Resort Skier vs. Backcountry Skier, ROI

At this stage of my life, the most critical account in my budget is Time With Family. From this perspective lift skiing with my wife and/or son counts as income. Backcountry skiing is usually counted as an expense. So I've been doing relatively few backcountry days in recent years. Some of the best have been those in which I've gotten out with my wife and son in spring. I hope these become more frequent as my son gets older.

The best part of skiing. My wife and I have been ridding  ski lifts together from our High School days to the present. Nothing like a snuggle as you talk about life, the last run or the next run. I can't wait for us to ride the Gondola together, God knows what might happen.
BC with my Son and Daughter are special gems of time that will shine in my mind for all time.
Some things are worth the price both in time and in cash.

"Rich has nothing to do with money."
Sinners

At this stage of my life, the most critical account in my budget is Time With Family. From this perspective lift skiing with my wife and/or son counts as income. Backcountry skiing is usually counted as an expense. So I've been doing relatively few backcountry days in recent years. Some of the best have been those in which I've gotten out with my wife and son in spring. I hope these become more frequent as my son gets older.

The only lift skiing I've done in the last three years has been done to ski with my now 6.5 yr old grandson--but I may have to go the first time this year to see my 3.5-yr-old granddaughter!

I hope it won't be too long before the boy can ski in the bc where he already camps with his grandmother:


He's already into glissading:

Ditto, Lowell.

Here's an interesting point: my girls are budding skiers and snowboarders (well, my 7 year old is, the 3 year old likes to think she is) but my wife is not.

Backcountry skiing means I can leave the parking lot at 5:30 am, ski for three hours and be home like a hero to spend time with my girls by 9:30 am. I am a happy man.

"Question: how does the price per run (PPR) compare to the resort skier? I asked this question to a friend and at first thought it a simple answer that the BC skier wins at zero/run, but he mentioned gear investment is roughly double for the BC guy so we had to figure that into the equation. Here goes..."

I began a similar analysis 11 years ago before buying our campervan.  There was no way that I could financially justify spending money on the camper versus paying for lodging or tenting.  But the campervan became an enabling device to have a condo at any ski area in North America or sleeping at or near a trailhead or hot springs,...  Lifts and skins are also enabling devices that provide access to various mountain terrain.  When you combine the skins and lifts, you can a different experience.  Try heli or snowcat or snowmachines and skins and you have a different experience.

Most of us spend $$$$$ on something or someone or both.  Whether you spend $$$ on downhill, backcountry, vehicles, golf, dinners, scuba....., we can justify that expenditure perhaps not as a typical financial ROI but it's not all about the money.  My son inlaw called last night and said he took our local grandsons who are 9 and 6 skiing and said he had a blast skiing with them Wednesday evening. This is a comment coming from a dad who was an excellent snowboarder in his youth.  Our small investment in their ski lessons the past 4 years has an immeasurable return.  Also I have been educating the boys about the joys of eventually breaking trail for grandpa and grandma.  Now that will be a tremendous return for the heart.

Our small investment in their ski lessons the past 4 years has an immeasurable return.  Also I have been educating the boys about the joys of eventually breaking trail for grandpa and grandma.  Now that will be a tremendous return for the heart.

I have been enjoying reading these replies about skiing with family. Growing up I'm the only one of my siblings that ski's and over the years it's just been myself and my ski friends on whatever adventure (resort or backcountry) we felt like doing... the memories have been priceless. But now, I'm new to the parenting scene with an 8yr old stepdaughter, reading this thread makes it obvious I have many more memories to build for not just myself but my new family. I look forward to starting over again at the rope tow teaching my stepdaughter to ski The return on this investment: priceless.

thanks for sharing everyone....