u/mvhoffman82

Looking ahead to next season to purchase my typical 2 day pass to enjoy my overnight trip to Okemo. I have been bouncing around the option to get a 3/4 day pass or potentially getting a NE pass. My question is, I have had the option to not get the season pass or more than 2 day and utilize a friend's buddy passes. Can anyone guide me on their experience on buddy passes for midweek skiing? What is the average discount when using buddy passes?

I started off a couple years ago on Rossignol Soul 7 (106) and went down to Head Kore 99 for better performance here on the Ice Coast. Bounced between them and a pair of Lib Tech Backwards (92) quickly discovering that the LT's were just too soft for my bigger frame. I was lucky enough to find a pair of Line Blade (92) that I spent the middle to end of last season on and pretty much all of this season on. While they truly are great and I had a blast, after spending a full day on them at a very icy and wind blown Okemo (-6F to -30F with wind) I decided I was going to look for something a bit more narrow.

Thanks to FB Marketplace I found a local-ish (50 miles away) pair of Nordica Soul Rider 87. I had my hesitations with them at first mainly because I tried(owned) a pair of Salomon Stance 88/90 as well as a pair of Line TW Pro and both skis just didn't do it for me. They were "okay" but frankly didn't do it. They were slow to transition, they would get caught up on the slush, rumble across the PA groomed ice rumble strips. I did not find them versatile at all. I completely fell out of love with spring skiing on both of them which is why i only had them for a VERY short amount of time.

Enter the Soul Rider 87. From the first click in, they were quick, they were stable, but most of all they were fun. It didn't matter the condition. I went from hesitant and skiing scared to no caring. I would bound thru everything in my path, carve on anything the mountain threw at me. Slush, ice, puddles(truly puddles) it didn't matter. I was having fun. I was skiing in so many variable ways one of the days because I did 30+ runs down the bunny slope with my 5 year old and don't think I could have done it or had the fun I did if I was in my other skis.

This long story does come with a purpose. I believe that the ski industry that is building everything bigger, everything wider, etc. has LOST a lot of skiers in confusion and uncertainty. There is this big push on skis that really only a handful of people out of the whole mountain would benefit with. The majority of mountains here on the ice coast simply do not have the conditions to sustain the wider skis. I know that the majority of ski selection is personal preference. Any ski can get you down the mountain however I think the industry is pushing people away from finding the skis that would actually benefit them. They are pushing people to getting stuck in a holding pattern and forcing a narrative that will really stop people from progressing as a skier to improve and frankly have more fun.

I'm sure I will get a lot of "hate" but with this observation and write up, I hope to just generate personal questions. Questions people will ask themselves to combat the narrative that they have swallowed in that bigger is better. I hope that everyone had as wonderful of a ski season that I have had and I can't wait for the 26/27 and more days with my favorite ski buddy... my 5 year old that will be 6 when the new season starts.