r/ski

Kids have outgrown their toddler and smaller sized boots. They’ve been worn well and trying to figure out how to clear out the old gear. Older ski boots- what do you do with them? Landfill, planters …

Free fun only

Hi all,

I'm looking for some advice on where to do a season. I'm currently in New Zealand doing a season and would like to go back to the Northern Hemisphere and do another right after this.

I'm looking at Europe (France ideally) or the West Coast of Canada. I work as a bootfitter and have done so for the past 3 years, so I have some decent experience at this point. I'd like to continue doing this as I really enjoy it, and I enjoy working in the industry.

I'm from Scotland and have skied in France/ Europe all my life, so I know I like it, but I haven't skied in North America at all. The main hurdle for France is the language barrier. I speak okay French, but it definitely isn't good enough to be a bootfitter. I know I'll get better if I live there, but I need to be comfortable enough before going.

Will this be an issue? Is it possible to maybe get a ski tech role without the best French, as it isn't as customer-facing?

What other differences are there? Business? Visa’s? Price of passes and cost of living?

Any insight would be much appreciated. Thanks

I have been working in a ski store for a little while now and genuinely am amazed by first time renters and first time buyers who always seem to know more about boot fitting than us. Thankfully I don’t have to bootfit myself but my coworkers do the boot fits and our google reviews drive me insane, as it is a small business that gets 1 star reviews dropped by these morons. The amount of times first time buyers come in and get mad and leave reviews because we would not immediately give them a boot in their regular shoe size and instead wanted to do a scan and actually fit them properly. They also complain that the boot in their regular size is spacious while the one we fit them for feels small. Like seriously, you’re wearing a brand new boot for the first time and it is not supposed to be “spacious” anyways. I think these problems are worsened by the fact that we are in the southeast and get a lot of people who haven’t skied before, but they could at least drop the attitude and let the people who are trained and experienced handle it. Sorry for the rant, but these reviews and their attitudes are driving me nuts as 1 bad review for a small business garners much more attention to prospective customers than our countless good ones.

Edit: I forgot to mention we don’t even charge for a bootfit only custom modifications like heat molding or carving out the back of the shell so really they only thing they give up is their time, which I do understand a bootfit can take a while but it is important

Sometimes when I go to a new resort or even one I've been to, I don't know what runs would be easy, push me, be to hard, ETC. Resort trail rating don't help because they mean different things at different resorts, and I don't like to constantly check my phone while skiing to look at a universal rated ski map app. I wish there was a way to get recommended runs or areas before my ski day, that I can look for or just keep in mind. Does anyone else have the same problem? What do you do?

Hi everyone,

I’m from Australia and interested in doing a ski season in the USA.

I was hoping to get some advice on whether it’s still possible to get a resort job if I start applying now, and which resorts you’d recommend (and why).

Any tips or experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi I'm thinking about doing UCPA over NYE - I got a bit bored of Contiki in Hopfgarten but I'm looking to socialise and spend NYE on the slopes so UCPA came up in my searches. Given there are so many options which include classes I'm worried most people book those and there won't be people just going around the mountain to have company on the lifts and for lunch/drinks? Also is this quite international or will I be left out if I don't speak French? And what are the age groups like? I'm 30 so I don't want to end up as the group granny haha! I'm also mostly looking at the larger ski areas but suggestions and tips are always welcome! I've only skied in Alpe d'Huez in France before so would like to try a different place although I'm not opposed to going back. Thanks!

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for a new freeride ski and wanted to ask for some advice.

I’ve been skiing the 2024 Dynastar M-Free 108 (183 cm) and really loved it. I’m 183 cm tall and have skied it for 100+ days. What I liked most was how stable and solid it felt, especially in steep terrain and at high speed. It felt strong and gave me a lot of confidence, but it was still playful enough.

Now it’s pretty worn out and I need something new.

Right now I’m thinking about getting the Atomic Maverick 115 CTI because I found a good deal, but I’m not sure if it will feel similar.

What I’m looking for:

• Freeride ski
• Stable at high speed
• Good in steep terrain and rough snow
• Strong and solid feeling
• Still playful enough for tricks like backflips and 360s

I don’t care about park skiing, but I still want a ski that I can move around easily.

Has anyone skied both?
How does the Maverick 115 CTI compare to the M-Free 108?
Any other skis I should check out?

Thanks!

Hi everyone!

I am a 23yr old South African who is wanting to solo travel Europe for the first time.
I have a German passport and would need to work to fund myself.
I thought a Ski reason would be a good option during the winter season, however I am unsure how lucrative doing a ski season. I am also unsure how competitive it is to get a job, I have some waitressing experience and can only speak English.

I am not a big skier so the money would be the main motivation for doing a season.

Am I better off getting a different season job?

Thank you so much !

Ordered a new helmet that may arrive when I am not home and it's 99 degrees. Ups not letting me reroute to a holding center. How fucked am I if it's sitting in the heat for hours.

https://outsidedb.com/blog/posts/el-nino-ski-snowfall-winners

Hey all,

I’m planning a 1-month ski trip in Colorado (Jan 10 – Feb 10) where I’ll be working remotely during weekdays and skiing every morning for ~2–3 hours before work.

Looking for advice on the best base / setup given my constraints:

My situation:

• Intermediate/Advanced skier
• Strong preference for groomed blue runs (wide cruisers)
• Want to ski mornings (8–11 AM), then work rest of day
• No car (or ideally minimal driving)
• Will do weekend trips to other resorts if needed

After discussion with ChatGPT, currently considering:

Base in Breckenridge (Epic Pass)

• Ski Breck most mornings
• Weekend trips to Vail / Beaver Creek / Keystone

Base in Copper Mountain (Ikon Pass)

• Best skiing efficiency / blue cruisers
• But limited town life / remote work vibe
• Weekend trips to A-basin / Winterpark

Please give me any opinions or suggestions!

To be fair its only my 6th day of skiing but Im currently on a 10 day trip and im trying to get down basic parallels on greens but im just so clunky constantly fighting for my balance, at the end of turns i end ip on my heels and my tips go in the air, i constantly feel like im not in control of my skis. I know about forward lean and shin pressure but when i get on the mountain and do my turns i feel like IM being forced to my heels, cant get grip or control. On flatter terrain i csn do parallel but even on gentle green slopes this keeps happening to my esp to my inside legg

Hello all!

I have been wanting to make my own West NA ski resort rankings and finally started. I created my own formula with my preferences when picking a resort, so y’all may have some disagreements. I have a table in the Notion app which I’m using to make this, but I wasn’t able to paste it in this post so you can dm me if you want screenshots of it or something. Instead of using the table I’ll paste just the scores for the resorts.

I’m looking for feedback and comments and any will be greatly appreciated! I’ll also answer any questions y’all have about the formula, how/why I scored a resort or category, etc.

I’ll paste some stuff in via the Notion app so the format may be wonky, but I’ll go through and clean it up as best I can.

Criteria:

Advanced Terrain
Snow
Size
Lodging
Crowds and Navigation
Intermediate Terrain
Lifts
Location of Resort
Expert Terrain
Views
Apres
Bonus
/100

Advanced Terrain (#, quality - goodness and variety, ease of access) - /25
/9 (#)
/12 (quality)
/4 (ease of access)

Snow (#, quality, consistency, preservation - direction the resort faces and sun) - /15
/7 (#)
500+ in - 7
400 in - 6
350 in - 5
300 in - 4
250 in - 3
200 in - 2
150 in - 1
/4 (quality)
/2 (consistency
/2 (preservation)

Size (# of skiable acres, feet of vertical drop) - /12
/7 (# of skiable acres)
6000+ acres - 7
5000 acres - 6.5
4000 acres - 6
3000 acres - 5
2000 acres - 4
1500 acres - 3
1000 acres - 2
500 acres - 1
/5 (feet of vertical drop)
5000+ ft - 5
4000 ft - 4
3000 ft - 3
2000 ft - 2
1000 ft - 1

Lodging (#, $, location, niceness) - /9
/3 (#)
/3 ($)
/2 (location)
/1 (niceness)

Crowds and Navigation (# of crowds, flow) - /9
/4 (# of crowds)
/5 (flow of mountain)

Intermediate Terrain (#, quality - goodness and variety, ease of access) - /8
/3 (#)
/3 (quality)
/2 (ease of access)

Lifts (Speed/capacity, setup/access, variety) - /8
/3.5 (speed/capacity)
/4.5 (setup/access)

Location of Resort (ease of access by car, ease of access by plane - # and prices) - /6
/2 (ease of access by car)
/4 (flights)

Expert Terrain (#, quality - goodness and variety, ease of access) - /5
/2 (#)
/2 (quality)
/1 (ease of access)

Views (quality, visibility) - /2
/1.5 (quality)
/0.5 (visibility)

Apres (location - close to lodging/mountain, #, quality) - /1
/0.25 (location)
/0.25 (#)
/0.5 (quality)

Bonus (Iconic/unique attractions, any other factors to account for) - + up to 3

Tiebreaker - Advanced Terrain + Snow vs Advanced Terrain + Snow

Ratings:

Telluride:
Advanced Terrain - 5.75 (#) + 8.75 (quality) + 3.5 (ease of access) —> 18.25/25
Snow - 2.26 (#) + 3.5 (quality) + 1.25 (consistency) + 1.75 (preservation) —> 8.76/15
Size - 4 (# of skiable acres) + 4.425 (feet of vertical drop) —> 8.425/12
Lodging - 2.5 (#) + 2.5 ($) + 2 (location) + 0.75 (niceness) —> 7.75/9
Crowds and Navigation - 3.75 (# of crowds) + 4.25 (flow of mountain) —> 8/9
Intermediate Terrain - 2 (#) + 2.75 (quality) + 1.5 (ease of access) —> 6.25/8
Lifts - 2.25 (speed/capacity) + 4 (setup/access) —> 6.25/8
Location of Resort - 1 (ease of access by car) + 1.75 (ease of access by plane) —> 2.75/6
Expert Terrain - 1.5 (#) + 2 (quality) + 0.5 (ease of access) —> 4/5
Views - 1.5 (quality) + 0.5 (visibility) —> 2/2
Apres - 0.25 (location) + 0.25 (#) + 0.5 (quality) —> 1/1
Bonus - 0.5 (unmatched views) + 0.5 (apres gondola experience) + 0.5 (unique town/culture) —> +1.5
Telluride Final Score —> 74.94/100

Jackson Hole:
Advanced Terrain - 8 (#) + 11.5 (quality) + 3.5 (ease of access) —> 23/25
Snow - 6.24 (#) + 3.75 (quality) + 1.5 (consistency) + 0.75 (preservation) —> 11.74/15
Size - 4.5 (# of skiable acres) + 4.139 (feet of vertical drop) —> 8.639/12
Lodging - 2 (#) + 2.25 ($) + 1.25 (location) + 0.75 (niceness) —> 6.25/9
Crowds and Navigation - 2.75 (# of crowds) + 4.5 (flow of mountain) —> 7.25/9
Intermediate Terrain - 1.25 (#) + 1.25 (quality) + 1 (ease of access) —> 3.5/8
Lifts - 3 (speed/capacity) + 4 (setup/access) —> 7/8
Location of Resort - 1.75 (ease of access by car) + 1.6 (ease of access by plane) —> 3.35/6
Expert Terrain - 1.85 (#) + 2 (quality) + 0.75 (ease of access) —> 4.6/5
Views - 1 (quality) + 0.5 (visibility) —> 1.5/2
Apres - 0.15 (location) + 0.15 (#) + 0.35 (quality) —> 0.65/1
Bonus - 0.5 (unique tram experience) + 0.75 (good food facilities - waffle cabin) + 0.5 (unique town/culture) + 0.5 (iconic Corbet’s Couloir) —> +2.25
Jackson Hole Final Score —> 79.83/100

Steamboat:
Advanced Terrain - 7.5 (#) + 7.75 (quality) + 3.25 (ease of access) —> 18.5/25
Snow - 3.84 (#) + 3.5 (quality) + 1.5 (consistency) + 1.25 (preservation) —> 10.09/15
Size - 5.741 (# of skiable acres) + 3.666 (feet of vertical drop) —> 9.407/12
Lodging - 2.6 (#) + 2.6 ($) + 1.5 (location) + 0.75 (niceness) —> 7.45/9
Crowds and Navigation - 3 (# of crowds) + 4 (flow of mountain) —> 7/9
Intermediate Terrain - 2.25 (#) + 2.25 (quality) + 1.75 (ease of access) —> 6.25/8
Lifts - 3 (speed/capacity) + 3.85 (setup/access) —> 6.85/8
Location of Resort - 2 (ease of access by car) + 1.75 (ease of access by plane) —> 3.75/6
Expert Terrain - 0.75 (#) + 1 (quality) + 0.25 (ease of access) —> 2/5
Views - 0.6 (quality) + 0.4 (visibility) —> 1/2
Apres - 0.2 (location) + 0.2 (#) + 0.35 (quality) —> 0.75/1
Bonus - 0.5 (unique town/culture) + 0.25 (hot springs) + 0.35 (unique snow covered trees) —> +1.1
Steamboat Final Score —> 74.15/100

Deer Valley:
Advanced Terrain - 7.25 (#) + 7 (quality) + 3 (ease of access) —> 17.25/25
Snow - 3.2 (#) + 3.15 (quality) + 1.3 (consistency) + 1 (preservation) —> 8.65/15
Size - 6.85 (# of skiable acres) + 3.12 (feet of vertical drop) —> 9.97/12
Lodging - 3 (#) + 2.25 ($) + 1.35 (location) + 0.85 (niceness) —> 7.45/9
Crowds and Navigation - 3.5 (# of crowds) + 4.5 (flow of mountain) —> 8/9
Intermediate Terrain - 2.75 (#) + 2.15 (quality) + 2 (ease of access) —> 6.9/8
Lifts - 3 (speed/capacity) + 4.35 (setup/access) —> 7.35/8
Location of Resort - 1.75 (ease of access by car) + 4 (ease of access by plane) —> 5.75/6
Expert Terrain - 0.75 (#) + 1 (quality) + 1 (ease of access) —> 2.75/5
Views - 0.7 (quality) + 0.4 (visibility) —> 1.1/2
Apres - 0.2 (location) + 0.25 (#) + 0.5 (quality) —> 0.95/1
Bonus - 0.75 (famous town) + 0.5 (ski-only) + 0.25 (world class grooming) + 0.25 (exquisite experience) —> +1.75
Deer Valley Final Score —> 77.85/100

Breckenridge:
Advanced Terrain - 8 (#) + 9.25 (quality) + 3 (ease of access) —> 20.25/25
Snow - 4 (#) + 3.25 (quality) + 1.25 (consistency) + 0.65 (preservation) —> 9.15/15
Size - 4.908 (# of skiable acres) + 3.398 (feet of vertical drop) —> 8.306/12
Lodging - 2.85 (#) + 2.85 ($) + 1.65 (location) + 0.75 (niceness) —> 8.1/9
Crowds and Navigation - 2 (# of crowds) + 2.75 (flow of mountain) —> 4.75/9
Intermediate Terrain - 2.75 (#) + 2.2 (quality) + 1.75 (ease of access) —> 6.7/8
Lifts - 3 (speed/capacity) + 3.25 (setup/access) —> 6.25/8
Location of Resort - 0.65 (ease of access by car) + 4 (ease of access by plane) —> 4.65/6
Expert Terrain - 1.75 (#) + 1.35 (quality) + 0.35 (ease of access) —> 3.45/5
Views - 1.25 (quality) + 0.3 (visibility) —> 1.55/2
Apres - 0.2 (location) + 0.2 (#) + 0.4 (quality) —> 0.8/1
Bonus - 0.35 (historic town) —> +0.35
Breckenridge Final Score —> 74.30/100

Revelstoke:
Advanced Terrain - 8.5 (#) + 11.5 (quality) + 3.25 (ease of access) —> 23.25/25
Snow - 3.14 (#) + 3.5 (quality) + 1.75 (consistency) + 1.75 (preservation) —> 10.14/15
Size - 5.121 (# of skiable acres) + 5 (feet of vertical drop) —> 10.121/12
Lodging - 1.65 (#) + 2.85 ($) + 0.75 (location) + 0.7 (niceness) —> 5.95/9
Crowds and Navigation - 3.75 (# of crowds) + 3.65 (flow of mountain) —> 7.4/9
Intermediate Terrain - 1 (#) + 1.35 (quality) + 1 (ease of access) —> 3.35/8
Lifts - 1.25 (speed/capacity) + 2.65 (setup/access) —> 3.9/8
Location of Resort - 0.5 (ease of access by car) + 2 (ease of access by plane) —> 2.5/6
Expert Terrain - 1.65 (#) + 1.85 (quality) + 0.85 (ease of access) —> 4.35/5
Views - 1.35 (quality) + 0.35 (visibility) —> 1.7/2
Apres - 0.2 (location) + 0.15 (#) + 0.3 (quality) —> 0.65/1
Bonus - 0.5 (unique town/culture) + 0.25 (unique location) —> +0.75
Revelstoke Final Score —> 74.06/100

Whitefish:
Advanced Terrain - 7 (#) + 10 (quality) + 3.35 (ease of access) —> 20.35/25
Snow - 2.3 (#) + 3 (quality) + 1.5 (consistency) + 1.75 (preservation) —> 8.55/15
Size - 5.02 (# of skiable acres) + 2.353 (feet of vertical drop) —> 7.373/12
Lodging - 2.85 (#) + 2.85 ($) + 1.35 (location) + 0.75 (niceness) —> 7.8/9
Crowds and Navigation - 3.75 (# of crowds) + 4.5 (flow of mountain) —> 8.25/9
Intermediate Terrain - 2 (#) + 2.15 (quality) + 1.5 (ease of access) —> 5.65/8
Lifts - 2.6 (speed/capacity) + 3.25 (setup/access) —> 5.85/8
Location of Resort - 2 (ease of access by car) + 1.75 (ease of access by plane) —> 3.75/6
Expert Terrain - 0.35 (#) + 0.35 (quality) + 0.55 (ease of access) —> 1.25/5
Views - 0.6 (quality) + 0.25 (visibility) —> 0.85/2
Apres - 0.08 (location) + 0.1 (#) + 0.3 (quality) —> 0.48/1
Bonus - 0.5 (unique area) + 0.5 (unique snow ghosts) —> +1
Whitefish Final Score —> 71.15/100

Alta:
Advanced Terrain - 7.75 (#) + 11 (quality) + 2.85 (ease of access) —> 21.6/25
Snow - 7 (#) + 3.75 (quality) + 1.9 (consistency) + 1.85 (preservation) —> 14.5/15
Size - 4.614 (# of skiable acres) + 2.538 (feet of vertical drop) —> 7.152/12
Lodging - 0.75 (#) + 1 ($) + 1.65 (location) + 0.65 (niceness) —> 4.05/9
Crowds and Navigation - 2.85 (# of crowds) + 2.75 (flow of mountain) —> 5.6/9
Intermediate Terrain - 1.35 (#) + 1.25 (quality) + 1.4 (ease of access) —> 4/8
Lifts - 1.75 (speed/capacity) + 3 (setup/access) —> 4.75/8
Location of Resort - 1.4 (ease of access by car) + 4 (ease of access by plane) —> 5.4/6
Expert Terrain - 1.85 (#) + 1.9 (quality) + 0.35 (ease of access) —> 4.1/5
Views - 1.15 (quality) + 0.3 (visibility) —> 1.45/2
Apres - 0.15 (location) + 0.05 (#) + 0.15 (quality) —> 0.35/1
Bonus - 0.5 (insane snowfall amounts) + 0.5 (ski-only) + 0.35 (neighbors Snowbird) —> +1.35
Alta Final Score —> 74.3/100

Snowbird:
Advanced Terrain - 8 (#) + 11.25 (quality) + 3.75 (ease of access) —> 23/25
Snow - 7 (#) + 3.75 (quality) + 1.85 (consistency) + 1.65 (preservation) —> 14.25/15
Size - 4.5 (# of skiable acres) + 3.24 (feet of vertical drop) —> 7.74/12
Lodging - 0.9 (#) + 1.15 ($) + 1.65 (location) + 0.7 (niceness) —> 4.4/9
Crowds and Navigation - 2.25 (# of crowds) + 3.85 (flow of mountain) —> 6.1/9
Intermediate Terrain - 0.75 (#) + 1 (quality) + 0.85 (ease of access) —> 2.6/8
Lifts - 3.15 (speed/capacity) + 4.2 (setup/access) —> 7.35/8
Location of Resort - 1.41 (ease of access by car) + 4 (ease of access by plane) —> 5.41/6
Expert Terrain - 1.85 (#) + 1.9 (quality) + 0.9 (ease of access) —> 4.65/5
Views - 1.25 (quality) + 0.35 (visibility) —> 1.6/2
Apres - 0.15 (location) + 0.08 (#) + 0.2 (quality) —> 0.43/1
Bonus - 0.5 (unique tram experience) + 0.35 (neighbors Alta) —> +0.85
Snowbird Final Score —> 78.38/100

Rankings (as of now):

1. Jackson Hole - 79.73 points
2. Snowbird - 78.38 points
3. Deer Valley - 77.85 points
4. Telluride - 74.94 points
5. Alta - 74.30 points (tie broken with Breckenridge by the tiebreaker)
6. Breckenridge - 74.30 points
7. Steamboat - 74.15 points
8. Revelstoke - 74.06 points
9. Whitefish - 71.15 points

Hey everyone i am looking to get into freestyle skiing specifically big air and halfpipe. I have never skied before and i am from Australia so there is not much snow however i was thinking about doing a trip or a camp or something of the sort. How would you recommend i start skiing my aim is to eventually go competitive. Thank You!