activity of skiing is by no means, by no stretch of the imagination, cheap. No way, no how, no can do, it’s a pricey lifetime of enjoying the mountainous landscapes of life. More gear than you can shake a stick at, the day or annual pass, the travel by plane or car, staying somewhere overnight, feeding the kids, and hot tubs, no, do not forget the hot tubs. It’s some money any way you look at it. 

Where Do You Live?

But back to the point. Ski pass, which one? Where do you live, where do friends and family ski? None of these points maybe seem important when you live in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, but when you think about the fact that a nice ski resort of Seven Springs, PA is the closest thing for you to ski in Pittsburgh, and then you realize that ski hill is owned by Vail Resorts, and you already were thinking about how you wanted to do a trip out West to maybe ski Vail, well it makes perfect sense for you to invest in an Epic Pass. 

Or maybe you’re working as a travel nurse in Reno, NV, and you don’t ski much, but your coworkers are already hitting you up about joining them every single weekend to go ski, they have a house in Truckee, then makes sense to get an Ikon pass for Palisades Tahoe, because that’s where they go. 

Where Do Your People Go?

Forget about “who has the best terrain for beginners” or any of that kind of thinking, because it’s just not relevant. Every single ski area in the western United States has great beginner terrain. Most of them have excellent mid level runs, and many have awesome upper level stuff. But where will your people go? That’s what you need to be thinking about. 

Or, maybe you are in Denver, and really trying to save the most money you can, but still can get out every midweek. Look into a Keystone Plus Pass or an Arapahoe Basin midweek pass, both around $500, but will get you all the skiing you can handle.

 

There are many options for you. Love the scene at Breckenridge, but also are splurging on a week trip to Whistler, then get Epic. Want to explore different zones in Cololrado, maybe ikon is the way to go, for Winter Park, Copper, A Basin, and the Aspen areas, with a trip to Salt Lake for Snowbird and/or Alta, or a long weekend to Jackson Hole. Maybe live in the Tahoe area, but really want to hit up a week-long vacation in Chamonix, France, then look at the Ikon. Maybe live close to Stratton, VT, but will hit up CO and Tahoe, then again it’s Ikon. Just think about a bigger picture. Or, and this is a big if, you live in Michigan, maybe get that pass to Mt.Bohemia and go explore some places in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and small resorts in Colorado. We have options, people. 

Just Do It, Have a Great Winter

Do some basic research and figure out what pass is best for you, your friends, your family, your location, where you might think you want to take a vacation this year, and go for. Ski 10 days this winter, or many many more, and I guarantee you’ll be a much happier person, probably healthier too, all while making plans to ski more, and take more holiday trips. Or the whole winter off. Believe me.