The Pleasures of Mid-Week Skiing and Riding

I work Monday through Friday at a desk job. In fact, I have had my behind in a standard issue office chair since a little before 9 a.m. on this lovely Monday morning. It’s quite frigid outside, so I am okay with my work situation today. But, please, please don’t let me know about the storm totals from yesterday. Don’t let me even wonder how blue the sky is on the summit of my favorite mountain peak, and how fluffy the powder would be under my skis. And this storm that we might get tomorrow, don’t mention that either. I’d rather live in denial that around Wednesday, ski resorts in New England will have been blessed by more snow and I will still be right here, sitting in my desk chair — because this is where I am mid-week. It may sound like I am throwing myself a pity party, but what I am really doing, is getting to my point. Mid-week skiing is a true luxury, and if you do anything in this lifetime, you should spend at least one week of your life on vacation at a ski resort mid-week. And by one week of your life, I mean one week of your life each winter. And by mid-week, I mean during a non-holiday period. And by you, I mean YOU! Why? The answer seems obvious to me, but my guess is that most of the general skiing and riding public may not have had the same opportunity that I, and lots of people I personally know from my ski industry days, have had. Therefore the general public may not truly understand the “why” part. Working at a ski area full-time, for two full seasons, allowed me to notice the extreme difference between skiing on a weekend when the masses are out in full force and having the mountain to myself. And if you go mid-week, you pretty much have the entire mountain to yourself — or so it seems. Of course, others are there, but they are like you — lucky souls who get to enjoy the quiet and peacefulness of mid-week non-holiday skiing. There is another reason to go mid-week skiing or riding: It’s cheaper. Ski resorts want people to come to the mountain and spend money. Since there are so many barriers to getting away from what pays the bills mid-week (for instance: kids in school and vacation time deficit), resorts try to give incentives to overcome those barriers. I’ve just given you two reasons to go skiing mid-week. Now that you understand the reasons why you should go skiing mid-week, I’ll give you a few easy steps to actualize your plan. (Since it’s still January, this could be a resolution, but really self-actualization can happen all ski season long.) Instead of dreaming about skiing in general at your desk job, you should focus your desk job day-dreaming on skiing mid-week. (Stay with me: ask, believe, receive. It works for skiing too!) Take the two reasons to ski mid-week as motivation to spend your lunch hour surfing the Web to find some great mid-week deals. They exist. You just need to find them. To recap my plan: (1) Daydream specifically about mid-week skiing; (2) take action by finding ski discounts. I know that you can do this. The universe of mid-week skiing is waiting for you. Namaski.