I’m going to share a few stats with you–
I skied 76 days in Utah last season.
I was 56 years old.
I learned to ski as an adult but not very well until recently.
My average ski day was less than three hours, and to paraphrase Robert Frost, “...that has made all the difference.”
Before moving to Utah, I schlepped my family to ski for a few spring breaks. I planned, packed, and drove them to resorts, where I unloaded, unpacked, and dislodged their goldfish-encrusted fingers from my calves at ski school before finding my way to the lifts to snowplow for the next five hours. I then picked up the kids, who cackled in a cocoa-infused cacophony about their adventures while I silently sorted mittens, hats and socks, fed, bathed and sent them and myself to bed. Multiply this schedule by four, sometimes five days, and I was, honestly, ready to head home to rest.
No, that is NOT how I learned to ski or learned how to LOVE it.
I learned to ski and improved when I embraced half-day skiing. If you ask Utah locals how many days they ski, you’ll get a range of answers—five, 15, 40, 100 or more days on the mountain. But as you delve further, you’ll discover that few ski more than four hours on any given day. There are several practical reasons and a few strategic ones.
Pay Less. Ski More.
Living within an hour of 10 ski resorts (as those in Salt Lake City do) provides locals with easy access to world-class runs and season passes that are less than some gym memberships. However, unless they are ski instructors, they have jobs to do, classes to attend and chores to finish. Skiing for six hours, even on weekends, when most are playing catch with kids or catching up with work, just isn’t feasible—but sneaking in a few hot laps? Oh, yeah!
This, honestly, might be the single biggest reason people (not just locals) purchase season passes. Putting aside how quickly they pay for themselves versus purchasing daily lift tickets, resort season passes “nudge” people to use them as many days as possible without regard to how many hours per day they use them.
Multi-passes, including Ikon, Epic and Indy Pass, have become extremely popular among locals and visitors. Although there isn’t evidence that the number of hours people ski per day has increased, the numbers of skiers and ski days have hit record levels. The reasoning may be economic.
A season or multi-pass is an excellent example of a sunk cost, a single expense that cannot be recovered but does not increase with greater use. Unlike purchasing pricier daily lift tickets, passes reduce the pressure to “get my money’s worth” by skiing the first to last lift – as many as 12 hours. When you’re fatigued or want to do something else, you hit the hot tub, even if it’s noon.
If your perfect ski day starts after lunch or you don’t have a season or multi-pass, consider purchasing a half-day lift ticket. Most Utah resorts offer discounted half-day tickets at the window, allowing you to ski (typically from 12:30PM) until the last lift closes (approximately 3:30–4PM). Some resorts spin their lifts into the evening (check out Brighton’s Twilight Pass). Enjoy plenty of skiing for less money!
Enjoy Freshies with Fresh Legs
There’s a more pragmatic reason to ski shorter days – you’ll ski better. Athletes don’t go full gas at every practice. Runners don’t do marathons every day. If you haven’t skied since last winter, it makes little sense to hit the slopes 360 days later, attempt 20k of vertical – at altitude – over five hours and do it again for the next five days. At that rate, the injury risk becomes greater than the stoke.
Plus, it’s exhausting. Have you ever noticed how you often ski your best early in the morning? It’s not because of the snow quality. Ok, sometimes, it’s precisely because of the snow quality! More often, it’s the skier quality. You’re well-rested, fed, caffeinated and ready to go. After a few glorious hours, you head in for a delicious, carb-filled lunch (because you’ve earned it). Clicking into your bindings an hour later, you feel the lactic acid swirl and strangle your quadriceps. A midday yawn suddenly escapes your throat. You’ve restarted Strava and are determined to power through it, but the magic is gone. “Those d&*n skis just won’t turn!”
Ski great runs with fresh legs instead of skiing to fatigue or, as is too often the case, beyond. Skiing is a demanding sport requiring balance, concentration and stamina. Expecting to ski well for more than a few hours at a time – especially the first days of your three or 130-day season – is difficult for the best. Ski more days for fewer hours and see the results, even over a weeklong spring break.
Fewer Hours for More Days
As you have probably surmised, I am an advocate for skiing fewer hours for more days to become a better and stronger skier. Less is more. Skiing is a relatively small set of fundamental skills that get a skier from the top of a run to the bottom, no matter the experience or the amount of snow. Improving the fundamentals will improve the skier and, like working out or studying for a big test, there is a point of diminishing return. Rest and recover or, as we remind each other on the mountain on the penultimate run, “Ski to ski another day!”
I never wanted to be “that skier” who tracked annual ski days, but after logging them in the Ski Utah app a few years ago, I noticed that I improved after a certain number of ski days. After a few more days, I improved even more. I kept “bumping up.”
I was skiing more vertical feet in less time. I engaged my outside ski more easily and naturally (which was less tiring). I used the energy in my skis instead of my quads to float through powder (which was less exhausting). I leaned forward down steeper slopes, knowing I wouldn’t tumble down (which allowed me to ski faster and turn smoother). I experienced less fatigue while gaining more muscle, muscle memory and confidence. I improved not because I skied five hours over five days but because I skied two to three hours over ten, 20 or sixty days!
My improvement felt incremental but was exponential over a season. I skied 76 days, averaging less than three hours per day. My overall health improved (heart rate, VO2 max), and I skied more challenging runs on and off-piste and in the backcountry. At 56, I finished the Ski Utah Interconnect Tour – six resorts in a single day – twice within ten days!
Regardless of your age or ability, if you want to improve your skiing and even save money for a second or third ski trip, purchase a season or multi-pass and enjoy dozens of half-days skiing at Utah resorts. You’ll see results, and your body and wallet will be stronger.
