Join the club, do the team. With the team Mammoth tickets are only $49. You would have to go 12 times to make up for the cost of a college pass. Or you can go 10 times and get a June pass. Carpool with 3 others and gas is totally manageable. After 1 trip up, you probably won't have to spend money on housing ever.
Make it through the winter. It is totally do able. Realize you are going to land a great job after. Or you can do what I did. Take winter quarter off. I wouldnt do it your first year, but second... sure. Avoid enrolling in GE's at all costs. This summer, take a full load of GEs or any possible engineering class that is offered. So you can do summer, fall, spring. You can still graduate in the same length as everyone else, just replace winter with summer. You will still get to surf plenty and SLO is still a fun place in the summer.
Seriously though, the degree is worth it.
Who knows, you could always get into designing skis or chairlifts or something of that sort. I'm getting a second degree now so that I can potentially work for quiksilver or 686 or Holden or another amazing company.
So when snowblades is off with his awful mountain job, I'll be working demo days at various resorts, be sent off to Japan and Australia for ASR, have control over something I truely love, and I'll be getting paid for it.
If you like engineering figure out what about it you actually like. I have a friend who wasnt sure if she made the right choice. Her professor asked her what she hated the most, she said traffic. Now she designs traffic intersections. Random but she loves her job.
I have another friend who is now builds event booths. Like the really fancy ones you see at the Xgames and such. He loves his job.
So keep in mind you can do pretty much anything with an engineering degree.
