By: RJ Reid

Entering into October means midterms, Thanksgiving, and leaves falling all over Main Mall. It also means you can realistically start thinking about the upcoming ski season. While this may seem a little like daydreaming since good snow is still a couple months away, planning early can help you manage your time properly and also save you some serious cash. Ski bums aren’t meant to be full-time university students, after all, but with the following tips you just might be able to swing it.

First off, there is the Whistler Student Season Pass dilemma. It’s a dilemma because coming from a university budget it’s a hefty price (around $600 when you factor in taxes), but the flipside of this is that the student pass is an extreme bargain compared to a normal season’s pass which comes in at just under $2,000. With a bargain like that, it would seem wasteful not to buy the student pass, but is it worth it?

The factors to consider here are the quality and the quantity. There are some good mountains in British Columbia, and buying a Whistler Season Pass will make you feel like you are wasting money anytime you go ski at another mountain. Whistler Blackcomb, however, is usually considered the best of the best, and with great trails, a great village, and located a mere two hour drive away, it may not be a bad thing to be restricted by.

The other factor is quantity. If you think you will be able to ski seven or more times at Whistler this season, then the season pass is cost efficient. Anything less than that, and you should stick with an EDGE Card, which provides discounted lift tickets to BC residents (which as a UBC student includes you).

Whatever your decision, you should make sure to purchase your Season Pass or EDGE Card before the early bird deadlines, which is December 2nd for a Season Pass and November 25th for an EDGE Card. This will save you some money which you can use to get to Whistler.

Getting to Whistler is an art form in itself, and all I can really say here is: Get creative and be friendly. Snowbus and Greyhound both offer a bus service (the Greyhound option sometimes departing from Vanier which can be super nice), but it can get expensive. Alternatively, search Facebook, Craigslist, the Ski and Board Club, and your own residence hallway and house for anyone with a car who would be willing to drive you up in exchange for some gas money.

If all of this is sounding like too much effort and/or money, check out Seymour Mountain’s weekly student night and Grouse Mountain’s annual 24 Hours of Winter event for affordable and close alternatives.

Enjoy the slopes!