Save a few kroner/dollars/pounds/euros with our useful tips
This snowboarding malarkey can be an expensive business. But there plenty of ways you can save a bit of cash to help you afford more days on the mountain and less time groveling to your bank to extend your overdraft.
Here are some suggestions from us and our lovely readers. If you've got any more to add please drop us a line lucie@powderroom.net
Travelling smart
* Check airline baggage policies very carefully before booking what may seem like a cheap flight might not be if you have to factor in extra charges for carrying your snowboard.
* If you are paying for board carriage, try sticking two snowboards in a boardbag if they're lightweight girl's boards then you might be able to sneak them through no guarantees though! Just remember to keep the total weight of the bag under the airline's maximum limit (usually about 32kg)
* Go late! April is snowboarding's best kept secret - either you get fab new snow or blue skies, sun and fun slush. Accommodation is cheaper and the mountains are quieter we love it!
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* If you're flexible on time and location and there are two or four of you, book last minute deals. We got a week in a catered chalet, flights and transfer for £200 each last year by going the first week of the season and booking the week before. It also means you know what the snow conditions will be like, instead of gambling months ahead. (Square)
* Don't just book a package deal, check if you could do it cheaper by booking flights, accommodation and transfers separately yourself. You usually can.(Square)
* Make and have friends in places where you want to ride. My brother is scheduled to host a couple of folks he met on his surfing travels this past summer that want to do Baker this winter.(Bakergurl)
* I've generally gone in a large group 10+ people, stayed in lovely large self-catering chalets on the outskirts of the big French resorts or in the surrounding villages for very cheap - the most we've paid for accommodation in the past is £125pp for a week. Car hire usually works out about £50 a person and 100 euros each usually does our petrol and food bill - including beers and packed lunches of chocolate and a baguette sandwich. Going in a large group everyone cooks and washes up only once during the week, and we're happy to stay in drinking the beers most nights rather than go out. We've never not been able to park at the lifts, it saves you walking very far with your board and avoids the crowded busses, I guess the down side is having to work out how to get the snow chains on every time and having to find taxis when we do go for a big night out. (Ever)
* Use a rewards or cashback website when ordering your accommodation, flights, transfers or insurance online. One such British site - www.giveortake.com offers up to 8% cashback on more than 500 online stores, including top travel and insurance sites. In the US try www.fatwallet.com or www.bigcrumbs.com
Seasons on snow
* Take advantage of early-bird discounts on season passes they often go on sale at the end of the previous season or during the summer.
* If you are heading off somewhere for the season and don't plan to work, check in with the local resort for volunteer positions (giving out trail maps, working at events etc) in exchange for discounted or free lift pass or similar. It can also be a good way to meet people in a new place. (LittleL)
* Learn to cook if you can't already! Especially things that can be cooked in one pot as often accommodation comes with these silly two ring electric hob thingys and not much else. Experiment with lots of spices and things (even take some more exotic spices with you) and you will not only save money but make lots of friends. You can make really good grub for just a few euros, invite your mates and get them to bring a bottle and you're set for the night without spending loads of money on nights out.(Rome Girl)
* Have a few beers /glasses of wine at home before going out. I can almost guarantee that most people doing a season piss most of their money up the wall in pubs /bars /clubs - which I have never understood.(Chippersmullet)
* Ask in resort shops/pubs/restaurants if they do a locals card or discount.(Kimbo)
* Get a job where you either work evenings and/or weekends. This way you are much less tempted to spend money. You may have no life for a few months - as I am currently finding out - but you will reap the benefits when you get out on your season! I'm hoping I won't even have to work this season! (Kimbo)
* If you have a car then do your shopping in the local town, not at the resort as it's much cheaper.(Kimbo)
* Buy a local SIM card for your phone as it's much cheaper than using your own national one! When I was in Canada it was cheaper to text a UK mobile with a Canadian SIM card, than it is to text a UK mobile while you're in the UK with your British SIM card!! Mad but true!! .(Kimbo)
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* If you're going to a resort for a few weeks - or a few times in a season then check whether a season pass could work out cheaper in the long run.
* Sign up for the email newsletters of the resorts you visit most they're a great way to find out about special offers.
* Look for accommodation deals that include lift passes they're often a great way to save money on both.
* If you're getting lessons, check whether there are deals available which include lift pass they're often cheaper than buying your lift pass separately.
* Research ahead of time if planning a big trip. We found out last year that our son (6 and under) was free at Fernie but our daugther - lift pass would have been a few hundred dollars - was free too because we registered her before the end of October for the "Grade Two Pass" that was available for those that preregistered. It saved us a few hundred dollars. (Snojenn)
* Recently when in NZ we hired a car and we asked if they had any discounts on lift tickets. We got two for one passes for Treble Cone (which we couldn't use due to lack of time- but it was a good bargain) (LittleL)
* Check the magazines for deals - UK indoor snow venues often have 2 for 1 deals in the snowboarding magazines.
Kitted up
* Check out swap shop days - many resorts have swap shop and sale days at the start and finish of each season - they're a good place to pick up deals and flog your old kit.
* If you buy lots of snowboard mags it can often be cheaper investing in a subscription and you could get some great gifts such as tools, goggles, hats and bags which you can use/give away as presents or flog to give you money for new gear!
* Get rid of your old gear on eBay - if it's not hugely heavy then think about selling to buyers around the world to get more interest - just make sure you get postage cost estimates for the postage to make sure you don't end up out of pocket. Take some good pictures, write a good description and advertise at prime times of year to attract snowboarders.
* Test new boards for free - find out when retailers and board companies are doing demos at the mountains you are visiting.
* If youre hiring equipment, look into booking it before you go. Many of the large rental chains offer online booking. If youre in the UK you can also check out www.snowbrainer.co.uk which offers up to 45% discount on ski and snowboard hire in 400 resorts in six countries.
* Competitions - enter them! We regularly run them and we post details about other snowboarding-related contests in our forum. There can be gear and holidays up for grabs - if you're not in it, you can't win it!
* Crochet your own designer beanies instead of forking out £20 a go. In fact there are hundreds of free crochet patterns on the net so you can make pretty much anything you want. (Snowball)
* Some ski wear companies such as Columbia have really high spec clothing for women and they don't cost the earth, and these days it's not neon or skin tight, it's black and baggy. I bought some 10k waterproof, 10k breathable snowboard pants for £90, this season's too. (Snowball)
* Be aware that sometime things are a lot more expensive in resort because there's a captive audience, if you get out there and then decide you want wrist guards you're gonna pay through the nose, I paid 60 euros for my flexmetres, well over the odds. (Snowball)
* You can keep using your old gear till its dead and spend all your extra money on lift tickets - that's how I do it! (stikigekko)
Mountain know-how
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* Get to know the mountain for free - many resorts offer free orientation tours with local volunteer guides. They're a great way to get to know a mountain and can be a great way to find out about tree runs and trails you'd never find on your own.
* You can also get an introduction to avalanche know-how for free in many resorts. While you will still want to take a proper avalanche course to familiarise yourself with mountain safety and equipment, half a day listening to local experts and learning some basic info isn't time wasted.
* Take packed lunches - sarnies get squashed but bagels (with peanut butter!), power bars and cereal bars make excellent pocket packed lunch fuel - and don't get too deformed if you fall on them! Have a picnic if it's sunny, eat them on the lift if you're having too much lunch to stop or warm up in the mountain cafe and treat yourself to a hot chocolate or Vin Chaud with the cash you've saved if it's a cold one.
* Cliff bars are where its at for an easy meal at the resort. They'll make you thirsty though so a Camelbak is a good investment. Also just remembering basics like Chapstik and sunscreen so you don't have to buy it at the resort is helpful. (stikigekko)
* Homemade veggie burritos wrapped tightly in saran/plastic wrap ride well in a hydration pack. Then just peel and eat them on the lift and you don't even have to stop for lunch...and get a couple of extra laps.(Bakergurl)
Resort know-how
* For cheaper internet access take your own laptop - some internet cafes offer cheaper surfing rates if you bring your own laptop and plug into their connections. An increasing number of cafes and bars also offer free wireless access or access for the price of a drink.
* Check the local newspapers to find out which restaurants and bars offer specials on their food and drinks on which nights. In many resorts you should be able to find a good deal most nights. Also check these papers and local websites for coupons.
* In restaurants order off the appetizer menu instead of the main menu. It's usually lots of food and a few dollars cheaper than the main menu selections. (Snojenn)
* Look out for free shuttle buses that take you around town/or up the mountain. Saving money on full fares or petrol for your car is always a good thing.(LittleL)
* Buying your own meal at a local supermarket is a lot cheaper than going out for dinner, of course. Also, if you leave the touristy area of the town, you might find cheaper restaurants too. (tuff enuff)
* Because my bloke and I are veggie, we always go self catering and take packet food with us, like SOS-Mix and Veggie-Burger Mix. Plus packet pasta stuff so we can make food quick and easily. Sometimes you might get to a French resort at an odd hour, so having food in your bag is always great. Plus I always take our own tea and coffee because it seems daft buying a whole box of tea or jar of coffee for a week. We just buy fresh fruit, veg and bread when we get there.(Cyakitten)
* The best one I've ever heard was from a friend of mine called Oggie. He used to cook loads of veggies and also some rice the night before riding the slopes. He'd mould it into a ball (large snowball sized), put it in tinfoil and then freeze it. The next morning he'd put the solid ball of food in his pocket and then by lunch-time on the slopes it had melted into a rice dinner for one! He'd make loads and they'd last him all week! (Cyakitten)
* Carpool and hitchhike or pickup a hitchhiker up the hill - we are always stopping to fit one more person in the old wagon. (Bakergurl)
* Check local university, boards and websites for local info, rideshares, and sweet pow stashes - eg snowboardseattle.com or Craigslist. (Bakergurl)
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