It’s that time of year!!!  Time to start pulling out the skis, boards, backcountry gear, and start waxing, picking up the kiddos season rentals, and book those hotel reservations for season.  It is time we all start to get that first tingle of the ski season Mountain Stoke!  I love this time of year.  I haven’t been up to ski on one of the single ribbons of snow, dodging 1,200 other diehards, but I have the tingle and that is enough for now.  I am starting this blog to provide insightful, fun posts that with help you find your stoke!

The Urban Dictionary definition of Stoke as the exhilaration/happiness a person finds in something.  In our case we get that exhilaration or happiness from being and moving in the mountains and being with nature.  I can use the proverbial “we” because I’ve heard the calls of joy and laughter coming from my fellow mountain stokers, while at the same time feeling the same myself.  It isn’t something you can really explain to someone who doesn’t share in a similar stoke.  It is the energy boost that gets you up from a warm bed well before the sun rises.  It is camping in miserable weather for days because that is when the river is up.  You all get what I’m saying…stoke is an unspoken feeling we can all relate to and place at the core of your being.  

Now to the start of ski season!  Seriously…I can’t wait!!!  I’ve been organizing my family’s ski gear and my backcountry set up for weeks.  I spent the night in the garage waxing skis and a snowboard the other night.  A cold one, tunes blaring, and the sweet smell of hot wax, ahhhhh.  This is the same sanctuary I find myself in during warmer months while working on bikes.  Two sides of the same stoke coin I guess.  Well back to ski season:

• Last year my partner and I invested in a bunch of new gear through EVO.com.  This worked out well since we were able to buy equipment at a steep discount while also earning points to buy additional gear we needed for free.  I can say, even in year two of my “new” equipment I’m soooooo stoked to keep pushing this gear and see what it can handle.  How lucky we are mountain people.  We get to buy the raddest toys ever made and then go beat the hell out of them in the mountains.  
• My son gets season rentals but luckily doesn’t care one bit.  We have used Christy’s Sports in the past and they have been great.  This year we finally found a local ski shop that has quality equipment and a good price.  Kids season rentals make a lot of sense.  We find it nice to be able to replace boots and even trade out or upgrade skis mid-season.  
• We have our season passes and are ready to ride.  Over the last 5 years we have taken several different approaches to ski passes:
  • When our son was 3 and just starting out on skis, we signed him up for two months of ski camps at Loveland Ski Area.  These were fantastic giving him 8 days of instruction, and a USFS Junior Ranger Badge, with a bunch of other kiddos.  He really enjoyed it, and it was easy for us.  Bonus – it was a good ask for a Christmas present, which helped us a lot financially.  My partner and I bought a couple of Loveland 4-packs and were able to ski a good number of resort days that year. 
  • The next year we bypassed lessons and went right to the hill.  We bought EPIC Keystone passes that year which were extremely affordable.  This gave us access to Keystone Resort and late season exploring at Breckenridge.  Keystone has a great beginner area on top of the gondola.  This was a little intimidating for our son at first but was comfortable quickly.  Honestly at this young an age, his skiing was almost back to square one.  The good thing having a season pass with kids is that we didn’t have to stay too long to have a fun day.  My wife and I would get some solo laps in before and after, and over all we had a blast that year.  Unfortunately, our Keystone season was cut short by Covid. 
  • The next year we bought the IKON Pass and took our camper to the KOA in Steamboat Springs, CO.  This gave us the option to go to Steamboat for a long weekend, a holiday, or we had to option to meet friends at Eldora, Winter Park, or Copper on other weekends.  This was a major season for my kiddo, taking his skills to the next level.  We put in over 50 days and had a ball.
  • The next year we had a lot going on and decided to get the IKON Base Pass.  This gave us unlimited time at Eldora, Winter Park, or Copper, plenty of options for a lighter season.  Luckily, we got a bunch of quick Eldora days that got us all over 15 days for the season.  Fun times!
  • This year we are taking a completely different approach and buying a Monarch Mountain Season Pass.  This pass includes unlimited skiing at Monarch Mountain and 9 days at Loveland, A-Basin, and Copper to get us on the slopes when we don’t plan on spending the weekend in Salida.  This will be another low ski day year, but we are looking forward to having some new adventures, pushing our limits, and meeting a bunch of amazing new people.  I will also have more time to get out into the backcountry without the family. 
• The final thing I will touch on in this post is lodging.  Over the past 5 years lodging pricing in Colorado has gone through the roof.  We do our best to stay as many nights as we can in the mountains, so this piece of the puzzle is critical:
  • Friends spare couch or bedroom – this is your best option, especially if you’re single and young, or have friends in high places.  Go grab that couch before someone else does. 
  • Hotels – I suggest going the hotel route if you are staying one or two nights.  We love using one app to book all our hotels, such as Expedia.  This way we can build points to use for future stays.  Hotels are the great option but don’t offer you the possibilities of an Airbnb/VRBO, i.e. – no kitchens/kitchenettes, no amazing houses, no local feel. 
  • Airbnb/VRBO – you all know what these sites are all about.  I suggest looking at this option if you are staying at least 3+ days so you can spread out all the one-time fees.  The nightly cost for a crappy little studio on Airbnb could cost the same as a night at a 5-star hotel.
  • Van/Camper/RV – this is one of our specials as it is a very affordable way to get a ton of nights in the mountains for the lowest cost.  I suggest buying a little older, in good condition, used van or camper for a really good price.  If you take good care of it, it shouldn’t depreciate too much when time comes to sell.  There are free campsites – iOverlander (app); some resorts allow parking (Steamboat, Keysonte, Baker, Mt. Bachelor, etc.), great campgrounds – KOA’s do tend to stay open through winter and offer month-long and season-long rentals, and again there may be that friend you have who doesn’t mind you showering in their house when you are dirtbagging it in your van.

So many fun options out there to find fun in the winter mountains.  My for one can’t wait!!!  If you’ve been up riding already, I applaud you.  For all of you, welcome to Mountain Stoke.  I can’t wait to continue sharing what gets me stoked in the mountains and help get that stoke burning in you too.  See you out there!