An assignment for one of my poli sci classes about the way capitalism commodifies parts of our identities got me thinking about the cost of skiing. It's no secret that for the average person, skiing is basically untenable. Even at the tiniest midwestern hills a lift ticket generally costs upwards of $50 these days. Out west that's more like $100 minimum. Throw in the cost of rentals and transportation and its remarkable there are any new skiers at all. I'm sure others have discussed this, but given that a majority of ski areas (at least in the west) are on public lands, is it time for the government to start regulating the cost of lift tickets at ski areas on public lands? Another solution would be for the larger ski areas to start subsidizing smaller "feeder" ski areas but I don't see this happening. Frankly, I'm quite happy paying $650 for a (college) ikon pass and skiing over 100 days a year at a bunch of different world class mountains, but that's not going to work for the entry level skier. So what are some solutions, outside or inside the box, to combat the cost of skiing and help grow the sport?
**This thread was edited on Nov 11th 2022 at 12:58:50am
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