I am from upstate New York. And not the upstate that is one to two hours from Manhattan. No, no. I grew up north of Albany, New York State’s capital, about 8 hours from Buffalo, NY and three hours from NYC. Of course, those who live north of Syracuse also refer to themselves as “upstaters” […]
By Heather Atwell
Feb 08 2008
I am from upstate New York. And not the upstate that is one to two hours from Manhattan. No, no. I grew up north of Albany, New York State’s capital, about 8 hours from Buffalo, NY and three hours from NYC. Of course, those who live north of Syracuse also refer to themselves as “upstaters” and I know that folks from the Adirondacks scoff at people who reside south of them and make the same claim. But that is how we replied, when people inquired about Ballston Spa – at one point, the sock capital of the world: We’re from “upstate.”
And the other part of our identity was, at least my family’s identity, despite not being “true” New Englanders (though my father’s grandfather operated a saw mill in Vermont till it burned to the ground), that we were frugal. I am pretty sure that New Englanders have long been associated with thriftiness. To this day, my parents still pinch pennies. I do too. Getting a deal is very satisfying. In fact, the only reason I shop is to get a deal, but only if I truly need it, because, I’ve got that New England frugality despite growing up about an hour from what is truly considered New England.
How does this tie in to skiing? Deals, my friends, deals. Of course, a great way to get deals is to plan ahead and buy discounted tickets from the state ski associations or discounted season passes directly from the areas before the season starts. You can usually find out about these deadlines online. Don’t fret that it is mid-season and those early deadlines are long past, there are still some great options for saving money.
And since there are so many great deals, I am going to link to a few of them so you can figure out what suits you best, then you can all tell me which ones I’ve missed:
E-ticket discounts at Jiminy Peak, MA
OK, now it is your turn to post the best deals for skiing or riding in New England.
Read more New England Ski tips from Heather Atwell.