No.
In fact, golf is another expensive sport, but I’ve heard of programs for underserved youth to get to participate in golf, but never for skiing. (Apparently there is)
But I’ve tried my best to minimize the expenses. Let’s break it down.
Step 1: Get to the mountains
If you are like me, then you don’t live within driving distance of a mountain. As a result it will require flying and then renting a car. During ski season a lot of people have the same idea and so demand goes up and so will prices.
Step 2: Stay somewhere
The best is to stay so close to the mountain you can walk to the lifts, but that is expensive. Like >$350 a night. If you stay further, then you will need to wake up earlier to get parking and sometimes you have to pay for the parking.
Step 3: Ski – equipment
Since skiing is done on a snowy mountain you need warm clothes and hopefully waterproof ones. The cheapest outfit you could get would probably be $150, but they go into the thousands. Look up Moncler if you’re curious. Now that you have the clothes you’ll also need the skis/board and boots. Renting is convenient because you don’t have to carry your gear on the plane, but it will cost anywhere from $35 to $75 a day. If you do choose to buy, I got some used skis for $350 and my used boots were $400. There are cheaper options, but you absolutely want your boots to feel good.
Step 4: Ski – tickets
Ski resorts aren’t a public park, more like an amusement park with a high entry fee. Expect a day to cost from $100 to $250. If you are a frequent skier then you may be better off with a season pass. The two big ones are Epic and Ikon. I paid $1000 for mine and skied 10 days. It “saved” money, but still averaged at $100 a day.
Adding it up
Let’s say you do a week at one resort. You spend $600 on flights, $500 on car rental, $700 on lift tickets, $350 on equipment rental, $2500 on a hotel and borrow the clothes. That $4600. But that just one, and you are a family of four, and the kids need lessons that cost an additional $200 a day. Well, now your ski week is over $12,000. And just like an amusement park, food and other activities aren’t cheap.
How I make it cheaper, but still not cheap
We ended up doing Big Sky and some Colorado resorts. I used Marriott and Wyndam points for all the 13 nights. The flights were on Southwest which we have a companion pass so that cut cost, but didn’t eliminate it. I own equipment, but still spent money on a travel tube to protect the skis. In the end it was probably around $5,000 for 10 days of skiing across 13 nights. It was fun, but exhausting and I think I’ll take a few years off before I go again.