Pro Guiding Service - Blue-Light Special

"Too expensive."

It's the oft-quoted reason people say they don't ski. Sure, skiing is no welfare sport, but neither is it the domain of blue bloods. In fact, if you're willing to work the angles, it's cheaper than most all-American forms of recreation--dining out, a day at the ball park, a trip to Disneyland, wandering the mall...

For starters, those who patronize season-ending clearance sales or season-opening swap meets can gear up with high-end equipment for a third, sometimes a quarter, of what it costs to buy new. And those who ski at humbler regional destinations rather than the marquee resorts will cut their lift and hotel fees in half. Finally, skiers who make a point of eating in rather than dining out will find their vacation food bills are little different than staying home.

Mission Ridge (509-663-6543) is a regional ski destination on the eastern flanks of the Washington Cascades 12 miles from the city of Wenatchee. It has the best weather and kid's ski school of any hill in Washington State, and with a 2200-foot drop and 2000 skiable acres it has terrain for skiers of all abilities--gentle open slopes for novices; long, well-groomed roller coasters for intermediates; chutes, glades, and off-piste bowls for experts. With its dry snow, views out over the bald hills of the West, long cruising runs, quality grooming, and nearby community, a number of writers have likened it to a working-class Sun Valley. But let's be clear here: while Mission Ridge provides a high-quality ski experience, it lacks the pomp, star power, and Dopplemayers of its Idaho cousin.

It also lacks the pound-of-flesh prices.

In fact, the cost of skiing Mission made it an ideal place to run a test over President's Day Weekend. Following is a comparison of what my family of four DID spend on a four-day ski trip to Mission Ridge versus what we WOULD have spent had we wanted to stamp our mini-vacation with the brand-name recognition of skiing Sun Valley.

In penny-pinching mode at Mission Ridge, my wife and I purchased a four-day lift/lodging package from Best Western that supplied a room with two queen-sized beds and two adult ski passes for $400. A four-day ski pass for our nine-year-old ran another $68 while our five-year-old skied free. Because we reserved a room with a kitchen, we ate three dinners in ($32 total) and hit a Mexican restaurant once ($29). Lunches were brown bagged ($24 for four days) and continental breakfast came with the room. Transportation (gas and car depreciation) totalled $110. Grand total for a family of four to ski four days at peak season: $663.

In contrast, here's a conservative figure of what we might have spent on a Sun Valley mini vacation. Four day's of comparable lodging (Best Western) at Sun Valley: $340 total. Rooms in this price range don't have kitchens so we would incur another $140 in dinners out. Continental breakfasts would be provided with the room, but to avoid being scorned by the rich and famous, we might ditch the brown bags and buy lunches: $80. Four-day lift passes would run $400 for my wife and I, $104 for our nine-year-old, and $104 for our five-year-old (no freebies here). Gas and car depreciation would cost $390 (flying would run more). Grand total for a four-day, peak-season visit to a celebrity hill: $1558.

This is not a recommendation to boycott the glitter resorts--ski them if money is not one of your worries. Those who count their dollars carefully, however, should not boycott the sport by merit of what it costs to ski the Sun Valleys of the world. Mission Ridge is one of many Northwestern resorts that don't require a second mortgage to ski.

Other options include resorts like Apex Mountain (250-292-8111) near the town of Penticton, British Columbia, which offers skiing that's steep, deep, and cheap (on-slope accommodations plus lift tickets start at $47/person/day). Lift tickets at Alta, Utah (801-742-3333) are $28/day and beds in Salt Lake City are cheap. Silver Mountain, Idaho; Red Mountain, British Columbia; Hood Meadows, Oregon...these are all hills where middle-class Americans can still afford to strap on boards and taste the euphoria of flight.